Posted on 09/18/2017 12:16:37 PM PDT by marktwain
With the recent impact of two hurricanes, Harvey and Irma, on the United States, there is going to be a lot of ammunition that was submerged for some time.
To prevent damage, many people keep ammunition in waterproof ammo cans. They tend to work very well, if the can is not submerged more than a few feet. Not everyone stores ammunition in ammo cans, and the cans can be damaged or leak.
The two storms flooded tens of thousands of houses. A recent survey showed that about half of the homes in the United States have a gun owner living in them.
The organization that sets the standards for firearms and ammunition manufacture in the United States, SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute), recommends zero tolerance for ammunition that has been submerged for any period of time.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Live Ammos Matter!!
Ammo cans have a big neoprene rubber gasket in the lid. Wiping it down every few years with some Aerospace 303 Protectant or similar product is probably a good idea. Helps the rubber maintain resiliency.
We already looked at this issue out the back door.
I would use salvaged ammo only as training ammo.
The cartridges should be okay for practice, but the shells are probably TU.
“Keep your powder dry”.
I would say 90 percent of brass cartridge ammunition will be just fine. Brass cased ammo is far more water resistant than most people realize. Most shotshells however will be damaged.
Even the paper stuff ?
I had to look that one up.
Primer to case surface will be compromised. Bolt faces and people faces beware.
LOL, how many gun owners would honestly tell someone taking a "survey" whether they had guns in their home? I sure wouldn't.
A guy I know has 30.06 bullets from WW2. Still good?
I would dry it and use it for target practice only. For defensive use at home, use new ammo which has been stored cool and dry.
Don't know. I did have someone give me some .357 rounds one time that were 30 years old (about 100 - two boxes) and every single one shot without a hitch. If they've been stored in a cool dry place and are not rusty they are probably good.
Also, I bought a couple of large bricks of Vietnam era .308 military surplus ammo a few years back and they have all shot just fine.
I have seen several torture test videos on youtube and the metal ammo cans are MUCH better in this regard (ie. waterproof) than the cheap plastic Wal-Mart ammo cans.
Probably, I’ve fired older ammo. But the problem is that older ammo used corrosive primers, and a lack of prompt and thorough cleaning can lead to a badly rusted bore.
My pet flood peeve isn’t ammo, it’s hybrid or plug-in hybrid cars with 300 volt electric systems sitting around under water.
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