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| new member |
I am about to reload my first batch of ammo. I was wondering if there is a safe way to water proof them? I don't plan on swimming with them or anything. I am just worried about the powder getting damp if I get caught in a rain storm or something. When I duck hunt I paint the primer and front of my shotgun shells with clear finger nail polish. Is there something similar that I can do to my reloads or are they water tight enough already? | ||
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One of Us |
You can get primer sealant, I imagine you could put it around the case mouth too but I can't imagine water getting in there. Love shooting precision and long range. Big bores too! Recent college grad, started a company called MK Machining where I'm developing a bullpup rifle chassis system.  | |||
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Thanks, Guess I should have looked around a bit more before asking. I found some on the Midway site under "primer sealer" lol!!! It says that you can seal the primer and the bullet with it. How many of you do this? If its not really needed Ill skip doing it. I wasn't planing on crimping my bullets so I was thinking moisture might be a problem though. Don't want to pull the trigger and nothing happen. | |||
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| one of us |
You might just get one of those machines that vacuum seals meat and things. | |||
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Moderator |
I don't do it, and I've had rounds go through the washing machine before and still work. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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| one of us |
Both the primer and the bullet are press fit into the case, so they're naturally water resistant. Now, if you're planning to store your ammo at the bottom of a pond, than you'll need to waterproof them. IMHO it's a waste of time, but if you insist on doing it, simply borrow some nail polish from your wife/GF (the sealer is the same thing) | |||
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One of Us |
So I'm not the only one!  | |||
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| One of Us |
Same here. | |||
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| One of Us |
No, you are not the only one.  Hollowpointer, Here's my general advice for the new reloader: Keep it simple to begin with. Master the basics before you start adding complexity. You can make reloading as simple or complex as you wish, but if you master the basics first, and only add one new variable at a time, you will develope a better understanding of how each of those new processes affect your loads. Hope this helps. | |||
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| One of Us |
FWIW, crimping the bullet in the case doesn't make it tighter, it merely prevents it from moving forward or backwards. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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| new member |
Thanks for the replies. I guess I wont worry about sealing it. Sometimes I tend to worry about the wrong things.  | |||
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One of Us |
Welcome to AR. I see you are a new member and new to reloading rifle ammo (you did say this is your first lot of ammo). Here is what I would do if I was you 1. Buy the Lyman latest edition reloading amnual and read the early chapters (not the load data). Read it 2 or 3 times! I would not get mixed up with too much info - I would avoid reading other infor for at least 1 year. 2. Get my prioroties right - Safety first - I would never try to do my intial reloading alone. I would get an experienced & reliable friend to help. I would NEVER exceed the velocity of pressure tested loads unless I am within the pressure limits and my rifle is shooting well. I would NEER go above recommended pressure levels. 3. I would try and understand the correlation between case, bullet weight, powder charge, velocity and pressure. I would make sure I understand that the relationship is a non-linear exponential one. In plain English - the more powder you add or the more heavy the bullet is, the higher the pressure and the rate of increase. In other words - A light load of a 7mm08 140 gr bullet may take 40 grains of Varget to get 2700 fps and low pressures. For every grain of powder I increase the presssure starts going up quicker and higher while velocity increase does not go up at the same RATE. 4. I would make sure I remember ALL the little bits that lead to increasing pressure - such as case lenght getting too long and crushing the bullet in the chamber, seating the bullet too far into the lands of the chamber throat, etc. 5. I would focus on safe, accurate ^ uniform ammo at the exclusion of other factors like highest velocity, water proofing, Rap music etc.! Good luck. "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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Thanks for the welcome! I bought a copy of Modern Reloading 2nd edition by lee and read it cover to cover. I don't have any friends that reload so I'm on my own there. And don't worry, the last thing I'll be listening to is rap  | |||
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One of Us |
On my last Tahr hunt earlier this year I dropped a reloaded round out of my Brno 6.5-06 into a creek and took some time before I could see it and retrieve it from under the water. I have kept it separate from my 'good' ammo intending to try it out when next on the range. Recently done this, keeping it for the last shot in case only the primer fired and I may have ended up with a bullet stuck in the barrel. Anyway it fired as normal and grouped in with the rest. If any cartridge was going to absorb water into the primer or powder this one would have had the best chance as the round was quite warm from the sunny afternoon and the water in the creek was from melted snow so very cold. Other than on dangerous game, I would be more than happy to use my reloads if they had had a short dunking under water or got wet in the rain. | |||
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| one of us |
I've hunted all day long in the rain and still brought home my Kudu. I just haven't seen a cartridge go south from a good wetting. I MAY consider using nail polish on my primers one day when I see one that has allowed moisture in, but I would honestly NEVER do the same with case mouths. Why would I want to increase my start pressure with a factor of XYZ to mitigate against a risk which really doesn't exist? Famous last words? I'd rather have a misfire / squib load than a blowup. | |||
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| one of us |
You too!   | |||
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one of us |
Add me to the list of careless washing machine "users." Also, I've taught a large number of shooters how to reload in formal classes over the years. The Lyman book was the standard I and others have used for a text. I buy one every time a new one comes out and pass my old one on to one of my grandchildren. .395 Family Member DRSS, po' boy member Political correctness is nothing but liberal enforced censorship | |||
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