Militay ammo has a chemical sealant on the primer and bullet to water proof the cartridge.

Anyone using a similar sealer or lacquer to water proof their cartridges?

What brand of sealer are you using?
Any problems encountered while using a sealer?

No !. Are You ?. Do you want to ?. For what purpose may I ask ?.

Lacquer Nitro base works well so does wifes thinned down nail polish .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I suppose you could call what I do 'using a sealant'. I use molten bullet lube to hold and seal bullets in my hornet cases. But then there is a cardboard wad under the bullet. I have tried 'glueing' the bullet to the wad with lube as well as keeping the wad dry, with and without a lubed soaked paper patch. I cannot see the difference - yet (except that one way, the wad stays attached to the bullet). My objective is to use un-sized cases and lube the bore. This probably only works with the long necked, small hornet case. The wad and un-sized neck makes it possible to load more powder without raising peak pressure. Accuracy is good and I never need to clean the bore but loading is more work. Cases last forever (that is to say - until they get lost).

quote:

Lacquer Nitro base works well so does wife’s thinned down nail polish.

Does this not leave a burned residue in the bore? And the solvent – does that not attack the powder and priming compound?

I do not seal case-neck to bullet. For the primers on ammunition that will be used for hunting and is likely to be exposed to various weather conditions I use nail polish. After I have finished reloading the cartidge, I "paint" the primer area with the nail polish and then quickly and lightly swipe the base across a folded paper towel to take off any excess polish. This leaves the grove around the primer full of polish that sets up hard. I also use nail polish to make "strikes anywhere" wooden matches waterproof. Just paint the whole match and let dry.

Anyone using a similar sealer or lacquer to water proof their cartridges?

Nope.

I have used fingernail polish on primers in the past. I applied it with a toothpick. The stuff I had did not need thinning. If flowed well.

I use Imperial Die Sizing Wax as my case lube. It seems to leave a residual coating on the brass that repels water. I use it to coat and wipe down my hunting ammo and water beads up on it nicely. I will also apply and wipe down a coat of Johnson's Paste wax on my guns during hunting season. It is an excellent non-permanent water repellent.

The military seals the bullet with Asphalt, really.

Your local garden center should carry an Ortho product for coating branches of fruit trees that have been split or cut. That's the stuff.

The military uses a lacquer to seal the primers.

I have had better luck with thined nail polish, as noted above. Use a clear or translucent nail polish. If you want color, get some aniline dye from an art store.

For the mouth of shotshells intended for wet conditions, I use a clear silicone RTV sealant made by Permatex/Loctite. $2.39 at NAPA or Auto Zone.

It probably kills California Condors.....

LD

LD

303 Guy ; I was referring to Primer sealant only .
It would not as the burn is on the inside of the case not out side .Nitro lacquer would burn undetected any way . What little if any residue would CLEAN in a heart beat with any popular weapons cleaning solvent. If one feels the necessity to " Seal the Projectile " !?? Why is beyond me . I would use Nitro based lacquer or lacquer sealer . Nail polish is fine for primers , I've never used anything to seal projectiles myself .

How ever if I did I would shy away from acrylic products such is in most nail polishes as well as A LOT of current Lacquer products . Make sure it's a SOLVENT BORNE and NOT WATER BORNE product you choose .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Thanks for that Dr.K. What exactly is nitro lacquer? lawndart says 'asphalt'. Another option for me to try. You ask why seal the bullet? Well..... no good logical reason I suppose.... Actually, I do it simply because I do not size my hornet case necks. And I do that (or don't do that) because I have fun doing it that way. But then I need a means of holding the bullet in place and keeping water out. I have found I can get more power out of the hornet this way - only meaningful if we are trying to stabilize a heavier bullet - like the 60gr Hornady spire point And to lube the bore at the same time - which also eliminates the need to clean and protect from rust. But basically, just for fun! And it works, too. I find bullet lubed paper patches work pretty well too. Ahh... yes. The hornet is so much fun!
I shall now go and try the nail polish!

The cheaper translucent nail polishes will have the word "butyl" in the ingredient list. They will look shiny when a very thin layer dries. The acrylic products have the brighter colors; those dry to a "flat" texture in thin layers.

The Asphalt is used only between the bullet and the case mouth. Pull a US military 7.62 cartridge apart and you will see it.

There are articles about sealing both primers and bullets in circa. 1980-1983 articles in Handloader magazine.

Have fun,

LD

I cannot see any reason to use bullet sealant.

Primers, however, might need to be sealed for certain applications.

We used to do that with ammo we loaded for our spear guns. This included 38 Special, 357 Magnum and 44 Magum.

We used just plain nail varnish. We dd not thin it down, and all worked very well.

Clear nail polish!

The bullet sealant in U.S. military cartridges is asphalt dissolved in gasoline. Applied inside the case neck and allowed to air dry BEFORE the powder and bullet were added. (Which means the powder has to be added through a spout that extends below the asphalt.) Don't recall if I read that in Hatcher's Notebook or in George Frost's Ammunition Making. Probably in the latter.

To make nitro lacquer dissolve Smokeless powder in Methyl Ethel Keytone (MEK). You will have to determine the ratios that work best for you. Shotgun powder is probably the best.