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How waterproof are your loads?

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27 August 2004, 04:01
The_Shrink
How waterproof are your loads?
Esteemed Board

I clean my BP brass in my Lyman vibratory tumbler in 3mm ceramic beads, about � c. water, a drop or two dish soap, and a T. or so vinegar. Last night I dumped part of a box of fired brass into this solution and left it running overnight. This AM I pulled it out to find one unfired round in the mix.

I was curious, so I pulled the bullet to find a completely dry caked power mass. The primer fired. After all night in a wet, soapy environment with constant agitation the round would have fired with no degradation.

The load was WW 44 WCF brass, WW LP primer, 37.5 (full case) FFFG Goex, 200 MAV bullet in 30-1. Loaded on Lee dies with the normal crimp, not the Factory crimp.

How waterproof are your loads?
27 August 2004, 04:36
skb2706
I accidently ran a couple .300 WM mags thru the wash machine a full cycle. Realized it before they went thru the dryer. Actually shot a group with them and some rounds loaded in the same batch and you could not see any difference. That qualifies as 'waterproof' enough for me.
27 August 2004, 05:36
Ol` Joe
I would think if your components fit properly and were snug they should be quite resistant to water seepage. Rain, mud puddles, ect shouldn`t bother them within reason, there isn`t any pressure on the water to drive it between the case and bullet / primer.
Now at 50' down in a lake...............don`t know.
27 August 2004, 12:45
Pecos41
My guess is it would take some TIME in a wet environment to damage ammo.

OR...if they were subjected to water and PRESSURE, i.e. you drop your ammo can off the side of your boat into 12 feet of water.

How fast would water penetrate to the goodies if it had some pressure behind it?

Dropping ammo in the random mud puddle or snow bank, digging it out and wiping it off has never bothered anything I loaded.

Anyone retrieved ammo from any DEPTH and tried it?