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Is it OK to Vacuum-Seal Ammo

roy rogersroy rogers Member Posts: 15 ✭✭
edited February 2004 in General Discussion
Has anyone tried to using a food vacuum sealer to seal ammo for long term storage?[?] It looks like the vacuuming the air and moisture would help long term storage but would there be unwanted effects?
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Comments

  • muggstermuggster Member Posts: 420 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm no expert but I can't imagine that it would have any negative affects.Why not use ammo cans,they are cheaper than those dam vacuum sealer gizmos.....plus,you gotta buy "speacial" vacuum sealer bags to go with it.How much,if I may ask,ammo are you storing?

    Muggster
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  • roy rogersroy rogers Member Posts: 15 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sometimes I will buy a case and usually only shoot a couple hundred rounds of a caliber a year. It would be nice to seal 20 to 40 rounds for a one time outing. I tried my wife's vacuum sealer on a couple of boxes and the boxes collapsed a bit and I got nervous (thinking that the bullets would pop out of the cases due the pressure drop being too fast) and opened one and the rounds seemed to be OK. Then I got to thinking that I have never seen ammo new ammo vacuum sealed, so there might be a reason it should not be.
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  • gun_runnergun_runner Member Posts: 8,999
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by muggster
    I'm no expert but I can't imagine that it would have any negative affects.Why not use ammo cans,they are cheaper than those dam vacuum sealer gizmos.....plus,you gotta buy "speacial" vacuum sealer bags to go with it.How much,if I may ask,ammo are you storing?

    Muggster
    Why do you care how much ammo he is storing?????????????

    Larry
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  • daddodaddo Member Posts: 3,408
    edited November -1
    I have sealed many a round with the vacume sealer in various ways,but everytime and everyone of them lost it's vacume. The reason? I think the air in the rounds are slowly released (via bullet to neck seal) until the vacume is compromised. It's still a great way to keep them dry, labeled and organised.
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  • muggstermuggster Member Posts: 420 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by gun_runner
    quote:Originally posted by muggster
    I'm no expert but I can't imagine that it would have any negative affects.Why not use ammo cans,they are cheaper than those dam vacuum sealer gizmos.....plus,you gotta buy "speacial" vacuum sealer bags to go with it.How much,if I may ask,ammo are you storing?

    Muggster
    Why do you care how much ammo he is storing?????????????

    Larry

    Larry the paranoid...

    Let me rephrase the question.How much ammo do you plan to vacuum seal in a bag?The vaccum machines and bags ain't to cheap...just seems like a waste of time and money when an ammo can will suffice.
    By the way Roy...you can buy surplus ammo that was produced decades ago and stored in regular ammo cans...with no ill affects.If it was me,I wouldn't worry about it unless you want the brass to stay nice and shiny.


    Muggster
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  • gun_runnergun_runner Member Posts: 8,999
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by muggster
    quote:Originally posted by gun_runner
    quote:Originally posted by muggster
    I'm no expert but I can't imagine that it would have any negative affects.Why not use ammo cans,they are cheaper than those dam vacuum sealer gizmos.....plus,you gotta buy "speacial" vacuum sealer bags to go with it.How much,if I may ask,ammo are you storing?

    Muggster
    Why do you care how much ammo he is storing?????????????

    Larry

    Larry the paranoid...

    Let me rephrase the question.How much ammo do you plan to vacuum seal in a bag?The vaccum machines and bags ain't to cheap...just seems like a waste of time and money when an ammo can will suffice.
    By the way Roy...you can buy surplus ammo that was produced decades ago and stored in regular ammo cans...with no ill affects.If it was me,I wouldn't worry about it unless you want the brass to stay nice and shiny.


    Muggster
    Just a tad on the paranoid side. Sorry[:)]

    Larry
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  • muggstermuggster Member Posts: 420 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Larry

    Believe me....I know what you mean[;)]

    Muggster
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just stick them in regular, heavy duty, zip-lock style baggies. These are plenty water proof for normal purposes. I do it all the time for collector rounds I've obtained in bulk. The key to preserving ammo, of any quantity, for shooting is temperature and contaminants. Normal ambient temperatures / humidity is fine. Only time one would need an approach like this is when it involves an extremely wet environment such as rain forests / jungles. In the period leading up to WW2, the big British African / Indian cartridges often were packed in "jungle tins" much like the "spam cans" of US military ammo. Didn't protect against heat, but neither was expected to be stored indefinitely.

    "There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain)
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  • SuspensionSuspension Member Posts: 4,783
    edited November -1
    It works fine. I always used my food savier to vaccume seal shells of all types. Even make small packages sometimes to take to the river or in the boat with me.
    I don't do it much anymore because I know have a safe with a light and deumidifier......You know up to date....



    NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
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  • joeaf1911a1joeaf1911a1 Member Posts: 2,962 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Having done a lot of Hi vacuum work I feel it is a waste of time. First, the propellant will "outgas" causing most vacuum to be lost.
    If needed, plastic, sealed bags with the air squeezed out will work
    just as well. Same as a M.G. sealed (metal) box (without squeezing).
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  • ItGoBangItGoBang Member Posts: 1,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    When you see all the surplus ammo in BATTLE PACKS...it has been vaccumed sealed. Helps with longterm storage [:)]

    It will hurt you, More than it will hurt me..

    Life Member..NRA,
    American Legion, MECU, MWCA, SMSC, NASDS, IDPA
    Thanks for all the help!
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  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000 ✭
    edited November -1
    I asked Olin (manufacturer of Winchester ammo) this same question, because I heard that some powders could "go wet" from nitro seepage in a vacumn. There reply was, "it will not harm Winchester ammo manufactured by Olin."

    Good enough for me.

    How you doin'!wolf_evil_smile_md_wht.gif
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  • jsergovicjsergovic Member Posts: 5,526
    edited November -1
    "Just a tad on the paranoid side."

    I've got twenty bricks of 45ACP buried in varouus caches through out a nearby forest for "the day it happens". I just put half a brick into large zip-locs, and triple-bag them.[:D]
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  • muggstermuggster Member Posts: 420 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by ItGoBang
    When you see all the surplus ammo in BATTLE PACKS...it has been vaccumed sealed. Helps with longterm storage [:)]

    It will hurt you, More than it will hurt me..

    Life Member..NRA,
    American Legion, MECU, MWCA, SMSC, NASDS, IDPA
    Thanks for all the help!


    Interesting.I have never used any Battle Pack ammo.
    Does anybody know how long you can store modern ammunition...depending on the enviroment.

    jsergovic,


    ...and EXACTLY WHERE do you have this ammo stored??hehe[}:)]

    Muggster
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  • ItGoBangItGoBang Member Posts: 1,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    muggster....
    I use the Surplus 308 and 223(Portuguese) & (S. African) all the time. some date in the 70's Looks as good as when it went into the bag [:D]


    It will hurt you, More than it will hurt me..

    Life Member..NRA,
    American Legion, MECU, MWCA, SMSC, NASDS, IDPA
    Thanks for all the help!
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  • muggstermuggster Member Posts: 420 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Bang

    Is it reloadable brass and non-corrosive?

    Muggster
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  • ItGoBangItGoBang Member Posts: 1,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's all NON-corrosive... NON-reloadable... But at about .12 a round, who needs to reload [:D][:D][:D]

    It will hurt you, More than it will hurt me..

    Life Member..NRA,
    American Legion, MECU, MWCA, SMSC, NASDS, IDPA
    Thanks for all the help!
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  • robsgunsrobsguns Member Posts: 4,581 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    To answer only the question: NO, you will not hurt your ammo by sealing it in this manner, though there is no real need to do so.

    "Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."

    "I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."

    Ryan
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  • RugerNinerRugerNiner Member Posts: 12,636 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use 4x6 zip-lock bags with a desiccant pack in it.
    I can store 60 9mm this way.

    The desi-packs can be reactivated by heating them in the oven for 12 hours at 250 degrees.

    Of course you can use larger zip-lock bags to store more ammo.

    Or you can use the Desi-packs in the new Plastic Ammo Cans that Cabellas has. They also have the rubber seal around the top.
    You certainly don't need anymore protection than that. [:D] [:D] [8D]

    Jacksonville.gif
    sniper.gif Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself!
    http://www.awbansunset.com/
    Keep your Powder dry and your Musket well oiled.
    NRA Lifetime Benefactor Member.
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  • Smokeeater 38Smokeeater 38 Member Posts: 2,735
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by daddo
    I have sealed many a round with the vacume sealer in various ways,but everytime and everyone of them lost it's vacume. The reason? I think the air in the rounds are slowly released (via bullet to neck seal) until the vacume is compromised. It's still a great way to keep them dry, labeled and organised.





    Can you re-vac them later?

    If all the air is removed from the case will it still fire? I would think that it would need some oxygen.






    Get the job done and come home safe guys.

    I rush in where others flee.
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  • roy rogersroy rogers Member Posts: 15 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    As I understand it, gunpowder is like solid rocket fuel and has it's own oxygen in it.
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