Primer sealer

dpmule

Do any of you apply primer sealer to your hunting handloads or to factory ammunition?

Mule

charliemeyer007

Nope.  But the stuff the military uses on bullets and primers work.  Back in the 70's I picked up and shot lots of military ammo that had laid out on the ground in the sun, rain and snow sometimes for years - most all of it shot.

navc130

It has not seemed necessary here in Michigan and I have hunted in rain and slushy, wet snow in the old days when we sat on a stump in the woods.  Now most people hunt from a blind, i.e., dry.  However, if I was going on an expensive hunt in an area known for wet conditions I would use it on handloads, sealing both the primer and case mouth.

nononsense

In general, under 'normal' circumstances, sealing primers is not necessary. The fit of components is tight enough to keep most forms of moisture from doing any harm in the short term.

The military seals ammunition for reasons of storage and more radical conditions than we are used to. The hundreds of millions of rounds can be stored sometimes for years up through decades as we know from buying surplus ammunition. There has never been a guarantee of the storage conditions either. So, to prevent any chance of a misfire, the bullets and primers are sealed at the point of manufacture.

Being submerged in water such as the beach landings in France or the river crossings in Viet Nam, were always a concern for the ammunition manufacturers. Wood crates sitting in ammo dumps in rain, sleet and snow needed the same consideration. The answer is to seal the bullets and primers.

The rest of us as casual hunters and shooters rarely encounter anything even remotely close to these conditions. Yes, we endure rain and snow but not for the length of time which would have an adverse effect on the ammunition.

Sealing ammunition will not hurt anything but for most situations it's unnecessary.

Best.

bpost

Powder will deteriorate, period.  Drawing moisture is not the issue your have as powder has all it needs to ignite and burn.  All the symptoms you describe are from powder that has gone bad.  I am still shooting ammo loaded with H4831 loaded in the early 1980's, the powder from the 1960's.  Storage has been proper, cool, sealed, and stable.  The powder you have used that caused issues may have been stored improperly or a bad lot (rare).  WD-40 and water are bad for guns and powder but is not your issue you face....