Vacuum Packing Ammo

M

Mr. Pub

New member
Does anyone vacuum pack ammunition for long term storage?

I was thinking about using one of those food vacuum packers. I was thinking that this might preserve ammunition longer and even preserve it if you decide to bury it underground.

Any thoughts on this? I wonder if this would also work if you wanted to vacuum pack a handgun and bury it in case Al Gore gets elected.
 
Actually I have vacuum packed several guns.
Okay, a bit of explaination may be in order. ;)
In addition to our concealment rigs Terri and I also market molded leather holsters as well. We carry (inventory) a number of non-formed leather holster "blanks". At shows we submerge the holsters in a crock pot set on warm, wrap the gun in plastic wrap (to keep the moisture away from the gun itself) and then use a food saver to vacuum mold the holster to the gun. Woooola....instant holster formed to the every contuor of the gun.
I've often looked at these and thought that it may be a good way to long term store a gun but have not tried it. In theory at least it should work. In order for something to rust the chemical process requires oxygen. Therefore, one would think that if properly vacuum sealed the item inside would not be able to rust.

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Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
I have tried it, both for ammo and handguns it works fine with a couple of caveats: 1. anything with any sharp edges or points should be padded inside the vac-pac ( to prevent punctures, obviously) and then padded on the outside for the same reason. 2. I'd still preserve with LPS-3, but BE CAREFUL not to get any oil on the sealing edge surface! Chack it at 1 week and then at 6 months to be sure that the vacuum is holding.
crankshaft
paranoia is a good policy when they actually are out to get You!
 
Like I've said before JHG, I wouldn't be paranoid if everyone wasn't out to get me. :)

I wonder if adding a package of desiccants would help or possibly hurt in this situation. Good point on not getting oil on the seal.

I figure that there are all these people who bought vacuum packing machines for Y2K and aren't using them. Maybe I could buy one cheap somewhere. Anyone recommend a good cheap brand?
 
Long straw, one liberal, one baggie.

Insert gun or ammo in baggie, attach straw, insert other end of straw in liberal's ear, suck it flat in a heartbeat.

Sam...I may not be crazy but I still get the discount
 
Personally, I would NEVER vacuum pack my ammo. In order to ignite the primer and burn the powder, there must be air inside the cartridge. In a vacuum pack, the air MIGHT leak out of the cartridge (if not crimped REALLY well), and not allow proper ignition when "needed".

I just keep them in ammo cans, with a dessicant pack inside. They should keep 50 years or more like that.
 
How many TFL'ers have routinely used centerfire ammo that is many decades old and has had no special packaging or storage? I remember buying several thousand rounds of surplus WWII .45 ACP 230 grain ball ammo that was still in the original GI cardboard containers -- and it worked fine approximately 50 years after the manufacture date.

Therefore, my crux question is does modern, high-quality ammunition require any type of special treatment to remain fully safe and functional for twenty or more years?
 
Not long ago I used some forty year old paper hull 12ga reloads to function test a corn shucker that had been worked on. All fired properly, one head seperation that probably would have happened long ago.

In the 40s I shot a bunch of turn of the century krag military stuff, bout half of that was bad. Corrosive stuf doesn't keep as well as modern.

In the 50s, during the Quemoy Matsu fracus we had a lot of bad WWII projectiles, 5"ers that would go off in the tube, or too close or not at all. That problem was from fuze failure tho and not the cartridges themselves.

Also in the 50s, Indo China, a lot of our .30 and .50 cal amo was from WWII and worked fine. Sealed dry cans.

Sam....the Mikey of firearms, will try anything.


[This message has been edited by C.R.Sam (edited September 23, 2000).]
 
I continue to find boxes of 22 shells around the house that belonged to my now deceased Mom and Dad. Some of it is 50 years old easy. I've never had a problem with it although some had green stuff on it and I didn't want to put it in my gun.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dennis Olson:
Personally, I would NEVER vacuum pack my ammo. In order to ignite the primer and burn the powder, there must be air inside the cartridge. In a vacuum pack, the air MIGHT leak out of the cartridge (if not crimped REALLY well), and not allow proper ignition when "needed".[/quote]

Not to worry. Gunpowder produces its own oxygen as it burns, like Nitrous Oxide does when it burns. With 100% load density there is very little oxygen in a loaded cartridge anyway, certainly not enough for combustion.

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Just one of the Good Guys
 
I never tried ammmo, bought the machine to seal jars. (spices and the like). for storage in sealed contaniers, I inject CO2 from the home keg system, and all air is then displaced. that's about as far as I take it, and only 'cause of a humid basement.
 
I prefer to use a small package of dessicant with the ammo in sandwich size ziplock bags, then stack the bags in an ammo can. If you want to put a handgun with the ammo, grease it and put it in a gallon size ziplock. Cheap, simple, quick, and works great, even through that flash flood we had in '98.

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NRA, GOA
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"-Neil Peart
Vote in November.
 
Jeff Thomas; LPS3 is a commercial aerosol ( though I believe it's also available by the gallon) metal protectant/chain lube which I have been using since I first saw it in 1970.It sprays on fairly thin, with a sticky-sweet smell ( it doesn't seem to draw ants, though) then it slowly sets up to a waxy film that lasts! When I first saw it I was working as a mechanic for a company that did bare-boat charters on the island of St. Thomas. The label said "protects all metals 2 years or more". I thought"b***s***. I took an old, rusty file, ground 1 side smooth and shiny, srayed it with 3 coats, a day apart, and set it down alongside the gas hose box on the dock, about 16" above salt water and promptly forgot about it. About 6 months later, as that company and I were parting company, I remembered it and retreived it. It looked solid brown, but i pushed the waxy stuff off with my thumb, and the surface was exactly as it had been when I sprayed it. About 3 years later, I had a sudden perceived need to place 2 handguns into long-term storage. I spayed them down thoroughly inside and out and triple zip-locede then with a little dessicant and buried them in what was some rather damp soil for what rurned out to be almost 5 years. When I dug them up, ipushed 2 patches down each bore and took them down to the range. They worked perfectly! As You can tell, I am SOLD on the stuff!
crankshaft
paranoia is a great thing to have when they really are out to get You!
 
Como esta, Juan. Would appreciate a little more info on the 'LPS-3'--exact maker, possibly a website, etc. It sounds very much like the navy surplus corrosion preventative spray I picked up some time back. Used it on some new wire rope some eight years ago and it still looks new. I still have some left but would like to find something in the way of backup. Thanks.
 
I would be concerned about the longevity of vacum packed ammo; Doesn't the propellent have volitile components which could boil off in a vacum? Inert gas ought to be good enough to protect anything, and less tendency to leak, too, because there's no pressure diferential to drive a leak.

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Sic semper tyrannis!
 
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