One thing you missed. After waiting when the primer goes off but not the powder and you go ahead and eject the round. Make sure the bullet is still attached. Many times just the primer has enough pressure to drive the projectile several inches into the rifleing. The next round could blow up your gun.
Might be air tight but not water tight. Those hurricanes and floods in Southern Louisiana will have no mercy on your ammo cans nor their contents. Don't get me wrong. I love ammo cans.
When I lived in Florida I recovered some Sellier and Bellot ammo that had been under water for a week, as the result of Hurricane Andrew. Calibers were 9x19, 45 ACP, both brass cased, and steel cased 7.62x39. All were sealed at the neck and the primer and all fired fine.
Same here. FedEx deliveries go into a plastic bin, in case it rains before I’m able to get them. Somehow the lid leaked, and a delivery of 5.56 was submerged for atleast a day. Left it to dry out in the florida sun for a day. It all shot fine.
Hurricane Ian - ALL my ammo was submerged in nasty brackish storm surge for at least 48 hrs. before the water recinded. All 9mm (boxes of it) looks crappy and oxidated. I tossed my shotgun shells (rusted and nasty). Should I be worried?
I have ammo that didn’t get wet, but turned green from high humidity, I suppose. Was a good excuse to go to the range to “experiment” All rounds fired.
I 've blasted off ammo older than me that came from unknown sources and conditions purchased at flea markets and garage sales or just given away by folks who inherited it and wer'nt gun people. It always fired. Once during the 1990s it was .45ACPs with headstamp dates from the post war 1940s, kept in a coffee can. Everything went down range but had lost velocity, you could see the black dots of the bullet bases as they traveled towards the backstop, and hit low to point of aim.
I was once given a bag of about 2000 rounds of 7.62x39 by a park ranger who'd found it in the woods after it had sat in the rain for months. The boxes were disintegrating and the steel cases had rust spots all over. I don't think a single round failed to fire.
I accidentally capsized my fishing kayak fully submerging loaded my CCW and a spare magazine. When I got home I thoroughly disassembled, cleaned and dried my pistol. I set the ammo aside. Since this was my carry ammo, I decided to take no chances. I set that ammo aside and reloaded both magazines with fresh ammo. A couple weeks later I shot the ammo that went swimming with me. Every round fired and cycled the gun perfectly.
i got a 32 auto pistol from my brother in-law that he had lost for two years on his wooded property. the pistol was in real bad shape and loaded when he did find it, with a seized slide and mag. not to back down from a challenge i wanted to see if i could possibly just clean it up enough to be a wall hanger. i did get the mag out but the slide wouldn't budge. gun shops and other gun folks said to soak in just about everything from WD-40, Kroil, diesel, PB-Blaster and more this was to loosen it up and deactivate the powder charge and primer to make it safe to work on. long story short for over 2 1/2 years that slide with a loaded 32 acp round was submerged in some kind of lubricant, every week or so i would try to move the slide and it wouldn't budge and added what ever to the mix it was soaking in. then i was told to use white vinegar, wow, with in a week the slide was starting to free up, so i l let it soak another week yes that slide was free, so with safety glasses, latex gloves and some pb blaster i went to work on it outside in the shed where it had sat in some kind of penetrating oil for almost 3 years. this was the type of pistol that you pulled the slide as far back as possible then lifted the rear of the slide up to remove it. not a high dollar pistol just a off brand, Jennings, raven., but sure enough as i lifted the rear of the slide it slipped from my fingers slammed forward and discharged, and it wasn't any poof or pop it was full power through the wall and in to the dirt discharge. i may suspect bad ammo but i will never doubt it ever again or what it still may or may not do. just saying, and by the way i bought a few parts slide trigger grips and with a little sanding and a air brush paint job it turned in to a nice little decoration. (minus firing pin) this story may not have much to do with ammo just getting wet, just never doubt how well it was made or the condition its in.
I wore my duty gun (and mags) out in pouring rain for hours many times, as obviously duty guns and ammo are NEVER covered up regardless of the weather. Zero issues, and issues would not have been tolerated. This being a 100% myth does not surprise me at all.
Ditto here. 21 years worth of working in wet and nasty conditions. My Sam Brown belt would mold sometimes but I would just rub it down with white vinegar let it dry and coat with mink oil. Zero problems with ammo going bang when I needed it to.
The city of Johnstown, PA flooded (again) in 1976. After the water receded, they recovered and auctioned off anything they thought they could salvage. My friends Dad bought a case of Remington .22lr (in the yellow boxes with the sliding lid). He kept records, and after all of that ammo had been used at the range, he had a total of 5 misfires. Pretty impressive after being under flood water for about 2 weeks!
Two of the loudest sounds in the world to a shooter. Just a click when there should be a bang. And a bang when there should be a click. You guys do a GREAT job 👍🇺🇸👍
3 года назад+11
Thank God i can retrieve my ammo now after that boating accident!
A shooter brought a what used to be a nice browning over under, I asked him what happened as the mono bloc was destroyed and frame stretched ‘ he informed me he picked up a 12 gage skeet load on the range that had been frozen in the snow when he fired it destroyed the gun , Operator Neglect plain and simple
I was given a box of 3" shells. Didn't notice 1 was rusty till it fired. There was 2 light bangs and the shell hung halfway out. 😳 Still have the shell. The rest of em looked good upon inspection and fired.
I reload, and I tested 5 rounds 357 under water for 3 days. 3 fired 2 didn't. I pulled the bullet and the powder was ok. The primers were wet. I changed primers and reloaded the powder. They fired ok! I sealed the primers of 5,45ACP with nail polish and put under water for 5 days and all of them fired!
Thank You gentleman for your excellent videos, information and professionalism. I really enjoy these 'Smyth Buster" episodes. Clear, concise and accurate information. Wishin you "All The Best"
Thank you gentlemen! When I was in the military, ammo got wet all the time. But it's nice to know about commercial ammo. I know if my black powder gets wet forget about it. I use pellets and that's a little better. My Tradions rifle I use federals nitro stick which is enclosed and water proof. It's the greatest invention since slice bread.
I once found a few boxes of activ shotgun slugs in a river where an old bush road crossed it. I took them home and tried them out a few weeks later. I didn’t have much hope for them but they all worked perfectly.
I bought some ammo from a literal fire sale that got wet from putting the fire out. Some of the casings had brown water spot surface discoloration but no green discoloration or depth corrosion. And still fired 30 years later.
Ammo breaths through the combination of ambient temperature and humidity swings. The bullet and case expand and contract at different rates while having different operating structural limits. This moisture conversation regarding round efficacy after getting wet goes a bit deeper than this post covers. Good post though. Long-term storage conditions as a counter-myth point to be made here would have been interesting to hear.
I have a Shepherd/Husky mix puppy who took a box of 45acp I had left out into the back yard. I found the rounds, most of them, a couple weeks later when I realized where the box went. I still have them but have been afraid to use them. I guess I’ll take them on my next range trip. Thanks for the video. I always look forward to them.
My singular, anecdotal experience: Two different occasions of unexpected swimming while canoeing, resulted in 1 out of 7, .357mag cartridges not firing out of an otherwise perfectly reliable S&W 686+. Tested a week or more after submersion so the gun had time to dry. Cartridges showed solid primer strikes and did not go off after multiple strikes. Remington Golden Saber ammunition is good quality, though I'm not certain that it is "sealed". It's only one cartridge out of one gun, but it's enough to kill any confidence I have trusting submerged ammo.
A bunch of the Russian 7.62 x 39 ammo we got (cases and cases of the stuff) back in the ‘90s had lacquer sealed primers and bullets. Ironically however the hollowpoint bullets were essentially tubes of copper, open at both ends, with a loose lead core. You could shake them and most of the cores would rattle inside the jacket. For a lark I pulled some of those bullets, and you could stick the point in your mouth and blow air clean through the bullet. The powder was thus always exposed to the open air. Those wouldn’t survive at all in water, lacquer sealant or no. If you have any of that hollowpoint ammo, keep it high and dry. So the answer is always, It depends.
I had forgotten to take a 7 shot lcp mag out of my pocket before I washed my jeans. I considered the rounds destroyed, so did not carry them any more. I did go out and test fire them later and all of them worked. They were Critical Defense rounds.
I reload handgun ammo almost exclusively and I have run into a lot of commercial reloads where primers are loose fitting and the projectiles have not been crimped. There is a local reloader in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA who, a few years ago, had some problems with their Dillons and bullets would simply fall out of the cases. They've remedied their production process but there are others who have not. So...I use primer sealant (clear fingernail polish) on the primers and I always put a good 4th stage crimp after pressing (not just the crimp on the seating die but a separate roller crimping die. I've never had a failure to fire after many, many, many reloads.
I was diving in a lake in Northern Minnesota, on the bottom of the lake I found a live 9mm, been there who knows how long. I pick it up toss it in my tackle box where it remained in that humid environment for a week. Stuffed it into my Beretta and it fired fine
My son got some 20ga ammo that was old and got very wet. Under water for some time. Then it was put in a dry place for years. We got that stuff out one day thinking it was no good. It all fired . But it seem to be different power between shots. As low as 1/2 power to full power.
My most recent accidental experiment.. I dropped a hand loaded 62gr gold dot on my range. Several months later, I found it in the leaves. Fired normal, no POI shift. 22lr on the other hand because of the weak seal.. meh pitch it.
In my honest opinion ammunition won’t go bad if left for extended periods of time in water. As long water can’t get into the cartridge or to severely corroded it should be fine to shoot. From my personal experience when I was about 12 my father had threw some old shots shells in the canal and shat in saltwater for about an year. When we there was a low tide in the canal I saw the butt end of the shot shell, I went and grabbed my pellet gun. When I shot the shot shell I managed to hit the primer, to both me and my father surprise the shell went off.
Back in the late 1960, early 1970's, I purchased some ex-world war 2, .303 ammo that was in a webbing belt. It was green and waxy. Once the wax was wiped off, the ammo was fine. Never had a problem with it. Blessings from Australia.
If you get a hangfire or just a primer burn that feels low powered, you may get a squib which is dangerous. In the end gasket seal your ammo if there's even a chance of water damage. Ammo is an investment.
Decent video - wish you had mentioned Steel Cased ammo as well. Ran a personal experiment on some higher quality steel 7.62x39 not long ago. Three days submerged, powder came out dry and fine. This was both lacquered and sealed Wolf ammo however, so moderate protection.
Yes you can. I've done it with my Henry lever action rifle (22ammo) the bullet doesn't go very far. Sometimes the bullet travels through the barrel and falls on the ground.
There are aftermarket ammunition sealants out there that protect the powder and primer. For consumers, we have to manually apply the sealant after loading the cartridges. You could use the sealants on factory cartridges if you want. It is time consuming.
Stephen//// Yes It is somewhat time consuming, That's why I try to only Buy Sealed Ammo and I Seal My Reloads. Think of It as Insurance on your Investment!!!!! Ammo's not Cheap!!!!! Store it properly and it will always go BANG WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!!!! It really doesn't cost much or take very long to seal them once you get a system down.
@@ezrabrooks12 I just keep things temp and humidity controlled with desiccant and within sealed containers. I use sealant if a hunt will be in a moist environment.
Hey guys 2 things to address... 1. Myth or not, you can waterproof your ammo with a light coat of clear fingernail polish, on primer and bullet. 2. Why do some bullets tarnish when in a mag in the safe (Hornady) and others (federal) do not.. the safe is environmentally controlled...
On the second point, my guess would be that Federal uses more zinc in their casings and the Hornady had a higher concentration of copper. It may also be that they polish their brass more than Hornady. Smoother surface would have less surface area to interact with oxygen. Just guesses though
Same here. I had some 38 special carry loads (Gold Dots IIRC) go through the wash. All fired fine and didn't seem to have any reduction in recoil or accuracy.
Correct. One time me and a buddy were going to shoot at a random creek/river in the middle of nowhere. While crossing I slipped and fell in and my entire backside and bag was completely under. My glock and mags and ammo all got wet. When we got to the spot and I shot everything functioned fine
Personal experience : .22 lr Remington , I had them on the bottom of my backpack , put the backpack down on a morning drew forest floor , 2-3 days later , lots of misfire , lots of poof (weak fire) . 9mm duty ammo, had it on my side holster , fell in the water , submerge for 20 seconds , got out took it out empty it (the mag) into a bag , took it to the range a week later , first shot , and the bullet got jam a quarter of a way in the barrel . Not enough for the next round to fully chamber (thank goodness) . Didn’t want to risk the rest of the ammo , needed to take apart the pistol and remove the jam bullet .
You can store ammo in metal ammo cans with desiccant inside to prevent wet ammo in storage in the first place. Most ammo cans have a rubber gasket on the lid to prevent water intrusion. The desiccant will absorb any moisture that does manage to get inside.
I heard a story of a group of college students down in Florida in the 70's who had come into possession of a a ma deuce 50 BMG belt fed but did not make enough money to buy hundreds of rounds of 50 BMG on a regular basis. Apparently, there was a ammo supply ship that went down in a storm during WWII and was never salvaged. The group were also into scuba diving and would regularly swim down to the wreck and haul up a couple ammo cans full of 50 BMG that had been underwater for around 30 years at this point. they had some system for determining what was still good and what wasn't but they apparently were able to scavenge enough 50 BMG to shoot the ma deuce on a regular basis.
Good information. I wasn’t surprised that ammunition that was underwater briefly would work. I was a bit surprised that ammunition submerged for 24 hrs. may not work.
Found some .30-06 in cans in a marsh. Headstamped "42... Different producers, different results. No shots fired, but tested the powder thoroughly. All had corroded cases. 60 percent of them was perfectly dry inside, the others had filled with water since WW2. Powder burned like new, or not at all. But shooting that stuff is obviously a no-go.
I did an expermint on .22 lr CCI Stingers. I put them under water overnight, took them out and zero fired. I have never done this on center fire ammo, but I do know that mil spec ammo is sealed at both ends.
22 and shotshells are the exception. Neither are really sealed like centerfire (metal on metal interference press fit) Often times 22lr is so poorly crimped that the bullet wiggles.
My father in law used to reload, and he gave me his 8mm Mauser and his loaded ammo a few decades ago. I took it out months later and shot the reloads and 3 of the first 4 rounds I shot were FTF or hang fires. I immediately stopped went home, downloaded the ammo to see what was wrong. There was corrosion so bad all inside the cases and especially where the brass necked down (these were 30-06 resized to 8mm). 8 out of the 10 that I downloaded (impact hammer) had the brass neck still attached to the bullet, corrosion almost ate thru the case. I showed him the cases and asked him how he reloaded. (This is the honest to God truth) - he said he keeps the powder in water to decrease it's sensitivity, then dries it out for a day or two before he reloads. Sad to say, but had to throw away a couple hundred rounds of 8mm, but better to be safe than sorry.
havent had a problem with factory loads , but have had a couple reloades ftf . the first time i had my powder sitting capped but otherwise unprotected in a damp basement. had a dozen or so rounds fail to fire because powder in the shells getting wet. inside a plastic cartridge holder. since then , my powder stays in the bottle in a one gallon ziplock with the cap tightly closed. another thing i have run into is the sizing was getting into the case and getting the powder closest to it wet causing a weak load . needless to say, no more sizing wax inside the case.
Got rained on in Jalalabad as a Gunner. Took my belts of ammo in my Bee Hut. Dried my belts with a towel, hung them up for 3 days. No rust on the links. Happy. We used rusty linked ammo on the range. No need to take a chance on convoys.
Yes, some shotgun shells are sealed better than others. Me and my dad duck hunt together and he left some shells in a neoprene shell holder that was wet for a long time. He had a lot of misfires and even a squib load.
I run primarily Russian steel case poly coated ammo. I had a pipe burst and had 40 rounds of 7.62x54R getting soaked for days while I was away. I put it in the sun for a day and put it away in the corner of my shop and pretty much forgot about it. Years later I found it. Green and silver. Nasty looking. I grabbed them up, got my ugliest Mosin and put all 40 on a steel target, I wanted to head a " ding" to listen for squibs. No problems. I have had domestic 270 brass cased that I kept in my pick up truck for about 3 years. I decided to line up a scope and use my older ammo. 2 no fires and 1 hang fire out of around a dozen rounds.
A friend was buying cases of federal top gun 8 shot 12 gauge. Shipped to his house. He got into one of the cases and they all had been wet and corroded. He gave them to me to shoot up. I cleaned the brass up with some steel wool and I didn't have one misfire. Was genuinely surprised
I'd like to see a video on ammo that has gone through high temperatures an example like someone in the desert storing ammo in a outside shed or storage unit
I've gone swimming while carrying the only thing I noticed when later shooting those rounds was they seemed a little under powered. Bang wasn't as loud and didn't eject as well as normal. Commercial Browning jhp ammo.
Used to work industrial laundry (4years). People leave bullets in their pockets all the time stuff shot just fine. Also another myth you could bust...we would dry the cloths at 550 F and never had a bullet go off in the dryer.
Store it in original boxes, in sealed ammo cans, if you can't elevate it enough. Finger nail polish makes an excellent cheap primer pocket, case mouth sealer as well. Thanks Guys!
I simply place the cartridges into a bag of uncooked rice like one would with a wet cell-phone. after two days take them out giving each a light shake. if the powder moves freely then the water failed to reach the power/primer and is safe to use. If you can't feel the powder moving freely in the case, use a bullet puller to disassemble the case and dump the powder for disposal. Decap the primer, tumble the brass and reload same.
@@BedsitBob Well cordite is a fickle creature at best, so case by case basis. I bought a large lot of Western 148 grain wadcutter Super-Match ammunition that was stored for a long time and had gotten wet enough to damage the boxes. There was some pitting of the nickel cases of about half. I examined the lacquer sealed bullets/primers and all was good. I tumbled them in 50-round lots, and they work beautifully.
@@ditzydoo4378 Actually, the reason it wouldn't apply to .303" service ammo, is because the strands of cordite are packed tightly, like a solid slug, into the cartridge case, so they can't move around.
FYI, I had some #8 birdshot shotgun shells that I kept stored away for over 20 years. I always kept them stored in a dry place at room temperature. I finally got around to firing them one day a few years ago. Every one of them fired without a problem. I kept those shells stored loose in a ziplock plastic bag - nothing special, which goes to show you that with even minimal care, you can preserve your ammunition for quite a while.
Yes. I have shot ammo that was submerged for a few seconds that includes rifle cartridges and shot shells. If the ammo is in a humid environment like a shack or garage I've never had issues shooting them. Of course I dried them off first before loading the gun.
Lost over 4 thousand rounds from hurricane Harvey, The 7.62 NATO LC and 7.62x39 wolf was submerged in 4 feet of water for 4 days in ammo cans that leaked. DOA. A very sad day once I got back to my destroyed home.3 months later I pulled some of the projectiles and tried firing the primered cases and lighting the powder. Mostly ,No good. Been a Brownell's customer for decades, Good service. Later from Texas. usa.
What I want to know is would the bullet still fire if water managed to get into the casing? I’m writing a fantasy novel and I was trying to think of a way to balance out wizards/mages vs modern firearms and the ideas I could come up with is either 1.) a spell that wets the powder inside of the casing to prevent firing. 2.) a spell that removes the firing pin from the weapon. 3.) a spell that heats up the weapon to like hundreds of degrees. 4.) a spell that ignites the powder in all the bullets inside the weapon causing them to fire. And lastly 5.) a spell that disassembles the entire weapon so it just falls to pieces.
7.62 Enfields have a problem with wet or oily ammo. It doesn't allow the case to grip the chamber under pressure, and increases bolt thrust. Not good in a rifle that is only marginally stronger than a Krag.
I inherited a lot of grody interwar ammunition from my late grandfather many years ago. And by grody, I do mean verdigris and strangely colored even after wiping it down with some red scotchbrite. It goes off about 80% of the time 😃
I recently shot 2 rounds that were extremely corroded and both worked fine. Only that one got stuck due to the rust on the outside and had to mortar my rifle, but they fired.
I work in the pacific northwest, outside, and have a chest rig I'm wearing for my job everyday. I literally shoot ammo that's been wet for days and raining all day when I shoot it. No problems.
I aided a dead friend's family liquidate his firearm goodies. I came across a partial box of 12 gauge waterfowl shot shells that apparently had gotten wet while hunting. The metal was corroded - quite nasty looking. It would appear that he was hunting on a rainy day. The shot shells got wet, but he neglected to wipe them off following. The shells may have sat like that for years. I wire brushed the metal. Then tried firing a few at the range. They all went bang.
I do all the time, and as I hunt underwater, fingernail polish works good, just painted thoroughly all over the bullet to keep the sea water off, and it works great in a powerhead
I had bought about 10K,- rds, all got under for about week, some steal and brass mixed cal. I put in my viberrator till clean, most have been sealed ok. All ammo shots fine looks almost new...worked for me. Yes this took afew days, but it worked.
Over 50 years ago I knew some people who thought it would be a good idea to store their ammo in oil. I didn't think that would be a good idea though I don't recall how it turned out, I doubt well.
I washed a pair of pants, accidentally, with a Remington 12 gauge #8 in the pocket. Found it at the bottom of the washer when putting the clothes in the dryer. A week later I used it skeet shooting. It fired as advertised.
One thing you missed. After waiting when the primer goes off but not the powder and you go ahead and eject the round. Make sure the bullet is still attached. Many times just the primer has enough pressure to drive the projectile several inches into the rifleing. The next round could blow up your gun.
That's like a worst case scenario O_o
Something out of Final Destination.
No mention of this was a missed opportunity.
Maybe a whole episode going over Squib loads in the future?
@@righteousone8454 probably happens more than you think. That can happen in cases other than wet ammo. Old ammo, bad reloads or bad gun powder
There are definitely plenty of documented squib detonations for sure. Especially around handloads. But water damage certainly could do it too.
Ammo cans with a good seal will go a long way to never letting your ammo get wet in the first place.
Reckon?
Conditions change from day to day. Ammo should be able to adapt to the conditions, not vice versa.
Might be air tight but not water tight. Those hurricanes and floods in Southern Louisiana will have no mercy on your ammo cans nor their contents. Don't get me wrong. I love ammo cans.
@@MikeNaples If it's air tight, it's water tight. If it's water tight, it may not be air tight.
I like the way you think
Caleb is the most professional gunsmith I've watched. Very knowledgeable & straightforward. The man is a pure legend. 👌🏾
When I lived in Florida I recovered some Sellier and Bellot ammo that had been under water for a week, as the result of Hurricane Andrew. Calibers were 9x19, 45 ACP, both brass cased, and steel cased 7.62x39. All were sealed at the neck and the primer and all fired fine.
Me also. I was a gun dealer in South Florida. That was some good clean shooting ammo. Don’t know how it is now but it used to be good stuff.
Same here. FedEx deliveries go into a plastic bin, in case it rains before I’m able to get them. Somehow the lid leaked, and a delivery of 5.56 was submerged for atleast a day. Left it to dry out in the florida sun for a day. It all shot fine.
Sellier Bellot is some of the best ammo I have ever used.
Hurricane Ian - ALL my ammo was submerged in nasty brackish storm surge for at least 48 hrs. before the water recinded. All 9mm (boxes of it) looks crappy and oxidated. I tossed my shotgun shells (rusted and nasty). Should I be worried?
I have ammo that didn’t get wet, but turned green from high humidity, I suppose. Was a good excuse to go to the range to “experiment” All rounds fired.
"Oh no, I have to shoot all this ammo."
Such a tragedy you had to blow thru some ammo XD , Im going tommorow got a few hubdred rounds need firing lol
I 've blasted off ammo older than me that came from unknown sources and conditions purchased at flea markets and garage sales or just given away by folks who inherited it and wer'nt gun people. It always fired. Once during the 1990s it was .45ACPs with headstamp dates from the post war 1940s, kept in a coffee can. Everything went down range but had lost velocity, you could see the black dots of the bullet bases as they traveled towards the backstop, and hit low to point of aim.
Thank God I never had to shoot in the rain during my 29 years of military service
I was once given a bag of about 2000 rounds of 7.62x39 by a park ranger who'd found it in the woods after it had sat in the rain for months. The boxes were disintegrating and the steel cases had rust spots all over. I don't think a single round failed to fire.
"I can't imagine that happening to anybody" followed by a disgusted look....there has to be a story behind that :P
I accidentally capsized my fishing kayak fully submerging loaded my CCW and a spare magazine. When I got home I thoroughly disassembled, cleaned and dried my pistol. I set the ammo aside. Since this was my carry ammo, I decided to take no chances. I set that ammo aside and reloaded both magazines with fresh ammo. A couple weeks later I shot the ammo that went swimming with me. Every round fired and cycled the gun perfectly.
i got a 32 auto pistol from my brother in-law that he had lost for two years on his wooded property. the pistol was in real bad shape and loaded when he did find it, with a seized slide and mag. not to back down from a challenge i wanted to see if i could possibly just clean it up enough to be a wall hanger. i did get the mag out but the slide wouldn't budge. gun shops and other gun folks said to soak in just about everything from WD-40, Kroil, diesel, PB-Blaster and more this was to loosen it up and deactivate the powder charge and primer to make it safe to work on. long story short for over 2 1/2 years that slide with a loaded 32 acp round was submerged in some kind of lubricant, every week or so i would try to move the slide and it wouldn't budge and added what ever to the mix it was soaking in. then i was told to use white vinegar, wow, with in a week the slide was starting to free up, so i l let it soak another week yes that slide was free, so with safety glasses, latex gloves and some pb blaster i went to work on it outside in the shed where it had sat in some kind of penetrating oil for almost 3 years. this was the type of pistol that you pulled the slide as far back as possible then lifted the rear of the slide up to remove it. not a high dollar pistol just a off brand, Jennings, raven., but sure enough as i lifted the rear of the slide it slipped from my fingers slammed forward and discharged, and it wasn't any poof or pop it was full power through the wall and in to the dirt discharge. i may suspect bad ammo but i will never doubt it ever again or what it still may or may not do. just saying, and by the way i bought a few parts slide trigger grips and with a little sanding and a air brush paint job it turned in to a nice little decoration. (minus firing pin) this story may not have much to do with ammo just getting wet, just never doubt how well it was made or the condition its in.
I wore my duty gun (and mags) out in pouring rain for hours many times, as obviously duty guns and ammo are NEVER covered up regardless of the weather. Zero issues, and issues would not have been tolerated. This being a 100% myth does not surprise me at all.
Ditto here. 21 years worth of working in wet and nasty conditions. My Sam Brown belt would mold sometimes but I would just rub it down with white vinegar let it dry and coat with mink oil. Zero problems with ammo going bang when I needed it to.
The city of Johnstown, PA flooded (again) in 1976. After the water receded, they recovered and auctioned off anything they thought they could salvage. My friends Dad bought a case of Remington .22lr (in the yellow boxes with the sliding lid). He kept records, and after all of that ammo had been used at the range, he had a total of 5 misfires. Pretty impressive after being under flood water for about 2 weeks!
Two of the loudest sounds in the world to a shooter.
Just a click when there should be a bang. And a bang when there should be a click.
You guys do a GREAT job 👍🇺🇸👍
Thank God i can retrieve my ammo now after that boating accident!
You guys never fail to cover stuff that I’ve wondered about.
Keep it up !
I’ve seen some pretty dangerous hang fires while duckhunting from wet shells being used
A shooter brought a what used to be a nice browning over under, I asked him what happened as the mono bloc was destroyed and frame stretched ‘ he informed me he picked up a 12 gage skeet load on the range that had been frozen in the snow when he fired it destroyed the gun , Operator Neglect plain and simple
I was given a box of 3" shells. Didn't notice 1 was rusty till it fired. There was 2 light bangs and the shell hung halfway out. 😳
Still have the shell. The rest of em looked good upon inspection and fired.
Aired down and disconnected was the gun a semi auto?
I reload, and I tested 5 rounds 357 under water for 3 days. 3 fired 2 didn't. I pulled the bullet and the powder was ok. The primers were wet. I changed primers and reloaded the powder. They fired ok! I sealed the primers of 5,45ACP with nail polish and put under water for 5 days and all of them fired!
Thank You gentleman for your excellent videos, information and professionalism.
I really enjoy these 'Smyth Buster" episodes. Clear, concise and accurate information.
Wishin you "All The Best"
Thank you gentlemen! When I was in the military, ammo got wet all the time. But it's nice to know about commercial ammo. I know if my black powder gets wet forget about it. I use pellets and that's a little better. My Tradions rifle I use federals nitro stick which is enclosed and water proof. It's the greatest invention since slice bread.
I once found a few boxes of activ shotgun slugs in a river where an old bush road crossed it. I took them home and tried them out a few weeks later. I didn’t have much hope for them but they all worked perfectly.
I bought some ammo from a literal fire sale that got wet from putting the fire out. Some of the casings had brown water spot surface discoloration but no green discoloration or depth corrosion.
And still fired 30 years later.
Ammo breaths through the combination of ambient temperature and humidity swings. The bullet and case expand and contract at different rates while having different operating structural limits. This moisture conversation regarding round efficacy after getting wet goes a bit deeper than this post covers. Good post though. Long-term storage conditions as a counter-myth point to be made here would have been interesting to hear.
I have a Shepherd/Husky mix puppy who took a box of 45acp I had left out into the back yard. I found the rounds, most of them, a couple weeks later when I realized where the box went. I still have them but have been afraid to use them. I guess I’ll take them on my next range trip. Thanks for the video. I always look forward to them.
Puppy says "Hey, what's this box? It's mine now!"
Well, if your shooting stinks at least you'll know why.
My singular, anecdotal experience:
Two different occasions of unexpected swimming while canoeing, resulted in 1 out of 7, .357mag cartridges not firing out of an otherwise perfectly reliable S&W 686+. Tested a week or more after submersion so the gun had time to dry. Cartridges showed solid primer strikes and did not go off after multiple strikes. Remington Golden Saber ammunition is good quality, though I'm not certain that it is "sealed".
It's only one cartridge out of one gun, but it's enough to kill any confidence I have trusting submerged ammo.
A bunch of the Russian 7.62 x 39 ammo we got (cases and cases of the stuff) back in the ‘90s had lacquer sealed primers and bullets. Ironically however the hollowpoint bullets were essentially tubes of copper, open at both ends, with a loose lead core. You could shake them and most of the cores would rattle inside the jacket. For a lark I pulled some of those bullets, and you could stick the point in your mouth and blow air clean through the bullet. The powder was thus always exposed to the open air. Those wouldn’t survive at all in water, lacquer sealant or no. If you have any of that hollowpoint ammo, keep it high and dry.
So the answer is always, It depends.
I had forgotten to take a 7 shot lcp mag out of my pocket before I washed my jeans. I considered the rounds destroyed, so did not carry them any more. I did go out and test fire them later and all of them worked. They were Critical Defense rounds.
I reload handgun ammo almost exclusively and I have run into a lot of commercial reloads where primers are loose fitting and the projectiles have not been crimped. There is a local reloader in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA who, a few years ago, had some problems with their Dillons and bullets would simply fall out of the cases. They've remedied their production process but there are others who have not. So...I use primer sealant (clear fingernail polish) on the primers and I always put a good 4th stage crimp after pressing (not just the crimp on the seating die but a separate roller crimping die. I've never had a failure to fire after many, many, many reloads.
My wife bought some 12 ga paper hull shotgun ammo at a garage sale. They looked just fine, but all the primers were dead. This was about 4 or 5 boxes.
I was diving in a lake in Northern Minnesota, on the bottom of the lake I found a live 9mm, been there who knows how long. I pick it up toss it in my tackle box where it remained in that humid environment for a week. Stuffed it into my Beretta and it fired fine
My son got some 20ga ammo that was old and got very wet. Under water for some time. Then it was put in a dry place for years. We got that stuff out one day thinking it was no good. It all fired . But it seem to be different power between shots. As low as 1/2 power to full power.
Good safety advice at the end. I always keep my ammo in plastic ammo cases that have a gasket just for water and humidity.
My most recent accidental experiment.. I dropped a hand loaded 62gr gold dot on my range. Several months later, I found it in the leaves. Fired normal, no POI shift.
22lr on the other hand because of the weak seal.. meh pitch it.
Another good one guys! I really enjoy the content y'all put out here. Have a good one.
In my honest opinion ammunition won’t go bad if left for extended periods of time in water. As long water can’t get into the cartridge or to severely corroded it should be fine to shoot. From my personal experience when I was about 12 my father had threw some old shots shells in the canal and shat in saltwater for about an year. When we there was a low tide in the canal I saw the butt end of the shot shell, I went and grabbed my pellet gun. When I shot the shot shell I managed to hit the primer, to both me and my father surprise the shell went off.
Back in the late 1960, early 1970's, I purchased some ex-world war 2, .303 ammo that was in a webbing belt. It was green and waxy. Once the wax was wiped off, the ammo was fine. Never had a problem with it. Blessings from Australia.
If you get a hangfire or just a primer burn that feels low powered, you may get a squib which is dangerous. In the end gasket seal your ammo if there's even a chance of water damage. Ammo is an investment.
Decent video - wish you had mentioned Steel Cased ammo as well. Ran a personal experiment on some higher quality steel 7.62x39 not long ago. Three days submerged, powder came out dry and fine. This was both lacquered and sealed Wolf ammo however, so moderate protection.
I tested .22LR with a loosened bullet under water for 4 months. Even with corrosion and no seal, it still fired.
Yes you can.
I've done it with my Henry lever action rifle (22ammo) the bullet doesn't go very far. Sometimes the bullet travels through the barrel and falls on the ground.
There are aftermarket ammunition sealants out there that protect the powder and primer. For consumers, we have to manually apply the sealant after loading the cartridges. You could use the sealants on factory cartridges if you want. It is time consuming.
Stephen//// Yes It is somewhat time consuming, That's why I try to only Buy Sealed Ammo and I Seal My Reloads. Think of It as Insurance on your Investment!!!!! Ammo's not Cheap!!!!! Store it properly and it will always go BANG WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!!!! It really doesn't cost much or take very long to seal them once you get a system down.
@@ezrabrooks12 I just keep things temp and humidity controlled with desiccant and within sealed containers. I use sealant if a hunt will be in a moist environment.
Hey guys 2 things to address...
1. Myth or not, you can waterproof your ammo with a light coat of clear fingernail polish, on primer and bullet.
2. Why do some bullets tarnish when in a mag in the safe (Hornady) and others (federal) do not.. the safe is environmentally controlled...
On the second point, my guess would be that Federal uses more zinc in their casings and the Hornady had a higher concentration of copper. It may also be that they polish their brass more than Hornady. Smoother surface would have less surface area to interact with oxygen. Just guesses though
I had a few loose 9mm in my pocket go through the washing machine, and since it’s [current year] you better believe I still shot it.
Same here. I had some 38 special carry loads (Gold Dots IIRC) go through the wash. All fired fine and didn't seem to have any reduction in recoil or accuracy.
Correct. One time me and a buddy were going to shoot at a random creek/river in the middle of nowhere. While crossing I slipped and fell in and my entire backside and bag was completely under. My glock and mags and ammo all got wet. When we got to the spot and I shot everything functioned fine
Personal experience : .22 lr Remington , I had them on the bottom of my backpack , put the backpack down on a morning drew forest floor , 2-3 days later , lots of misfire , lots of poof (weak fire) .
9mm duty ammo, had it on my side holster , fell in the water , submerge for 20 seconds , got out took it out empty it (the mag) into a bag , took it to the range a week later , first shot , and the bullet got jam a quarter of a way in the barrel . Not enough for the next round to fully chamber (thank goodness) . Didn’t want to risk the rest of the ammo , needed to take apart the pistol and remove the jam bullet .
You can store ammo in metal ammo cans with desiccant inside to prevent wet ammo in storage in the first place. Most ammo cans have a rubber gasket on the lid to prevent water intrusion. The desiccant will absorb any moisture that does manage to get inside.
I heard a story of a group of college students down in Florida in the 70's who had come into possession of a a ma deuce 50 BMG belt fed but did not make enough money to buy hundreds of rounds of 50 BMG on a regular basis. Apparently, there was a ammo supply ship that went down in a storm during WWII and was never salvaged. The group were also into scuba diving and would regularly swim down to the wreck and haul up a couple ammo cans full of 50 BMG that had been underwater for around 30 years at this point. they had some system for determining what was still good and what wasn't but they apparently were able to scavenge enough 50 BMG to shoot the ma deuce on a regular basis.
Caleb’s barber should be famous. He’s definitely epic!
He's more metallurgist than barber...as Caleb's hair is carved out of blued gun metal.
Good information. I wasn’t surprised that ammunition that was underwater briefly would work. I was a bit surprised that ammunition submerged for 24 hrs. may not work.
Same
Thanks you guys, for all the GREAT videos.
Found some .30-06 in cans in a marsh. Headstamped "42... Different producers, different results. No shots fired, but tested the powder thoroughly. All had corroded cases. 60 percent of them was perfectly dry inside, the others had filled with water since WW2. Powder burned like new, or not at all. But shooting that stuff is obviously a no-go.
Had some ammo in a damp basement for a few years and this video made me feel a bit better!
I did an expermint on .22 lr CCI Stingers. I put them under water overnight, took them out and zero fired. I have never done this on center fire ammo, but I do know that mil spec ammo is sealed at both ends.
22 and shotshells are the exception. Neither are really sealed like centerfire (metal on metal interference press fit)
Often times 22lr is so poorly crimped that the bullet wiggles.
My father in law used to reload, and he gave me his 8mm Mauser and his loaded ammo a few decades ago. I took it out months later and shot the reloads and 3 of the first 4 rounds I shot were FTF or hang fires. I immediately stopped went home, downloaded the ammo to see what was wrong. There was corrosion so bad all inside the cases and especially where the brass necked down (these were 30-06 resized to 8mm). 8 out of the 10 that I downloaded (impact hammer) had the brass neck still attached to the bullet, corrosion almost ate thru the case. I showed him the cases and asked him how he reloaded. (This is the honest to God truth) - he said he keeps the powder in water to decrease it's sensitivity, then dries it out for a day or two before he reloads. Sad to say, but had to throw away a couple hundred rounds of 8mm, but better to be safe than sorry.
havent had a problem with factory loads , but have had a couple reloades ftf . the first time i had my powder sitting capped but otherwise unprotected in a damp basement. had a dozen or so rounds fail to fire because powder in the shells getting wet. inside a plastic cartridge holder. since then , my powder stays in the bottle in a one gallon ziplock with the cap tightly closed. another thing i have run into is the sizing was getting into the case and getting the powder closest to it wet causing a weak load . needless to say, no more sizing wax inside the case.
Wonderful video friend. Great job. Keep up the good work. SC Navy vet.
Makes you want 2 bring a bucket of water to the range next time just to freak out some of your friends. LoL 😆
Imagine that you have 5000 rounds that’s been underwater for 6 months. You decide that it’s no good anymore. What do you do with the 5000 rounds?
Got rained on in Jalalabad as a Gunner. Took my belts of ammo in my Bee Hut. Dried my belts with a towel, hung them up for 3 days. No rust on the links. Happy. We used rusty linked ammo on the range. No need to take a chance on convoys.
Probably worth being extra careful with, but if it seats it yeets!
So should people be worried about atmospheric humidity as it pertains to long term storage?
Yes, you ideally want to reduce temperature fluctuations and humidity.
Here's a smyth to bust: Is there an episode of this I won't watch as long as there is synchronized coffee sipping?
Yes, some shotgun shells are sealed better than others. Me and my dad duck hunt together and he left some shells in a neoprene shell holder that was wet for a long time. He had a lot of misfires and even a squib load.
I run primarily Russian steel case poly coated ammo. I had a pipe burst and had 40 rounds of 7.62x54R getting soaked for days while I was away. I put it in the sun for a day and put it away in the corner of my shop and pretty much forgot about it. Years later I found it. Green and silver. Nasty looking. I grabbed them up, got my ugliest Mosin and put all 40 on a steel target, I wanted to head a " ding" to listen for squibs. No problems. I have had domestic 270 brass cased that I kept in my pick up truck for about 3 years. I decided to line up a scope and use my older ammo. 2 no fires and 1 hang fire out of around a dozen rounds.
I was an LEO in the 80s. We put a bunch of live rounds in a bucket of water for hours. Taking them out they showed that they worked fine.
A friend was buying cases of federal top gun 8 shot 12 gauge. Shipped to his house. He got into one of the cases and they all had been wet and corroded. He gave them to me to shoot up. I cleaned the brass up with some steel wool and I didn't have one misfire. Was genuinely surprised
can we get a video of just you guys drinking coffee in silence staring at the camera
I did a shotgun ammo test for my channel and I even included some paper shotgun shells. I have to say I was impressed with the results.
I'd like to see a video on ammo that has gone through high temperatures an example like someone in the desert storing ammo in a outside shed or storage unit
I've gone swimming while carrying the only thing I noticed when later shooting those rounds was they seemed a little under powered. Bang wasn't as loud and didn't eject as well as normal. Commercial Browning jhp ammo.
Used to work industrial laundry (4years). People leave bullets in their pockets all the time stuff shot just fine.
Also another myth you could bust...we would dry the cloths at 550 F and never had a bullet go off in the dryer.
As a former duck hunter this happened often. Wet decoys ,camouflage netting and rain etc.
Store it in original boxes, in sealed ammo cans, if you can't elevate it enough. Finger nail polish makes an excellent cheap primer pocket, case mouth sealer as well. Thanks Guys!
He has a Ryan George Pitch Meeting mug!!!! LOL!
A friend gave me a box of .30-30 he found inside the door of a parts truck he had. They looked really nasty, I wiped them off and all but two fired.
Best hair on RUclips
I've seen Florida Man shoot fish underwater with his Glock, so I would guess that they could.
I simply place the cartridges into a bag of uncooked rice like one would with a wet cell-phone. after two days take them out giving each a light shake. if the powder moves freely then the water failed to reach the power/primer and is safe to use. If you can't feel the powder moving freely in the case, use a bullet puller to disassemble the case and dump the powder for disposal. Decap the primer, tumble the brass and reload same.
That wouldn't apply with, say, RG .303" service ammo.
@@BedsitBob Well cordite is a fickle creature at best, so case by case basis. I bought a large lot of Western 148 grain wadcutter Super-Match ammunition that was stored for a long time and had gotten wet enough to damage the boxes. There was some pitting of the nickel cases of about half. I examined the lacquer sealed bullets/primers and all was good. I tumbled them in 50-round lots, and they work beautifully.
@@ditzydoo4378 Actually, the reason it wouldn't apply to .303" service ammo, is because the strands of cordite are packed tightly, like a solid slug, into the cartridge case, so they can't move around.
@@BedsitBob true, the powder looking like golden strands of straw.. ^~^
@@ditzydoo4378 We once cut open a cartridge, and prized out the cordite.
FYI, I had some #8 birdshot shotgun shells that I kept stored away for over 20 years.
I always kept them stored in a dry place at room temperature.
I finally got around to firing them one day a few years ago. Every one of them fired without a problem.
I kept those shells stored loose in a ziplock plastic bag - nothing special, which goes to show you that with even minimal care, you can preserve your ammunition for quite a while.
Yes. I have shot ammo that was submerged for a few seconds that includes rifle cartridges and shot shells.
If the ammo is in a humid environment like a shack or garage I've never had issues shooting them.
Of course I dried them off first before loading the gun.
Lost over 4 thousand rounds from hurricane Harvey, The 7.62 NATO LC and 7.62x39 wolf was submerged in 4 feet of water for 4 days in ammo cans that leaked. DOA. A very sad day once I got back to my destroyed home.3 months later I pulled some of the projectiles and tried firing the primered cases and lighting the powder. Mostly ,No good. Been a Brownell's customer for decades, Good service. Later from Texas. usa.
What I want to know is would the bullet still fire if water managed to get into the casing? I’m writing a fantasy novel and I was trying to think of a way to balance out wizards/mages vs modern firearms and the ideas I could come up with is either 1.) a spell that wets the powder inside of the casing to prevent firing. 2.) a spell that removes the firing pin from the weapon. 3.) a spell that heats up the weapon to like hundreds of degrees. 4.) a spell that ignites the powder in all the bullets inside the weapon causing them to fire. And lastly 5.) a spell that disassembles the entire weapon so it just falls to pieces.
7.62 Enfields have a problem with wet or oily ammo. It doesn't allow the case to grip the chamber under pressure, and increases bolt thrust. Not good in a rifle that is only marginally stronger than a Krag.
I inherited a lot of grody interwar ammunition from my late grandfather many years ago. And by grody, I do mean verdigris and strangely colored even after wiping it down with some red scotchbrite. It goes off about 80% of the time 😃
Well I shot wet ass ammunition for a year in Vietnam. There was no dry ammo during rainy season.
I've shot 22LR rounds that were under water for several hours. The cases looked like heck, but they all went bang just fine.
I recently shot 2 rounds that were extremely corroded and both worked fine. Only that one got stuck due to the rust on the outside and had to mortar my rifle, but they fired.
haha this channel is awesome! Great info!!!
What about putting wet ammo loose in a jar with silica packets or rice?
I work in the pacific northwest, outside, and have a chest rig I'm wearing for my job everyday. I literally shoot ammo that's been wet for days and raining all day when I shoot it. No problems.
Funny... I’ve just recently found 3x rifle rounds in the bottom of my washing machine beneath my hunting clothes...
Good to know!! You guys rock!!
Our ammo in Vietnam was usually wet during monsoon season ,it fired just fine.
4:32 idk why but the sip is comforting
If in doubt-set it aside for range ammo, but don’t even consider it for hunting or personal protection.
Wax over the crimp is what I was told to help keep shotshells dry
I aided a dead friend's family liquidate his firearm goodies. I came across a partial box of 12 gauge waterfowl shot shells that apparently had gotten wet while hunting. The metal was corroded - quite nasty looking. It would appear that he was hunting on a rainy day. The shot shells got wet, but he neglected to wipe them off following. The shells may have sat like that for years. I wire brushed the metal. Then tried firing a few at the range. They all went bang.
Some rugged individuals will take a clear flexible glue such as plumbers glue and coat the top of a shot shell to waterproof it.
I do all the time, and as I hunt underwater, fingernail polish works good, just painted thoroughly all over the bullet to keep the sea water off, and it works great in a powerhead
I had bought about 10K,- rds, all got under for about week, some steal and brass mixed cal. I put in my viberrator till clean, most have been sealed ok. All ammo shots fine looks almost new...worked for me. Yes this took afew days, but it worked.
Over 50 years ago I knew some people who thought it would be a good idea to store their ammo in oil. I didn't think that would be a good idea though I don't recall how it turned out, I doubt well.
I washed a pair of pants, accidentally, with a Remington 12 gauge #8 in the pocket. Found it at the bottom of the washer when putting the clothes in the dryer. A week later I used it skeet shooting. It fired as advertised.