Sealing aroud a Primer Question

[brokenhand]

I am thinking around the primers this time because of the damp weather and long time storage. Anyone else do this ??
Jim

[Hobie]

Clear fingernail polish. No, I don't do it. Don't need to so far.

[J Miller]

I've done it in the past. More to identify what load was in the case or the brand of the primer rather than sealing the primer.
I used fingernail polish of various colors. What I found was that after it had set and dried for several years the polish flakes off. And when you shoot the round it goes everywhere. I don't know if this has any bearing on the sealing ability or not.

I do know that someone produces a bottle of sealer for primers and bullets. I can't remember their name, and I haven't used it.

Joe

[marlinman93]

Never needed to seal them in my storage area. I've got rounds that were reloaded for ten years and shot like new.

[AmBraCol]

An old german I knew in Brazil as a kid used fingernail polish to seal around primers and the bullet/case neck as well. We worried a lot about humidity as one tends to do when the annual rain fall is measured in meters rather than inches and mould/mildew will grow on shoe soles if they're not worn on a regular basis. I don't know that it helped any, for the reasons mentioned above. It tends to dry up and flake off over time. Your best bet is to stock up on ammo cans and store ammo in them (novel concept there) and include a packet or so of gel desiccant in each can. I've stored ammo this way for years - decades even - and had no problems with it being surefire. If you load cast bullets then make sure you've plenty of lube around the bullet. It will naturally seal the bullet/case neck joint. And make sure each primer slides tightly into place - the friction fit is tight enough to keep out humidity for the most part. And if you store it in an airtight can with desiccant then you'll have surefire ammo for your grandkids to shoot up - as long as you use a good quality lube and not something that's going to migrate and contaminate the primers...

[Griff]

A nifty idea I've heard for over 30 years... yet to participate. Kinda like if all your friends tell you to jump from the Empire State Building... will ya? I know I can't fly, and my ammo gets rotated with uncertain regularity. (Translate that to mean I seldom have enough for my immediate needs.)