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Does anyone seal their bullets or primers when they reload? . . .

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I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to seal the bullets and primers on the ammo that I would handload for carrying purposes only? They would be used vary rarely and would come under somewhat harsher treatment compared to the range and competition ammo. I don’t believe I’ve read yet where anyone has stated that they do seal theirs, I could be wrong though. What’s your thoughts?
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George & Roy's
Bullet & Primer Sealer​

All major manufacturers use primer sealant to keep primers and bullets water resistant in most weather conditions. "An ounce of prevention" will, under most circumstances prevent moisture from entering a cartridge. Shotshells need to be sealed at the crimp end as well – Permatex® Clear RTV Silicone Adhesive Sealant is excellent to accomplish this feat. Full submersion of any cartridge in liquid should render it unsafe and considered to be unusable. Discretion is always advised, as every circumstance cannot be addressed.
,​
 
My solution is to reload practice and match ammo without any sealants and carry factory loads.
 
Gammon said:
My solution is to reload practice and match ammo without any sealants and carry factory loads.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, now there's the definitive answer for sure. Or perhaps not, I read that even factory loads are prone to have the bullet move deeper in the casing with continued carry and unloading and loading the gun. The sealer I may put on the bullet might have the same inability to hold the bullet firm. So the answer could be to rotate the bullets and fire them off every so often to keep from getting a shorter length round that may be too high in pressure and do damage to the gun or not feed correctly.

After reading what this gent did (from the reloadersbench.com, below) to seal his ammo I just think I’ll forget it! [thinking]​

I do a fair amount of waterproofing of rounds. If you seal the primers and don't seal the bullets, you are only doing a patial load. Therefore, there is a difference between waterproof and sealing rounds.

If you want to waterproof rounds, use Ortho tree pruning seal for the bullets and laquer for the primer. Ortho seal is an asphaltic tar that almost perfectly approximates the miliary seal. Take a Q-tip and get it moderately coated and then stick it inside the case mouth and roll it around the mouth, don't swirl it or you will develop thin spots. Wipe any off the case mouth that got slopped outside. Let this dry for about a day. When you drop powder and it doesn't stick to the asphalt, then it is ready. Now, load the rounds like you normally do and then let the rounds set for a day to allow the internal pressure equalize.

Now, using simple laquer from any paint store, tinted if you like, take a toothpick and with the rounds in a holder with primers up, take a toothpick and draw the laquer around the primer pocket/primer contact. Let the laquer draw in for a few seconds and then with a paper towel on a board, swipe the excess off and then put them back in the holder and allow the sealant to dry. If it bubbles, then the internal pressure isn't equalized, stop and wait another day. The bubbled rounds can be shot as target rounds. Your rounds are now truely waterproofed.

If you want to be sure, take a large glass cooking pan and lay about 20 to 30 rounds in it and boil a pot of water. When boiling, pour it in the pan and with a bright light off to the side shining through the pan, watch for about 20 seconds. When the rounds start to warm, if the seal is bad, the leak point will begin to bubble. If the rounds are pulled out with forcepts and dried, there will be no harm and they can be shot. If they don't bubble, then they are truely waterproof. If the process is followed, you won't need to test the rounds very often before you begin feeling confident. The only caution is that the asphaltic tar will increase the pressure slightly, so be careful if loading at the max end. ​
.
 
Unless you swim with your CCW piece, I don't think sealing them is necessary. I have had my hunting rifle and ammo rained on extensively and still taken deer with it, and never had a mis-fire with quality ammo. Unless you submerge your ammo for a good period of time, you'll be fine. And goat blood is better than pig.
 
M1911 said:
Most commercial ammunition is not sealed either.
Click to expand...

Most commercial ammo is sealed. Commercial loaders (not reloaders) use a primer sealant and a neck sealant.

Sealing the primers is easy, just use clear nail polish. Appying neck sealant is a PITA.

If you are worried about your carry ammo suffering from repeated loading cycles (bullet backing into the case) simply place the first round into the chamber by hand and then drop the slide.
 
How would your carry ammo be exposed to harsher treatment??? Seriously? Even if it was sealed and got wet enough to worry- you'd probably break the gun down and replace the ammo anyway. Carry ammo should be cycled.

FWIW I had some lose reloads slip thru the wash and dryer. Brought them to the range... no problemo and there was no sealant used.
 
Last edited:
Lugnut said:
How would your carry ammo be exposed to harsher treatment??? Seriously? Even if it was sealed and got wet enough to worry- you'd probably break the gun down and replace the ammo anyway. Carry ammo should be cycled.

FWIW I had some lose reloads slip thru the wash and dryer. Brought them to the range... no problemo and there was no sealant used.
Click to expand...

You're probably right Lugnut, leave it to me to make a fuss about something that really doesn’t need special attention. Thanks for the comeback.

And what Gammon said, “Simply place the first round into the chamber by hand and then drop the slide.”That would also work well.​
 
M1911 said:
The only commercial ammo that I've seen that is sealed is S&B.
Click to expand...

Applying sealants is common practice. S&B uses a red primer sealant which is visible, other MFRs use clear which isn't. Neck sealants obviuosly protect the case contents, but are also supposed to improve accuracy by providing a more consistent bullet pull.

Why should carry ammo be cycled?
 
Gammon said:
Why should carry ammo be cycled?
Click to expand...

Maybe cycled wasn't entirely accurate. However I would think you would/should use it up once in while- since it is your carry gun. Also- if you need to unload and load your carry gun a bunch- bullet set back "can" happen and so I tend to "refresh" my mags with new ammo- well before it shows any wear. YMMV.
 
Gammon said:
use clear which isn't. Neck sealants obviuosly protect the case contents, but are also supposed to improve accuracy by providing a more consistent bullet pull.
Click to expand...

I don't get that. I've pulled bullets from loaded non-sealed ammo, and they don't come out easy. In fact, you've got to beat the livin' crap out of them. I can't see how a tiny ring of what is essentially nail polish can make a bit of difference in the bullet pull of the average rifle round - on crimped rounds especially. I mean, think about it, there really isn't any space between the brass and bullet, so the only place that sealer can make a difference in pull is the microscopic junction where the cut top edge of the brass meets the bullet jacket. That difference has got to be minuscule in comparison to the friction bond between the case neck and the bullet.

You can't glue them in. If that helps, you're probably doing it wrong.
 
Gammon said:
If you are worried about your carry ammo suffering from repeated loading cycles (bullet backing into the case) simply place the first round into the chamber by hand and then drop the slide.
Click to expand...
Don't do that. It is bad for the extractor.
 
EddieCoyle said:
I don't get that. I've pulled bullets from loaded non-sealed ammo, and they don't come out easy. In fact, you've got to beat the livin' crap out of them. I can't see how a tiny ring of what is essentially nail polish can make a bit of difference in the bullet pull of the average rifle round - on crimped rounds especially. I mean, think about it, there really isn't any space between the brass and bullet, so the only place that sealer can make a difference in pull is the microscopic junction where the cut top edge of the brass meets the bullet jacket. That difference has got to be minuscule in comparison to the friction bond between the case neck and the bullet.

You can't glue them in. If that helps, you're probably doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

The info I posted on bullet sealant and pull I read in a reloading manual. I can't give any reason for this practice but the accuracy might be improved by a more consistent bullet pull provided by the sealant.
 
M1911 said:
Don't do that. It is bad for the extractor.
Click to expand...

I have heard this but don't believe that it would hurt the extractor when done on a very limited basis. A gunsmith took issue with the idea that this practice was harmful and built a fixture to test it. According to the post I read, he performed 30,000 cycles of snapping the extractor over a case rim with no harm to the extractor. I wish I could remember where I read this.
 
Gammon said:
I have heard this but don't believe that it would hurt the extractor when done on a very limited basis. A gunsmith took issue with the idea that this practice was harmful and built a fixture to test it. According to the post I read, he performed 30,000 cycles of snapping the extractor over a case rim with no harm to the extractor. I wish I could remember where I read this.
Click to expand...

It was an article in a magazine "All about the 1911" or something. Last year. The article also talked about some of the myths of 1911 shooting.
I'll look for it.


Chris
 
Extractors do break, but I think the major cause for this failure is an extractor that is too long. Every time the slide goes into battery the long extractor will slam into the front of the extractor groove in the case. Eventually this impact can break the part. I have a Para P-16 in .40 that broke a couple of extractors; removing some material from the nose of the extractor solved the problem.
 

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