Ever try VACUUM PACKING ammo?

R

Ricky Bobby

New member
I know ... I sometimes ask strange questions!

In all seriousness, I'd like to know if it would be safe to even try?

I just got thinking about different situations when something like this could be handy. Like taking a hunting trip of a lifetime and your ammo gets wet in your pack. What about loading rounds and storing it for long term survival situations?

Just thought I'd ask.

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Great idea. Should work a lot better than ammo cans. That stuff last a while. Vacuum packed should work very well if you ask me.
 
Originally Posted By: Ricky BobbyI know ... I sometimes ask strange questions!

In all seriousness, I'd like to know if it would be safe to even try?

I just got thinking about different situations when something like this could be handy. Like taking a hunting trip of a lifetime and your ammo gets wet in your pack. What about loading rounds and storing it for long term survival situations?

Just thought I'd ask.

smile.gif


No need to vacuum pack it... zip-lock baggies work fine.

But vacuum won't hurt either.
 
Problem with most vacuum packaging ideas is the cost of the bags. If only doing a few, it's not the cost of the bags, but justifying the cost of the equipment for so few bags. I'm talking about real vacuum packaging, not sucking the air out of a zip lock bag.
 
Originally Posted By: cmatera Problem with most vacuum packaging ideas is the cost of the bags. If only doing a few, it's not the cost of the bags, but justifying the cost of the equipment for so few bags. I'm talking about real vacuum packaging, not sucking the air out of a zip lock bag.

It doesn't make any difference how you do it, or what equipment you use... the vacuum has no effect what-so-ever, so why go through the bother??


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Ziploc baggies would still have the air inside & can easily be punctured. Air is the enemy of many things, over time.

I don't think it would be worth it to go out and buy a vacuum sealer just for doing this, but for people who already own one (like myself) it is an option.

Cool thing is you could put just 5 rounds to a little bag or 50 in a bigger sized bag, or whatever the situation may be! Plus, when vacuum packed, they wouldn't be able to move & rattle around to make noise.

I think I'm going to give it a try sometime!
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Originally Posted By: Ricky BobbyZiploc baggies would still have the air inside & can easily be punctured. Air is the enemy of many things, over time.

I don't think it would be worth it to go out and buy a vacuum sealer just for doing this, but for people who already own one (like myself) it is an option.

Cool thing is you could put just 5 rounds to a little bag or 50 in a bigger sized bag, or whatever the situation may be! Plus, when vacuum packed, they wouldn't be able to move & rattle around to make noise.

I think I'm going to give it a try sometime!
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How long do you plan to keep this stuff...

I have ammunition I loaded 20+ years ago and is fine - it was stored in MTM plastic boxes.
 


I would think the brass would stay looking nice and shiny over time, when vacuum sealed.

Does your 20+ year old ammo look exactly the same as the day you put it away? Just curious.
 
Originally Posted By: Ricky Bobby

I would think the brass would stay looking nice and shiny over time, when vacuum sealed.

Does your 20+ year old ammo look exactly the same as the day you put it away? Just curious.

Pretty much. Tiny bit darker - but no corrosion.

When I package ammo to sell - I use one of those commercial heat bars and thick plastic sleeves that come in rolls.

It puts a single or double heat seal at each end and the plastic is 6 mil thick. Not going to get poked through. The sealer is commercial grade and is cheap.

I can understand the desire to keep it protected, but I cannot (for the life of me) understand this vacuum thing. It does nothing for you up front, and can work against you later when you open the bag... at that time, it is possible to ruin the ammo.
 
Originally Posted By: Ricky BobbyExplain yourself about ruining the vacuum sealed ammo, when opening it. I'm just wanting to educate myself on the subject.

Thanks.

Ammo is fairly "air tight"... that is to say, if you load it in 50% humidity, it will stay that way, even in the jungles. If you handle it with wet hands, the water will not go in. If you drop it in water, leave it there for a while, and then take it out... it will still be fine and dry.

But, if you put it under a vacuum, the air in it will slowly be sucked out, leaving the case with abnormally low pressure in it.

Then, when you break the seal on the vacuum bag, the outside air will be very slowly sucked back in.

Now, if you open the bag in very bad conditions, and the cases are wet, or if a bag gets punctured while your back pack is wet... the water will be sucked in, instead of air.

Now, I'm not going to argue the odds of this happening, but you mentioned that water was a concern of yours...

... and my thought is why expose your ammo to an atmosphere exchange and the possibility of it "ingesting water", when it is not necessary in the first place.

I mean, sometimes we go overboard to prevent something and, instead, we bring on other problems that are worse than what we were concerned with in the first place. That's all.


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I sealed some ammo in those bags on a roll for sealing food. Didn't work very well, the cartridges make holes in the bags and they leaked. I guess it was from handling.

Tom
 
Interesting subject, if you ask me!

Been doing research on the matter & it seems there is a lot of differences in opinions from everyone. Even found some YouTube clips of people vacuum sealing their ammo.

Catshooter, let's say long term storage is the goal. What if a person applied a bullet and primer sealer to their ammo & then vacuum sealed the ammo, would this eliminate the possibility of the ammo taking in moisture when opening it?
 
Originally Posted By: MGYSGTI sealed some ammo in those bags on a roll for sealing food. Didn't work very well, the cartridges make holes in the bags and they leaked. I guess it was from handling.

Tom

That's odd. In 2011, I sold over 400,000 rounds of .223 with SS109 bullets loaded and they were bulk packed in those bags - I never had a single problem or complaint.
 
I'm guessing it would also depend on the grade/thickness of the bag that is used. I use a vacuum sealer for long term food storage and the bags I use are very durable. I generally reuse a bag many many times and it only gets thrown away cause you have to cut it open each time so it ends up getting to small to use.


I don't think it's a bad idea. Here is another thought, some sealers have the option to just seal without a vacuum, that way you don't have to worry of the possibility of pulling water or humidity in when opened cause there wouldn't be any pressure changes.

I have hunted in Alaska once and while there I have never been so wet for such a long time. Now I never had any problems with my ammo, but I did have my ammo bagged.
 
Originally Posted By: MGYSGTI sealed some ammo in those bags on a roll for sealing food. Didn't work very well, the cartridges make holes in the bags and they leaked. I guess it was from handling.

Tom

I tried to seal some brass. I usually do when I sell off the range pick-ups I'm not using. The thicker stuff, like some 7rm I was trying, cut the plastic just enough it didn't hold. Pistol and even the 223 brass was fine. Granted, I was using the cheap bags.
 
Originally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: MGYSGTI sealed some ammo in those bags on a roll for sealing food. Didn't work very well, the cartridges make holes in the bags and they leaked. I guess it was from handling.

Tom

In 2011, I sold over 400,000 rounds of .223 with SS109 bullets loaded and they were bulk packed in those bags - I never had a single problem or complaint.




Did you handload all of those ??
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I recall reading about a test they did in some mag where they dropped live ammo into water and let it sit for 24 hrs and it came out just fine!

While I see your thinking behind this I'm with catshooter why waste your time?
 
I shot p-dogs with a guy who vaccumed packed his rounds into 100 round packs. Not sure its worth it though for that.
 
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