Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Preserving reloads for the future

Perhaps this has been discussed

Been hand loading for years and keep things tidy. But with things in the balance, what would be a good way to preserve ammo and it not corrode or otherwise.

I feel that case lube if not wiped very well may lead to some tarnish. Really hard to do some trial and error, but what about wiping down with lacquer thinner then spraying plain old wd40 then vacuum seal. Then in army can.

Fluid film is good stuff but is too oily.

No reason to over think it.

Keep it in a cool, dry place inside a quality ammo can, or even just good plastic ammo boxes.

About the only time you'll see corrosion is if it gets wet, is around salt water, or left in leather loops.

I have just finished shooting a few hundred .243 reloads that were loaded in 1999. No corrosion.

I also have a box of factory .260 Remington cartridges from the same time frame. Fully corroded cases around the necks. Same storage conditions as my .243 reloads (unheated garage).

Only differerence I can tell is my .243 reloads were moly coated. There may be your answer.

I've got plenty of ammo that I loaded back as far as 1995 that still works just fine...

common denominator, is they were stored in batches of 10 or 20 Lots...and put in ziplock bags...

never have had an issue... most of it is 223 for varmint shooting...
but also plenty of left over deer season ammo....all handloads..

Worried about case lube on the casings, try tumbling them clean before you reload them. No more lube on them. Been doing it that way for over 30 years with no issues, discoloration or corrosion.

I do a little cartridge collecting and have seen ammo kept in the original boxes corroded to varying degrees. The cardboard absorbs moisture over time even when kept dry, I think.
I have some ammo from failed attempts to find “that one load” , for rifles I no longer own, that have been in plastic ammo boxes for over 40 years and while aren’t as shiny as when they were reloaded are still not corroded in any way.

I'm not sure about handloads, but I have some Remington Kleenbore 33 WCF ammo that has been stored inside since new. It still works fine. From what I've researched, Remington quit making it in 1940.

Avoiding destructive corrosion is fairly straightforward. As already mentioned, just make sure it's clean to begin with and keep it dry. To preserve it without tarnish, it would need to be protected from gases (air) that can contain molecules that will tarnish. Vacuum-packing can minimize this. To eliminate it, I would suggest metal containers, nitrogen-flushed before sealing with nothing else inside. For practical purposes, eliminating darkening or tarnishing of the brass isn't necessary, but it can still be desireable.

There is not a good reason to use Water Displacement formula 40 if you can protect the item from water and water vapor using a physical barrier like a sealed bag or box. As mentioned already, paper boxes can cause tarnishing and corrosion. Not only are they likely to contain some moisture, but they also contain free sulphur and volatile sulphur-liberating compounds, and some amount of formaldehyde (as do all wood products). Formaldehyde breaks down to formic acid. So-called "acid-free" papers typically contain high levels of sulphur.

There's some evidence that bubble-wrap can have contaminants that will cause tarnishing probably because it can be coated with "saran," or Polyvinylidene chloride (to keep the air in the bubbles). I'd watch out for plastic-wrap also which has been made of the same stuff. At some point, food-grade wraps (other than for meat) were switched to polyethene because of the chlorine in the PVDC. The problem with polyethene is that it has a higher oxygen permeability (why it's not used for meat). Adhesive labels (stickers) are a major source of contamination within a small, sealed environment, so avoid using those (and take precautions if using any paper label).

Do not use WD40 on loaded ammo. It can FUBAR the primers. Vacuum sealing would likely help preserve the ammo. Storing in a temp and humidity controlled environment will definitely help.

^ ^ ^ pretty much it right there ^ ^ ^
I've got all kinds of different ammo reloaded
and factory. It's not corroded.
I have some that I misplaced that I just found
from when I was young that's probably 40-45
years old from when federal used to pack it in
those red plastic belt holders.
As much as anything I think most ammo corrosion
results from people handling cartridges with
their nasty salty hands, then they put them back
in the container and some time later they pull
out a round that's corroded from being handled.
Properly stored ammo doesn't need any spray of
any kind or coating or anything or tumbling.
If some light corrosion occurs, buff it off with
a piece of steel wool

The Hornaday one shot case lube can be left on the case and provides some protection. Only problem I have had is neck welds between neck and bullet. Wax or lubricant even dry ones usually prevent this. For real long storage the primers can be sealed with nail polish or a special lacquer made for this, similar to the red coating on some military loads. Have used baggies and they work, I bet vacuum sealing would be even better.

When I clean cases with Never Dull it appears it leaves behind some lasting tarnish protection, it also doesn't make the cases slippery enough to give false pressure readings like some oils will.

Only time I had a real problem was when some ammo was near a container of muriatic acid, it ate through the lid and the resultant gases corroded the ammo beyond use.

Don't use WD-40 or any high solvent or penetrating lubricant it can ruin the primers and leave the cases sticky.

Forgot to add some of the dry corrosion inhibitors like Eesox and Corrosion X work well on cases.