To ensure your ammo stays in good shape for years, make sure it is kept in water-tight boxes that keep moisture out. Ammo cans are useful, and some people go as far as keeping their ammo in sealable food containers.
Obviously, you want to keep your ammo out of the rain, but prolonged exposure to humidity can also lead to the failure of powder. If you live in an area with high humidity, the use of a dehumidifier. Not only does it have other household benefits, it could also prolong the life of your ammo.
Because high heat accelerates the deterioration of ammo, you need to keep it in a cool location. Avoid storing ammunition in the trunk of your car during the hot summer months. The heat could cause premature failure of the ammo. Also, you should avoid keeping the ammo in your garage, as this is not only a safety concern, but uninsulated garages can get extremely hot. Temperature fluctuations can also damage ammo. Heat in summer and frigid cold in winter can be a good reason to keep ammo inside the home.
Of course, this means keeping shells in their boxes. There is a lot to remember about the chemical composition and deterioration of ammo. But by having the right tools and knowledge, your rounds can last longer than that. With the right storage containers and a well-ventilated room, your ammo stockpile can last for decades.
But if not stored properly, your ammo can corrode and absorb moisture, rendering it useless in less than a year. While quality ammo can definitely operate as designed after being dunked for a while just check out the video below , long-term storage in high humidity settings is a bad idea for maintaining the performance of the ammo. Desiccants help absorb the tiniest amount of moisture. Better safe than sorry! With high temperature comes low levels of humidity. So make sure that your storage area is always at room temperature.
We need to keep an eye on our ammunition and guns more often during winter and summer when the temperature is at the extremes. Gun powder contains an extremely flammable substance called nitrocellulose. It transforms into gas when exposed to high temperatures.
This then causes your ammo to deteriorate. Nitrocellulose in gas form can also leak out of your cartridge and affect the pressure in your gun chamber. This can result in inaccuracy, or worse, misfires. Keeping your ammunition in vacuum-sealed bags ensures that there is no room for oxygen. And zero oxygen means no corrosion and very little moisture.
This is the only way to prevent stagnancy and counteract degradation. The longevity of ammunition is minimized when they begin to corrode. The chemical reaction occurring between metal and moisture leads to rust that makes ammunition unusable. This degradation is amplified when the ammo is exposed to extreme heat. A natural disaster like a typhoon can also accelerate the degradation when the rounds get soaked in water.
Corrosive ammunition is rendered moot and may no longer serve its purpose for personal defense or sport. Nonetheless, if you are faced with such a dilemma, you may always ask your local police department if they wish to relieve you of your unusable ammo.
You may also contact the hazardous waste managers in your locality for proper disposal. The basic rule to make your ammunition last is to store them in a cool, dark, and dry place, but there is more to this than meets the eye. However, the propellant and the primer will eventually degrade, but you can sustain their shelf lives through proper storage. Ammunition does not necessarily expire with age, but the potency of the propellant may diminish over time.
This can cause your ammo to get stuck in the barrel if you shoot your gun with it. Keeping ammo safe from moisture and degradation will help maintain their viability for shooting. The shelf life of your ammunition is mainly dependent on its state of safekeeping. On average, ammunition can last for at least ten years. However, your gun may still be able to shoot with the same ammo even beyond the decade, provided that they are stored under ideal conditions.
Corroded and unused ammunition can be recycled, but the process is not extensively available. Unused slugs that no longer fire in the range can be disassembled through proprietary technology. The powder will serve as fertilizer, and the cartridges may be refilled with new components.
Recycling shells empty of its bullet is a commonly conducted practice to remanufacture new sets of ammunition. Yes, old ammunition is still worth the money. Alternatively, ammunition can be tightly sealed using a typical vacuum sealer.
It can be wise to also include silica gel packets inside sealed bags to remove any moisture residue. Temperature is another factor to consider when storing ammunition, as humidity levels are in part due to the warmth of the surrounding environment.
Extreme heat causes increased intensity of interaction between ammunition and the air, and should therefore be avoided. Regardless of humidity or temperature, limiting ammunition's exposure to open air is key. Considering these factors, a cool and dry storage location with limited air access is ideal.
Sunlight can also play a factor in gradual degradation, so keep your storage container somewhere dark. It's important to note that any exposure to the elements speeds up the clock on ammunition's shelf life.
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