vacuum packing handloads?

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Well, I was fortunate to have a bunch of components on hand prior to the Obamination, so I loaded all that I had.....223, .308, .30-06, 9mm, 38 special, ect, ect. I also loaded enough steel shotshells to probably last me the rest of my lifetime (literally).
We also have one of those vacuum sealers...they type that you use to preserve food in the freezer. I have been wondering if maybe I shouldn't vacuum pack the majority of my ammo (in small lots, such as 50-100 rounds per rifle, 100 or so for pistol) in order to help keep it 'fresh'.
Anyone ever done anything like this? I know years ago I bought some military 7.62x39 (Czech) that was vacuum sealed. Can anyone think of a reason NOT to do this? Thanks in advance.............

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Good question. I know the military vacuum packs ammo to keep it safe from rain, etc. Old Army Manual advises to store the GI packs "on dunnage and under tarp", when possible. Handloads are not exposed to such bad enviornmental conditions.

I keep my ammo in cool, dry places and have had 100% reliability for handloads I loaded in the 1960s. Storing ammo in damp cellars or hot attics will degrade the handloads over time.

Adam

[jmarriott]

Ziplock freezer bags will most likely work just as well. Maybe cost a bit less.

[Rocky Raab]

While it might not help much, it certainly won't hurt either. Be sure to slip a dated load data sheet in so it can be read through the packaging. You wouldn't want to open them to see what they are!

[Classicvette63]

I have a vacuum sealer as well, but have never given this a thought.

What about moisture in the bag? I like the idea, but would be concerned about that.

Regular vacuum sealer bags are expensive, so I use regular ziploc bags when I freeze food, but I cut the "ziploc" off so I can use it in the sealer.

[buckhunter]

Interesting idea. I store in my house so I would't believe that would cause a problem however the military does it for a reason and if I have my ammo exposed to some of the enviormental extremes our troops operate it wouldn't hurt.

[spike1]

WOW.. I would not do it. At work we subject space hardware to Vacuum conditions. A funny thing happens in a vacuum called out-gassing. If you put a piece of scotch tape under vacuum, in a few hours the glue is gone. The vacuum lowers the boiling point so the glue boiled away without heat ??? It’s possible that even under your lower vacuum conditions in a few years you may just have gray dirt instead of gunpowder. I believe the older vacuum packing was just a light vacuum so you felt warm a fuzzy when it hissed. If you buried a vacuum can and it leaked it would have the effect of sucking in ??water?? who knows. If it was me (and it’s not) I would make sure the ammo is real dry, maybe place it in sunlight for a few hours, pack it in a Ball canning jar, maybe with some desiccant and seal the lid. A Ball canning jar is like 99.99999…. % hermetic it doesn’t get much better.

[muskrat30]

16 ga, some inlaw relatives recently moved out of Troy. Anyway, 1st off I try to store things in component form, that is unloaded. I do though usually have more loaded than I need in the near future. I have zipped some in ziplock bags, other than that the regular ammo containers. With cases empty I can run them through the tumbler if I want to re-shine them. The powder,primers, & bullets do fine stored solo. Desires can change & components are more easily sold off or disposed of than loaded ammo if the need arises.

[Montana Cowboy]

Spike
While reading your post I had to wonder about the military surplus ammo I have and used that came to me in the vacuum sealed spam cans. The dates on some of these cans is more than 20 years old and I haven't had any problem with the ammo. I'm not saying your info is incorrect as I'm not an expert on what happens to items sealed under vacuum for extended periods of time. MC

[spike1]

My information is correct, what is confusing if the term vacuum. The old military ammo is not really “Vacuum Packed” . The sealing process used requires heat when the container is sealed and this naturally causes a small vacuum inside. If most of these containers had a real Vacuum inside of them they would collapse in and crush the container.

The point is although the old military ammo is what we call “vacuum packed” it is a slight vacuum caused by the sealing process.

When we start talking about actual devices that pump the air out ??? ,,, Who knows what the vacuum level is ? It’s real easy to pump to ½ atmosphere or better and that would be in the danger zone for me.