Anyone seal their primers?
- Thread starter 3#cannon
- Start date
With today's components it just doesn't seem to be necessary as long as your primer pockets are tight.
Not that many decades back, depending on who made your components the quality control wasn't as good as it is today. Many of us almost exclusively used surplus military brass. A lot of it had crimped primers as much of it still does today. The old CIL components were always good with Dominion brass but it was iffy when mixed with US/European components. Where I lived, primer types were limited. If I made a trip to the US, I would stock up on powder, primers, bullets and brass.
Usually I would pick up primers by the box of 5000 and usually at least ten or more of those. Then a half dozen 50 pound kegs of surplus powders and kegs of bulk bullets. We didn't worry much about whether primers were standard or magnum for the simple reason magnum primers were never on sale and may places just didn't stock them.
There were very few places in Canada where these components were readily available without a several month wait. I knew fellows that would order from Sydney I Robinson, International Firearms, including myself and often the orders would take anywhere from two weeks to three months to arrive.
Anyway, the above is to explain how the practice came into being. Some military ammo is still sealed with lacquer. But that is for extremes we as hunters/target shooters will never see. With the specs and tolerances being so strictly adhered to in today's manufacturing processes using sealants is IMHO a tedious step that I quite happily eliminated about 20 years ago.
Not that many decades back, depending on who made your components the quality control wasn't as good as it is today. Many of us almost exclusively used surplus military brass. A lot of it had crimped primers as much of it still does today. The old CIL components were always good with Dominion brass but it was iffy when mixed with US/European components. Where I lived, primer types were limited. If I made a trip to the US, I would stock up on powder, primers, bullets and brass.
Usually I would pick up primers by the box of 5000 and usually at least ten or more of those. Then a half dozen 50 pound kegs of surplus powders and kegs of bulk bullets. We didn't worry much about whether primers were standard or magnum for the simple reason magnum primers were never on sale and may places just didn't stock them.
There were very few places in Canada where these components were readily available without a several month wait. I knew fellows that would order from Sydney I Robinson, International Firearms, including myself and often the orders would take anywhere from two weeks to three months to arrive.
Anyway, the above is to explain how the practice came into being. Some military ammo is still sealed with lacquer. But that is for extremes we as hunters/target shooters will never see. With the specs and tolerances being so strictly adhered to in today's manufacturing processes using sealants is IMHO a tedious step that I quite happily eliminated about 20 years ago.
Why?
No
clear laquer
The only reason I can think of to seal primers and bullets is for extended storage. Since I'm lucky if I can keep a months worth of ammo loaded and ready, long term storage is not the issue for me.
The military seals the bullet and primer for long term storage and protection in inclimate weather (rain). If you hunt in the rain and like swimming with your rifle and getting it soaking wet then seal your primers.
In over 47 years of reloading I have never sealed a primer and have old Enfield rifle for a rain gun. (greased and well oiled)
In over 47 years of reloading I have never sealed a primer and have old Enfield rifle for a rain gun. (greased and well oiled)
- Location
- West Quebec
^^^^^ This I never seal the primers don't see a need
No, No and none, lol. Dave.
Rickster66
Regular
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec
i've accidentally had a few rounds get washed in the laundry over the years (my wife was not impressed) and not a single one failed to fire. So, my answer is no. I don't see a need for sealing primers.
Modern ammo often would have to be submerged for quite some time before anything is contaminated. Handloads should be no different provided everything is spec and primer pockets are tight. Even in a wet, rainy duck-blind, shotgun shells always go bang and I have never had a problem.
No I don't.
I have a friend who puts a dab of red nail polish on the primers of the ones he intentionally made very very light and he uses the "red dots" for partridge when he is moose hunting.
No one else I know seals primers.
I have a friend who puts a dab of red nail polish on the primers of the ones he intentionally made very very light and he uses the "red dots" for partridge when he is moose hunting.
No one else I know seals primers.
gewehr76
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
At some point I had lots of unused touch up paint sticks for vehicle hoods and such. Mainly red and black color some blue as well.
I used these mainly for marking my test loads that I used different powder or different charge with same components. small swab around the primer to indicate the hotter load. Not really for sealing, however touchup paint works well for that.
I used these mainly for marking my test loads that I used different powder or different charge with same components. small swab around the primer to indicate the hotter load. Not really for sealing, however touchup paint works well for that.
This thread may have answered a mystery for me. I was deprimeing a few thousand mixed 9mm last month for tumbling. In my mix I broke a pin on my die on a non military brass that had a primer with a worn red coating on the primer. I thought the previous owner may have marked his for range pick up for inspection of brass after load testing. But when I broke a second pin I started to set the brass with the coating aside. Now have 1000 brass that appears to have had the primers sealed. Makes a ####ty time of deprimeing them for reloads.
- Location
- Banana Republik of Kebekistan
I only seal primers for underwater IPSC stages and they don't come too often.
Anyway, because the bullets do not punch through target past 1 meter, I tend to use my harpoon for those stages. The down side is that I get bumped into Open Division.
Hoping this seals the matter.
Anyway, because the bullets do not punch through target past 1 meter, I tend to use my harpoon for those stages. The down side is that I get bumped into Open Division.
Hoping this seals the matter.
