HELP: Wet Ammo

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canoetrpr

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We woke up to a flooded basement today as one of the sump pumps died.

My ammo locker is in the basement and some of the ammo in it is wet. It wasn't covered by water but it is wet.

I'll be drying it out the best I can. Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing? I am guessing it is going to be safe to use once it is dried out? Any thoughts? I have shotgun shells, .308 etc.
 
First of all .......... my condolences ............. what a PITA!!!!

First thing I would do is get rid of any/all paper/cardboard wrappers & packaging as it will hold the moisture like a sponge and eventually will mildew.
With respect to the ammo itself I think maybe spread it all out on a tarp on the floor & turn the fans on it on high!! Done that to more than one water soaked carpet in the past.
I think I'd be investing in some seal-able ammo boxes or Tupperware for future waterproofing. Hopefully you don't have any ammo with steel cases!
 
was it submerged for long?

if not it's likely just fine I've NEVER in my life experienced a FF due to rain or really wet conditions in a march or swamp , so again if it was not submerged long it's likely just fine. pat dry remove form cardboard , put some silica beads with them and carry on.
 
get a sump alarm so it won't happen again. homedepot has them, a wire hangs down to where you never want the water to reach, if it happens a loud sonalert goes off. i've got a float switch tied to my alarm system so I can get alarms when i am not home too.
 
If the shotgun shells arent fully sealed toss em. The powder will most likely be crap and if its steel shot it may rust into a semi-solid hunk of steel. There may be hole in the centre of the crimp which will be a good indication its not fully sealed.

Dunno about the rifle ammo.

Your local police department will take shells no questions asked. Just tell them what happened.
 
blasted_saber said:
If the shotgun shells arent fully sealed toss em. The powder will most likely be crap and if its steel shot it may rust into a semi-solid hunk of steel. There may be hole in the centre of the crimp which will be a good indication its not fully sealed.

Dunno about the rifle ammo.

Your local police department will take shells no questions asked. Just tell them what happened.
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Not sure if serious....
 
The only ones I would be really concerned about would be if any of your shotshells are steel shot. I have had some of those get real wet and if not used up the shot rusted together in some and I found I had some slugs trying to kill ducks. Some used plated shot but many still donot
Never harmed the gun or anything like that.

Edit: Looks like we were typing the same time saber . I never had an issues with the powder in them and mine were right under water:)
 
3macs1 said:
The only ones I would be really concerned about would be if any of your shotshells are steel shot. I have had some of those get real wet and if not used up the shot rusted together in some and I found I had some slugs trying to kill ducks. Some used plated shot but many still donot
Never harmed the gun or anything like that.

Edit: Looks like we were typing the same time saber . I never had an issues with the powder in them and mine were right under water:)
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Ya, I havent either but on a different board this exact topic came up recently and the ol' mighty debate began. One fella took a bunch of different shells and threw them in a bucket of water for a length of time. Some brands had water get to the powder. Some had the steel bunch up.
 
blasted_saber said:
Ya, I havent either but on a different board this exact topic came up recently and the ol' mighty debate began. One fella took a bunch of different shells and threw them in a bucket of water for a length of time. Some brands had water get to the powder.
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It would be tough for water to get at the powder I think with factory steel loads. Primers are sealed, wad would have a good seal over top of the powder.
The shot is a different story. Yep I will never forget that poor goose I hit with a round of that rusted slug. First shot I missed, second I seen the internals flying through the air. Knew I had a problem then

Today I would have stood them all on end right after it happened in a warm spot to see what water would have run out. I just reboxed them which was wrong as I now know
 
Should be fine, dry it all off, then throw in a sealed container with the moisture wicking stuff, then the next day toss in another drybox do the same, to ensure its completely moisture free. As noted toss all wood and cardboard that got wet, primarily for mildew/mould reasons. If water can get it, it can certainly get back out by sucking the moisture with the silica stuff or modern alternatives.

From what I understand the powder is not the concern other then the chance of clumping (not sure if it will clump though). After drying it is good to go
Your main concern would be the potential to damage the primer, I don't know what the makeup of the primer is chemically and if its effected by water
 
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