Those who bought crate of Czech 7.62x39 ammo?

Spcamno

Spcamno

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How air tight / moisture proof is those crate of Cze surplus ammo?

Bought two crates yesterday and will be storing them in a lockable metal cabinet in the basement unopened and would like to know if this will last a long period?

The basement is not finished but I don't see any moisture issue (not damp no water penetration etc) so will that be okay?

I normal store my ammo in the surplus ammo container with a pack or two moisture absorbent and if the crate is sealed enough then I wouldn't bother open them up and pack them individually until use.

Thx
 
open the wood box have a look at the lead(?) seal.also there is a little nail hole punch in the center the will have grease(?) covering it.i think thats there way of a preasure valve seal.so if that still have good grease over it you should be goo to go.
 
kyjelly44 said:
open the wood box have a look at the lead(?) seal.also there is a little nail hole punch in the center the will have grease(?) covering it.i think thats there way of a preasure valve seal.so if that still have good grease over it you should be goo to go.
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Thanks kyjelly44 for your post!

So basically if I see any pin holes on the lead (solder) just apply grease to seal them is that correct?
 
If the soldering on the inside tin can still intact (check the bottom too) you may count on at least 50-60 years of shelf life (from the manufacturing date on the crate).
If there are cracks in soldering or heavy oxidation on the seams, open the tin and check for moisture inside. Pretty rare from my experience.

s>
 
Stranger said:
If the soldering on the inside tin can still intact (check the bottom too) you may count on at least 50-60 years of shelf life (from the manufacturing date on the crate).
If there are cracks in soldering or heavy oxidation on the seams, open the tin and check for moisture inside. Pretty rare from my experience.

s>
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WoW, thanks Stranger for your post!

50-60 years is a long time and I might have to leave that to my son to open for me (I might not be around anymore LOL)!:p

So basically check all soldering (top and bottom) and if they looks intact just leave it otherwise open them to inspect, is that right?

Cheers
 
Here's a novel idea. Instead of saving it for ten thousand years, why don't you just shoot it? Then, you don't have to worry about it going bad!.

:)
 
targettarget said:
Here's a novel idea. Instead of saving it for ten thousand years, why don't you just shoot it? Then, you don't have to worry about it going bad!.

:)
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Very true!

But I need to make sure they are fine the way it is before I gotto shoot them.

Besides,I am preparing to get more so I want to know a positive way to store them and not have to worry about my investment!:D
 
Spcamno said:
How air tight / moisture proof is those crate of Cze surplus ammo?

Bought two crates yesterday and will be storing them in a lockable metal cabinet in the basement unopened and would like to know if this will last a long period?

The basement is not finished but I don't see any moisture issue (not damp no water penetration etc) so will that be okay?

I normal store my ammo in the surplus ammo container with a pack or two moisture absorbent and if the crate is sealed enough then I wouldn't bother open them up and pack them individually until use.

Thx
Click to expand...


They don't seal worth a damn. I've cracked 7 or 8 in the last year and at least 4 of them had some rounds with rust on the cases. If you really want proper storage, break the cases down and put the ammo in .50 BMG cans.

Most of this ammo is 35+ years old already, how long do you need it to last? I'm shooting a case of '59 right now. The base of the tin was completely unsealed when I opened it.
 
I have received my crate yesterday and i open it, easily 1 minute no tool needed! I was eager to see thoses little blue box in that tin case! Everything was well sealed,no moisture no rust. My cz is hungry so must feed it a little on weekend. Point is, i dont worry about long term storage of unopened crate. I think i will get a replacement soon:D
 
Spcamno said:
WoW, thanks Stranger for your post!

50-60 years is a long time and I might have to leave that to my son to open for me (I might not be around anymore LOL)!:p

So basically check all soldering (top and bottom) and if they looks intact just leave it otherwise open them to inspect, is that right?
Cheers
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Worked for me as described... but I'm trying to stay away from 1950-1960 crates and anything with potential water damage and deformation (if you can see and choose). Never had trouble with ammo sent from Marstar, had some problems with Districorp but mostly cosmetic / very old (1951?).


s>
 
I bought several boxes marked 7.62 - 43 "gsp VZ. 43" 79/73-bnx tbpl/Fe CELOLAK 2/27. I only opened one and it seemed well sealed, cartridges, boxes and stripper clips looked brand new. The lid had a hole in the center but mine was soldered over not grease sealed. How are you guys determining the date?
 
jagnum said:
Why do they keep making more if they still have some from 50 years ago??
I know if you are in war you want the best, but it helps all of us out.
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They keep making fresh that's why. ;)
Components do deteriorate with time.

IMHO Czech ammo that we're buying is sometimes wa-a-a-y outdated by military standards and must be destroyed... or sold. Russian/Warsaw Pact standards were 25 years of shelf life. Do your math.
Honestly, that's a very strict standards, actual ammo works much longer.
Also keep in mind that if some country goes from Warsaw Pact to NATO, different ammo is required. All the Cold War ammo becomes obsolete, even for training purposes.

s>
 
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My case sounded vacuum sealed

Or atleast thats what it sounded like. my buddy and me were amased when we heard a rush of air going inside the tin when we opened it. Paper inside was dry as a bone to.
I took my foot long wrecking bar that i got at the dollar store, wedged it into the ring and opened it like a can of kippered snacks, worked like ahot d@m!
 
kyjelly44 said:
open the wood box have a look at the lead(?) seal.also there is a little nail hole punch in the center the will have grease(?) covering it.i think thats there way of a preasure valve seal.so if that still have good grease over it you should be goo to go.
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On my cases it is not grease, but soldering flux on top of the solder they used to seal the little hole under it.

If yours has a hole with just the flux, they probably missed soldering that little hole.

Easy enough to see if the case is air tight, just put a little hole in it and hook it up to either a compressor or vacuum pump and see if it holds pressure/vacuum. Then if you want to store it, just solder up your little hole again. (or put a tire valve into it)
 
agilent_one said:
Agreed.

And for those who haven't tried this yet, only about 850-900 (ballpark, I didn't count) rounds of 7.62x39 will fit in a .50cal can.
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1000 loose 7.62x39 rounds will fit in a .50 BMG can, by my count. Might be able to fit another 10 or 20 in, but I like the simple math of counting boxes and multiplying by 1k.
 
I just went out and counted the amount I had remaining in the little cardboard boxes (in a .30cal can) and determined that I managed to fit 960rds into the 50BMG can.

1000 rounds sound right.
 
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