I had a about a thousand rounds of ukranian surplus 7.62x39 rounds get wet and stay wet long enough to make the cardboard boxes go mouldy and corrode half the rounds. I know that military ammo is normally sealed against getting wet but considerig this was wet and humid for months, what's the prognosis?
wet/humid 7.62x39 ammo
- Thread starter Trademark
- Start date
Pictures? Lesson for the future, dont store ammo inside the cardboard boxes. We cant really tell how corroded the ammo is based on the text. If you upload the pictures to Imgur and share the link here we can get a better opinion. Im sure its not anything a SKS cant handle.
i think there were circumstances beyond the rounds being in cardboard. Most rounds dont show any corrosion but some have rust around the primers or the copper jacket on the bullet is badly tarnished. Im not worried at all about them cycling or the integrity of the case... just curious how much moisture and red army shell can take before it migrates to the power/primer.
- Location
- Frozen north
I've shot off some RRRROOOOOOUUUGHHHHH looking X39 in my time it either fires or it don't.
And I'm talking ground found ammo at a gravel pit that sat over a winter and spring thaw on the ground lol.
And I'm talking ground found ammo at a gravel pit that sat over a winter and spring thaw on the ground lol.
Nobody can tell you this. The only way to find out is to try to shoot it.
I think theres probably somebody with more experience with this than you. Rifle Master's story was encouraging. Besides, I dont have any guns anymore. I sold them all and there was a fire
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I think you will have to decide about the "looks" thing - sounds like what you have is no longer "shiny" and that seems to bother some people. Is pretty well known, for decades, that heat will break down the gunpowder - resulting in misfires or squibs - think storage in very hot Africa warehouses - or in your house attic or garden shed at more than room temperature. On it's face, one would think military ammo pretty much sealed around primer and bullet - likely about preventing moisture from getting in - but is on a scale, I would think - a "little" to a "lot" - only you can find out if your experience has gone past what the makers planned for. I would not expect ammo that has been in a lake for a couple years to fire - but it might. I would expect a shell that laid on the ground over winter to fire - but it might not. You will read on Internet to "kill" a primer with oil - I know that does not make them "inert" - I soaked about 30 of them in a tuna can of motor oil for a year - all "popped" when I applied propane torch heat - so they were not "inert", but I did not try to fire any by impact.
Some years ago I bought a "sporterized" 303 British P-14 - under the butt plate, where the oiler used to go, was perhaps two dozen "strike anywhere" wooden matches and a very grungy looking cartridge. Was all wedged in pretty solid - I needed to use big tweezers to get several of those matches out, before it all loosened enough to "fall out". None of the matches would light on their own - but all lit when I applied a heat source to them. The cartridge is still on my shelf - i have not tried to fire it - much verdigris / grunge on the case and the bullet - it might or might not fire - not something I would deliberately depend my life on, but likely the intent of it, based on where it was found.
Some years ago I bought a "sporterized" 303 British P-14 - under the butt plate, where the oiler used to go, was perhaps two dozen "strike anywhere" wooden matches and a very grungy looking cartridge. Was all wedged in pretty solid - I needed to use big tweezers to get several of those matches out, before it all loosened enough to "fall out". None of the matches would light on their own - but all lit when I applied a heat source to them. The cartridge is still on my shelf - i have not tried to fire it - much verdigris / grunge on the case and the bullet - it might or might not fire - not something I would deliberately depend my life on, but likely the intent of it, based on where it was found.
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
What is an "expert" going to tell you that you can't find out by trying to shoot the stuff? Do "experts" have X-ray vision to see inside the case?
Without opening the case, there is no way to know what condition the powder is in and without striking the primer with a firing pin, there is no way of knowing the condition of the primer. Any "expert" who tells you different is completely and entirely full of sh!t.
can you clarify what youre trying to say?
The ammo will either work or it won't and the only way to find that out is to try and shoot it. There is no other way to know. Short of the ammo being obviously damaged and/or the cases cracked, the exterior condition of the ammo cannot determine if the ammo will function.
I came upon an entire lot of flood damaged ammunition when I used to deal with "scrap" ammunition. It used to be a great way to get nearly free components. Anyway... From factory to handloaded stuff only the absolute crappiest ammunition had any water get inside, almost exclusively handloaded stuff that was clearly done by someone new or incompetent. Aside from the aesthetic aspect I would guess your ammo is just fine. As someone is trying to tell you though, you won't know until to try to shoot it or pull it apart.
BattleRife
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- of No Fixed Address
The moisture will degrade the coating and rust the case before you are likely to see any ingress to the propellent. If the cases aren't seriously rusted I expect they will shoot just fine.
I would probably take a piece of scotch brite and buff the rust off the cases, just to prevent it from damaging the gun (Rust/iron oxide is hard, would cause a lot more wear than clean ammo). But I doubt any of the moisture would make it past the sealed primer/crimped bullet. Military ammo is probably the most likely to survive prolonged moisture exposure.
A buddy gave me a handful of 30 REM ammo that was badly corroded. I used a lee gase guage holder and chucked them in a drill and used fine steel wool to polish/remove the corrosion
Two cases a hole appeared while removing the corrosion, some looked ok and one might have a pin hole in it on the neck.
These ones i won't fire in a rifle I will prob bull the bullets and reuse those in different cases
In your case with the x39 ammo if you are set up to reload what I would do is pull the bullets and see if the powder is still good. (still loose and not wet/clumpy)
If so then reuse the bullets and powder in new brass cases with new primers and then you will have some nice non corrosive ammo to shoot
Two cases a hole appeared while removing the corrosion, some looked ok and one might have a pin hole in it on the neck.
These ones i won't fire in a rifle I will prob bull the bullets and reuse those in different cases
In your case with the x39 ammo if you are set up to reload what I would do is pull the bullets and see if the powder is still good. (still loose and not wet/clumpy)
If so then reuse the bullets and powder in new brass cases with new primers and then you will have some nice non corrosive ammo to shoot
Youre still not making sense.
Thanks to everybody else though! I knew there'd be some guys out there who have experienced some nasties. After sorting through it all I feel pretty good about it. The bullets have a heavy ring of purple sealant around the neck and primer. Plus they have a shiny (lacquer?) coating thats thicker than any other ammo I have.
I guess I wont know for sure until I shoot some of it.
