Wet Ammunition

[Persnickety]

Suppose a box of Federal .357 158 grain Hydra-shock hollow points went through an entire washing machine cycle.

Would it be any good once it dried out? The cardboard box seems to be drying nicely.

If the ammo would not be okay to use, what's the proper way to dispose of it?

Ahem . . this is strictly rhetorical, okay? Really. Would I lie to you?

:banghead:

 

[Blackcloud6]

Gee. If the primers are sealed, like military rounds, then maybe they would work.

Try one at the range but have a rod ready to push out a squib.

Best way to "dispose" of them is to get a bullet puller and pull the bullets and dispose of the powerd. Then the cases and bullets could be used as reloading components.

 

[Jim K]

If they are factory loads, I'll bet they all fire.

I won't ask how they got in the washing machine or why nobody noticed the "clank, clink, rattle, clunk" as they went round and round.

Jim

 

[PUMC_TomG]

I'd just be happy that they didn't go through a hot dryer.... hypothetically.

 

[Billy Sparks]

I one time had a leak in the trunk of the car that got several cases soaked. I spread them out on a blanket and let them dry for several days. As I remember I didn't have any squibs or misfires. This was Blazer aluminum 9mm.

 

[Grump]

Soak time to centerfire ammo failure is measured in HOURS and DAYS, running from the shortest for unsealed ammo and going to MONTHS for laquered primers and asphaltum-goop bullet seating (USGI).

Some gun rag ran a test a few years ago (or was it a techno-tester on the web???), and what I dimly remember leaves me confident that boxed ammo would survive a 20-minute wash just fine. Agitation seems unlikely to tweak bullet seating and enhance leakage.

All my washed loose rounds have fired just fine, too. Usually there was at least a week between washing and firing.

 

[crackerjack]

wet ammo

Flipped a canoe, a 357 went to the bottom of the river in 10' of water. approx 30 hours later recovered it shook the water off and they all fired.
Try some bet they work and will be the cleanest bullets around.

 

[Jim K]

Just a suggestion, but if carrying a handgun around water, try sealing it in one of those zip-lock baggies. Keeps the gun dry if you get soaked, or you or it should fall in the water. It is easy enough to get out, and you can even fire a revolver through the bag if you have to.

Jim

 

[fecmech]

If it's one of those gallon sized baggies zipped up it might even float after you tip over.

 

[SLCDave]

Or, if you have a gun in your boat, you could get a Pelican case that floats.

 

[Persnickety]

The washed ammo was in its box, and the box was inside a ziplock freezer bag. It did NOT stay dry! guess the ziplocks don't like being agitated.

I'll let it sit for a week, then try it.

But I can see how a ziplock might work for a canoe trip. That's a neat idea. I'd been wondering about carrying a gun on the water.

 

[Al Thompson]

I'd be surprised if any of the rounds didn't fire. My experiance is that ammo is very water resistant.

Something to think about - a "dunk-it" container of kerosene or the like works great for displacing the water from a soaked gun. Used to carry a Security Six wade fishing and soaked it many times - quick removal of the grips and a dunk worked wonders.

 

[JNewell]

Had that happen to a bunch of my reloads, which are presumably less weather-tight than factory ammo, if anything.

They went bang just fine. I think they're ok.

 

[Joe Mamma]

I think most self defense ammo is sealed around the primer/case junction and the bullet/case junction, and most non-defense ammo is not sealed.

Once I tried to pull the bullet out of a 9mm Hydra-Shok case and it was very, very difficult. My guess is that it was sealed very well.

I'd bet that your ammo will fire with no issue. Please let us know.

Joe Mamma

 

[genxsis]

Persnickety,

I always used to wonder how easily ammo was affected by water/moisture, so I dropped some .22s into a cup of water and fired them the next day. I did the same with a 12 ga. shell. They all worked and I was impressed! I don't worry about it so much anymore.
Your ammo ought to work fine, but even though they're Hydra-shoks, I still wouldn't trust them for defense after being in the washer. I just wouldn't feel right about that. Use them for practice.