Humidity packs in your ammo cans

[fatelvis]

For those of you using a Bovida humidity packs in your 50 cal ammo cans full of stored ammo, what size packs and RH% do you use? I was thinking 49%? I have been using silica in my cans, but now hear that that it’s not good to dry ammo out too much or it makes it hotter (powder burns too fast). Or is it better to use none, and just seal them up without silica or Bovida packs? Thanks!

 

[David Milisock]

In my opinion people worry too much about that stuff. I run a dehumidifier in my storage area. I've shot 303 British from the Boer War.

 

[cmysix]

I have ammo in their original boxes, in ammo cans nothing else no problems

 

[DirtySteve]

The powder in the loaded ammo is in an air tight place.

 

[fatelvis]

The powder in the loaded ammo is in an air tight place.

Thanks for your input, Steve. I thought that also, but I've read several times lately that unless the primer and case mouth is sealed, that loaded ammo does fluctuate in humidity, relative to the ambient humidity level.

 

[fatelvis]

I have no doubt that ammo stored with desiccant or nothing at all in a sealed ammo can, it will go "bang" for a long time in the future. I'm being a picky bitch by trying to "lock in" the velocity that the ammo had when loaded (retain it's original RH), so it stays in it's node and doesn't take the rifle out of tune. Just trying to do the impossible! Lol

 

[cmysix]

the bullet and primer is an awful tight fit, I would doubt that the atmosphere inside the cartridge changes any,

 

[Rocketvapor]

Temperature extremes will pump.
If brass LOOKS good it probably was not exposed to high humidity (near dew point).
I've got a couple thousand OLD Swedish wooden bullet practice rounds.
Pulled bullets, dumped this unknown powder in canisters (looked dry).
Had to use scotch bright and a battery drill to clean up brass.
Reloaded with IMR4064 and a new bullet and went bang everytime.

 

[brokeasajoke]

I've shot stuff from the 90s that was in a humid house in the summer and wood stove heated in the winter (that means is super dry for any one who has never been around one). It all fired. Some of the Remington and Winchester bulk 22lr sounded funny but even new manufacture has given similar sounds.

 

[DirtySteve]

I have been known to use a vacuum sealer to store ammo.

 

[brokeasajoke]

I have been known to use a vacuum sealer to store ammo.

This, although I've found the sealer doesn't quite fully seal all the time.

 

[Straightshooter1]

Thanks for your input, Steve. I thought that also, but I've read several times lately that unless the primer and case mouth is sealed, that loaded ammo does fluctuate in humidity, relative to the ambient humidity level.

Ammo produced for the military is sealed as is much factory ammo that's available to us. Unless the ammo you reload is sealed, it does leak. . . particularly when exposed to changes in air pressure (like taking them to higher or lower elevations than what they were loaded in). Keeping your unsealed reloaded cartridges in a sealed container helps a lot when storing and/or transporting them. Keeping a Bovida humidity packs in storage container can help.

For my opened powder containers I do use the 49% Bovida humidity packs, which really does help when stored over a somewhat long period.