FLooDeD Continued from page 55 sealed, was submerged at the same time. Hornady’s new ammunition waterproofing kit was used to seal both the primers and case mouths of the test ammo. Other products such as finger nail polish and blue Loctite, or a threadlocker, also make good ammunition sealants. Don’t use red Loctite! The nail polish color that works best is the one your wife likes least; color doesn’t matter. Actually, I really like nail polish as an ammunition sealant. It dries very quickly and comes in a lot of highly visible colors. The visibility of the sealant is important because you want to make sure you have it all the way around the primer and case mouth. The flat-type toothpicks work very well for applying the finger nail polish or threadlocker. Check out the tables to see some of the results of this test. It’s pretty obvious ammunition performance will begin to degrade rapidly with even relatively short exposure times to being submerged in water. It also shows it’s very easy to make the ammunition virtually impervious to water just by using sealant. When the unsealed ammunition was test fired, it was very dirty, and left large amounts of unburned propellant in the case and barrel. The ammunition that was submerged for 46 hours showed a substantial amount of tarnish on the brass cartridge cases. There is no doubt if loaded ammunition takes on water, the primer will become less sensitive and energetic and the moisture content of the propellant will increase, making the propellant slower in its burn rate. The end result will be a greater likelihood of misfires and steadily decreasing performance. If things are bad enough, the ammunition won’t go off at all or perhaps even worse, you could get a projectile stuck in the barrel. If you have ammunition that is not waterproof and it has been submerged for anything longer than 1 hour, I would recommend you break the ammunition down or dispose of it. If you are a reloader you can break down the ammunition and dispose of the propellant in your backyard as fertilizer, and fire any primers that will go off, then salvage the cases and bullets. You will likely want to tumble the cases and possibly the bullets because they will become tarnished. A little bit of testing with a chronograph will quickly tell you how bad things are. What’d We Learn? ALL TUFF-WRITERS ARE MADE IN THE U.S.A. Tuff-Writer pens combine state-of-the-art pen technology with a rugged personal-defense tool. The result is a highperformance writing instrument that doubles as a discreet, carry-anywhere self-defense item. · Made in the U.S.A. from U.S.-made materials · Precision machined from solid 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum · Textured for a positive grip · Rugged spring-steel clip · Uses replaceable Fisher Space Pen cartridge (included) · Lifetime warranty JACK@TUFFWRITER.COM • 480.329.6105 www.tacticalpen.com From ApplegAte to Wild West . BecAuse liFe’s too short For ugly gunleAther. Jasper, Georgia www.purdygear.com 706-692-5536 What Can You Do? 80 The entire mess can be avoided by WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER2012
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