Water vs Bullets?

[cmgee67]

I took the wife and hound dog out this afternoon for nice boat ride and while I was boating around I had the thought, " I wonder how what happens when bullets get wet". So what if you fall into the lake and you go under and you, your gun, gear everything gets soaked then you had to use your gun after you came out of the water because a hoard of angry badgers were swimming towards you with machetes. My thought is the gun should still work fine after all the water tests I've seen on YouTube with the quick dunks and even shooting under water. But what if you drop your gun and it's submerged for a day then you find it and the badgers return with chainsaws. They bullets will most likely work won't they? Or do you think water will have gotten in and ruined the powder.

[skeathley]

If the cartridges leak and allow water behind the bullet, I believe they will fail. They are probably watertight for several hours to perhaps a few days, but I don't know where that line is. At some point, the gun itself will fail, due to rust.

[cmgee67]

My thoughts too. I did see a glock on YouTube tho burried for a year and it was rusty they loaded a mag and it fired I everytime. But that's not constant submersion in water

[Jusme]

I don't have the links, but I have seen video where they submerged bullets for several weeks, and they still fired with no issues. In my opinion, bullets are watertight for good reason, simply because if they weren't, condensation would be an enemy, to them.

[flechero]

I took a swim (to save a kid) with my gun on... I rotated my ammo out but shot the pool ammo a few days later at the range. All shot fine. I wouldn't trust it for too long but a quick dip not usually an issue.

[C-dub]

The Navy SEALS don't seem to have much an issue with this.

[stroo]

I have washed bullets a couple times. Mostly they have fired just like they are supposed to. However I have had a couple fail to fire. So, I would not want to rely on bullets that had been in water for any length of time.

[The Annoyed Man]

The Navy SEALS don't seem to have much an issue with this.

Point taken - and that's salt water!

[BHill]

Easy test. I tested my carry ammo one year. I put two dozen in a milk jug full of water and pulled two out approximately every month. After the year was up all 24 went bang just like the others. I did rote the water every month as it water to grow stuff. Bleach a few times as well.

Also I have had many of my reloads go through the washer and dryer and not have an issue. I still don't trust my life to these though

[WTR]

Easy test. I tested my carry ammo one year. I put two dozen in a milk jug full of water and pulled two out approximately every month. After the year was up all 24 went bang just like the others. I did rote the water every month as it water to grow stuff. Bleach a few times as well.

Also I have had many of my reloads go through the washer and dryer and not have an issue. I still don't trust my life to these though

I have also put more mags full of SD ammo thru the washer than I care to admit . They have always been rotated to range ammo afterward. They have never failed to go bang.

[treadlightly]

A trip through the dryer is mild by comparison, but I've heard live ammo should never go through a brass cleaner.

The issue is the vibration will break up the powder, increasing the surface area and making a potentially destructive change in how quickly chamber pressure rises on detonation.

I have no personal experiences.

[Liberty]

I had some 9mm Winchester White Box that took a salt water bath courtesy of Hurricane Ike. It was a short bath but the ammo sat wet in a magazine for about a month. When I eventually recovered the ammo, I discovered that it had lots of green and blue growths I wiped them off with a cloth and took them to a range. I shot off a couple of rounds and they worked well. It was 2 or 3 years later when I decided to try again., I tried 2 or 3 different rounds, and none of them fires. Not even a squib.
My conclusions:
That ammo is tougher than the Magazines. That stainless Mags are worthwhile. Aluminum and sheet carbon steel are vulnerable.
The ammo might still work even if it gets ugly.
The weakest point of our ammo might be the primers.

[cmgee67]

I've never washed or dried my reload but I know I could forget it one day. I make it a habit it keep my reload on me until I take my gun off and then my reload. I've just made it a habit. I can tell you I've used shot gun shells numerous times that I dropped in the water while hunting and picked back up and used them that same or a later hunt. But Jusme is right if the bullets weren't sealed then sweat and humidity and all that jazz would be a major issue.

[twomillenium]

I will try to remember to report my findings in a couple of months or so. My son had some 223, 9mm and 40 underwater for about 36 hours during Harvey. We agreed to shoot them at our Thanksgiving shoot. I will try to report back.

BTW. He had quit a bit more stored in ammo cans, nary a drop of water in them. Just a thought to pass on.

[allisji]

We agreed to shoot them at our Thanksgiving shoot. I will try to report back.

I'm interested to hear how it goes