On the steel GI ammo cans is silicon spray the best thing for the seals? I have one can "I just got" that looks and feels to have Vaseline on the seal.. I know this is bad for it.. can I take out the seal clean it with degreaser then apply silicon spray to it to try and save it.. No cracks in it yet but it does have a deep bed to where it seals now. George

If you can get the gasket out without damage, just wash it in dishwashing detergent. There are silicone seal dressing compounds for sale at most care care places. I guess you could use a spray if you wanted. The seals do last a good long time without any care. Sure wish I knew where you could buy just the seals. Don't know why though. Most of the seals I've got will out last me. My son's will probably steal them when I croak to help my widow "make the house safe". Bet they steal all the heavy stuff in the cans, too.

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Dick Burg

I wipe mine off with a damp rag once when I get them and then I forget about it.

You can buy some new gaskets on EBAY.

I don't know what the gasket is made of but I've used Vaseline on O rings of all types forever and never had a problem and still do when I don't have o-ring lube. I think the biggest problem with these gaskets will be compression set. I have some realy old ammo cans never put anything on the gasket and they still seal I guess I haven't put a lit candle in them tho to check seal.

I would think that the degreaser would tend to harm the rubber. I clean my seals with silicone spray until clean than take a paper towel with some silicone spray on it and wipe it down. Some types of rubber do not do well with degreasers. It tends to break down the rubber. Did a bunch of mechanical seals on fuel oil pumps and origionally the rings did end up deteriorating from the oil. Went with vyton rings and they lasted much longer. Frank

Thanks guy's! I cleaned the seal with dish washing liquid "Dawn" let dry and sprayed it down with silicon spray.. I know oil and most rubbers don't mix well..I'll hit it again every few months or so.. George

Actually silicon is what you wipe your rubber door seals with to keep them from freezing shut in the winter.

Hmmm. I have never touched an ammo can seal in my life. Never cleaned one, oiled one, or even acknowledged it's existence in any way.

When I start storing my ammo on the front lawn, exposed to all the weather, I'll start worrying about how well the cans seal.

Like I said I got this one can at a good price it's in great shape too... I just noticed the owner before me but some kind of petroleum based substance on the seal.. My guess was Vaseline petroleum jelly. I know that petroleum and most rubbers don't mix and in time it would crack and brake down the seal.. That was the reason to get it off and add something that may still help the seal.. Heck I have some of my dad's ammo cans, have never did a thing with the seals except inspected them form time to time.. Never a issue.. Seat is cleaned with dish soap DAWN and sprayed wit silicon spray to maybe help it along.. Time will tell with this can..All other cans have nothing on the seals and all still seal well.. Thank you all! George

I’m not one to usually resurrect old threads, but wish I had seen it 18hrs ago!!! I have some good metal ammo cans 2 of which have been w/ my family for 20-30+ years that I can recall & probably older. I used mine 4 papers & now .22LR. We never did anything to them then. Last night I came up w/ the bad idea of adding a thin layer of olive oil to the rubber seals. What can I use to get it off w/o damaging the gasket? I was reading about installing new seals & that’s where I saw the oil idea. The ammo is in cardboard boxes, not loose. I had also planned on getting silica gel packets.

Any thoughts/ suggestions would be Greatly Appreciated!!!

Long time lurker, recent member, & 1st time poster, although I was about to put a link up 4 available good priced .22lr, but somebody had just beat me.

This forum has been a very valuable resource/ tool!!!

Thanks To All!

Most modern GI ammo cans don't use rubber for the seals. It is true that petroleum and rubber don't mix but that's why the seal material was changed so that any lube (or no lube) can be used. Remember, these were intended for a rough life in miserable conditions.

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Minimize the variables

Using mild dish detergent and water to dampen a paper towel and rubbing gently should get most of the olive oil off the rubber and other surfaces without damage.

Rubbing alcohol is about the strongest non-polar solvent I would use.

If you can find some light silicone spray and apply it sparingly, it will keep the seal from sticking to the can surfaces as needed and shouldn't damage the rubber.

Look for a silicone spray that drys to a non-sticky finish. Some of the food grade CRC brand stuff is great and usually available from Ace Hardware or an auto parts store.

I have had good luck spraying the silicone on a paper towel and using that to clean before all of the propellant evaporates.

@ "Bkreutz": I suppose "Rubber" was a bad term to use for the gasket. Not sure what material it is. 2 of the cans are actually decades old & military issue. My dad might have got them from his early 26 yr career service or more likely his dad a WW2 & Korea 25+yr Veteran. Wish I had thought to ask him b4 we lost him. The other 3 were purchased from Ammo-To-Go.

@ TucsonMTB: Thanks 4 the awesome & informative feedback! The gaskets were in fine condition b4 I added the oil. I was wrongly thinking preventive mainenance. Should I just wash the oil off as you suggested or since now I have to wash them, I need to apply the silicone. When you say "Propellent", are you referring the the silica gel tablets or the silicone spray? I haven't found the silica gel packets yet. Now I regret throwing all those I've tossed out over the years!

Thanks Again 4 the information & quick responses!!!

Just saw this thread for the 1st time. The greasy substance the OP felt might have been Silicone grease, rather than Vaseline.

Divers have been using silicone grease on their Scuba O-Rings, other gaskets and masks for decades. It feels like Vaseline, but protects gaskets far better and cleans off much easier.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sili...x-a&channel=sb

I've got a couple of WWII vintage cans and never touched the seals. One of them is used to store special AR15 cleaning tools, so it's opened and closed on a fairly regular basis. Maintaining them has never entered my mind.

You might not really need to anything at all. Removing enough of the olive oil so that you can stop worrying about without damaging the seal it is the goal here. Trace amounts of olive oil are unlikely to cause any damage to the gasket material.

I suggested applying a light spray of silicone to accomplish your original object of protecting the rubber, but that is entirely optional.

Propellent was poor choice of words, sorry. Silicone spray usually has a fast evaporating carrier solvent as part of the formula. It is a mild enough solvent to be useful in cleaning delicate surfaces.

Oh, and thanks for the kind words. Don't worry too much about either the cans or the ammo. Both need very little day to day attention.

@ "TucsonMTB" Thanks 4 the update! A main concern of mine is that the moisture from the olive oil would compromise the rim fire ammo. From what I've read, rim fire is easier to contaminate (4 lack of a better word) b/c it's not as well made/ consistent like other types of rounds. The new .22LR ammo is boxed some of which I overpaid for, but I don't want it going bad b4 it's time.

Since I did this, I've been searching 4 silica gel packets, but only found big ones @ Cabelas. Any one have suggestions/ thoughts (other than I did such an idiotic thing)? I've seen 02 absorbers, but seems overkill to use in a can.

I can't believe I did something so dumb especially 4 as long as I had 2 of them!!! Did I just cost myself more work (b/c limited dexterity due to an injury) or am I stressing too much over nothing?

Thanks Again to you & All!!!

No worries! Thanks for the kind words.

You would have to submerge that ammo in oil to damage it. Even then, it is unlikely that enough oil could penetrate to cause a problem.

Since we live in Arizona, with single digit humidity, I am the wrong guy to ask about silica desiccant packets, sorry.

Frankly, even in your climate, they seem like overkill for ammo storage. The limited airflow provided by the sealed cans is more than sufficient protection.

Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's a guy thing. Just ask my wife. She will be happy to explain.

Answer "B" is correct, for sure.

Like most of us "real men" your injury probably makes you feel a little more vulnerable than usual. The ****** winter weather your part of the planet has experienced this year "ain't helping".

Once the sunshine and warm temperatures make shooting some of that scarce .22 ammo attractive, you will be able to laugh about it.

Ask your local druggist to save you some desiccant packets that come in the prescription drug containers from the manufacturer.

This is the stuff I use on my Ammo can rubber seals, it is made for rubber seals - ACE 90% Pure Silicone Grease:



You can get it at ACE Hardware in the plumbing section, it's sold for the rubber o-rings used in plumbing. It is better than spray and is like Vaseline in consistency so it stays where you put it. Vaseline is just nasty stuff, attracts dirt like crazy and not made for rubber o-rings.

I don't mean to hyjack this thread, but I was just wondering where to go to get the best deal on good 50 cal ammo cans? I've seen some places online between $15-$25 and i guess condition makes all the difference, so i thought a thread about ammo cans would be a good place to ask. Any recommendations?

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MP9 40c MP22 15Spt 9Shld 15-22

I was debating on commenting a "Thank You" to all those that assisted me, but knew people don't like chatter, so I just added a "Likes" to their postings, but since your comment arose I can say a true Thank You to All who assisted me.

I bought 3 from Ammotogo several months ago. They were in excellent shape. Not shiny dark like my vintage ones, but good gaskets & no defects, dents, etc. I've seen some reviews on other sites complaining about receiving rust buckets w/ bad &/ or missing gaskets. I think I paid $13-$15. If/ when I look up my receipt, I can PM you. Shipping wasn't too bad b/c I filled up the cart w/ mis items.

1 - USGI 50cal. Ammo Can - New M2A1 was &14.95. Shipping was $25.43, but I added in ammo. I wish I had got some from the "Real" Army Navy stores back in the day. Those places were so cool!

The 3 I got:
Ammo To Go : 1 - USGI 50cal. Ammo Can - New M2A1 [NEWAMMOCAN] - $14.95

I don't recall seeing the 4 bulk or other bulk options for "New" when I originally ordered, but that doesn't mean it was not an option.

All ammo cans (New, used, etc):
Ammo Cans : Ammo To Go

Others may have other input...

Thanks Again To All!!!

Really getting a tad obsessive here.

Dessicant is absolutely not needed for storing ammo in ammo cans.

Ammo can gaskets need no maintenance. If you somehow get dirt on them wipe off with a rag.

My ammo cans (.38 up to 20mm) were liberated over 40 years ago and without any help from me are still like new.

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

I buy all mine at gun shows. Shipping on the newly manufactured ones make them almost prohibitively expensive.

Ya expensive for sure.. Last one I looked at at a A/N store were like $18 bucks early last year and I though that was a bit much so I didn't get any.. Went there late last year and they went up to $26 bucks for the small ones and $29 for the reg. size ones we all are use too.. I opted for the larger I think 20mm can the large one with a handle on each side not the top.. This I thought was a good deal at $29 bucks. This large can freed up my smaller cans! George

P.S.
Also let me add check every gun store you go too.. I did find a few in great shape for $5 bucks each .. If they have a few remember cash talks and will help.. Yard Sales also a great place to find some too.. Always ask if you don't see any!

I use pool grease for all my rubber gaskets around the pool and it keeps them nice in a very harsh environment, sun and chlorine. They do not recommend any petroleum based grease like Vaseline.

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Back to back World War Champs.

There also a good investment. Once you buy them you will have them for the rest of your life and they can be handed down..The can be used for tools and anything else you have a mind to use them for. I have some from my dad that are from WW II all in great shape. He never did a thing to them and the seals are all fine too..George

Comrad, Sorry I didn't mean to sound like I was disagreeing with you.. I'm not at all I think any non petroleum product will be fine if one feels the need to treat the seal. G

I used to buy case lots of ammunition from Ammunition-To-Go dot com and ask them to ship in the military surplus ammo cans they offer at reasonable prices. Shipping costs for the ammo did not increase very much with the cans.

I bought some "new" cans, but even their "fair" condition ammo cans were pretty nice, several years ago when I was buying them. They are in Texas, not terribly far from Arizona, which may have helped with the shipping costs.

Still, if you are lucky enough to find the ammo you want there, their ammunition prices are usually good and it makes it easy to buy storage cans at the same time.

That make 2 of us. I have better things to do with what free time I have. I only use the ammo cans as storage in a dry environment anyway.

Doesn't answer my original question like the others, but I GET IT!!! G/f was walking by w/ some olive oil 2 cook dinner & I said let me see that. BTW: We've had to take one of the cans threw extremely wet environments when I was growing up.

1st time I've ever thought of doing that in the 40+ years my family had the ammo cans. I made a dumb decision!!!

The question has been answered. I can't imagine I'm the 1st person here to do something w/o thoroughly thinking it through which I usually do. I'm glad if I was able to make some laugh.

Thanks To All & Solved.

I used to live in Brooklyn, NY. I used to shoot at an armory on 17th St. & 8th ave. I knew the old guy who ran "The Roosevelt Rifle Club" which ran the .22LR matches there (100 yards). One day I was helping the old guy out and asked if I could look over the drop roof of the range. It was a 3 ft. false ceiling under the drill/motor pool floor. Lo and behold it was also a catch all for stuff dating back to the early 50's. I found 4 cans from the DCM (ODCMP now) for .30 cal APIT. Empty of course but in great condition. I knew that petroleum based lubes can swell the seals and I'd never find seals for these cans. I found Jacks 327 which is a lube I used on my pool filter O rings is vegetable based and will not swell/screw up the seals. I've been using it for over 10 years now and no sticking of lids at all. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Jack-s-For...-Tube/44442075

I've used vaseline for years and it doesn't hurt the seals or any other rubber seals. Why you would think that was bad for them is something that I can't understand. What do you think the military has used for years?

ballistol. it is all you will ever need. Use it on leather, wood, guns, whatever.

Try putting some gun oil, or vaseline on the seals. That should help. You may need bigger dissacants.

Honestly, I would not bother. My ammo has been in cans in the, untill recently, non temp controlled garage, for a couple of decades. Never a problem, and I live in Metairie

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I clean the gaskets with soap and water then spray some silicone on a rag and wipe the rubber seals down good. Frank

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