primer and bullet sealer

i see primer and bullet sealer on a lot of ammo from overseas. does anyone here use it on a regular basis. could i get the same results with nail polish?

You can use nail polish, if you thin it down enough so that it will run a little. It has to be able to get into the groove created around the primer to do any good.

Hope this helps.

Fred

MWAG said:

i see primer and bullet sealer on a lot of ammo from overseas. does anyone here use it on a regular basis. could i get the same results with nail polish?

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I have placed loaded rounds in water and left them there for a while after which,I took them out,wiped them off and fired them.I won't dare say that it's impossible for water to seep in but it's not high on my list of priorities.

I have had unsealed cast bullet rnds go thru a complete wash, and rinse cycle in a washing machine. When I fired them to reclaim my brass, I couldn't tell it had affected them.

I've got a bottle of the stuff. Its a sickly green. Its two guys names, like Ben and Jerry's, or Bartles and James, or some such. Yes, its thin and it only takes a droplet to run all the way around a primer. You learn quick how much to get on the little brush. I have the feeling too much might be bad as it might stand up above the primer and could cushion the impact or drag on the recoil shield.

Spend the money you would spend on reloading components and the time reloading more ammo. Primer sealant is a waste of money and time.

BE Mike said:

Primer sealant is a waste of money and time.

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The military don't think it is a waste of time. For regular range use I certainly wouldn't bother. However, when I was hunting in wilderness areas where I hunted in all kinds of weather while back packing, I didn't think it a waste of time. I used a cartridge slide on my gun belt and the cases were "primer up". In wet weather I didn't think that was a particularly good idea. Of course, you could also hope your cartridge container was water proof....

Placing the cartridges in a cartridge box, primers up, it takes only a minute or so to place a drop of fingernail polish (it is really lacquer) on the crack around the primer. I then use a solvent rag to wipe off the excess to insure no interference with the revolver. It just makes a perfect seal around the primer.

The military uses asphaltum compound to seal the bullet in the case. Since I don't have pressure testing equipment, and wasn't planning on submerging my loaded rounds, I skipped the bullet seal.

FWIW
Dale53

rburg said:

I've got a bottle of the stuff. Its a sickly green. Its two guys names, like Ben and Jerry's, or Bartles and James, or some such. Yes, its thin and it only takes a droplet to run all the way around a primer. You learn quick how much to get on the little brush. I have the feeling too much might be bad as it might stand up above the primer and could cushion the impact or drag on the recoil shield.

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Or Tom and Jerry's or Sylvester and Stallone's or something, I can't remember either.

I would be careful using any sealant. It wouldn't help anything to get some on the priming compound or in the flash hole. In other words don't goop it on.

For most purposes, I feel that sealant is a waste of time.

I've never tried the other brands mentioned above, but I do use George and Roys. Not a lot though, just on the ammunition that I might have to call on to save my life.

I have'nt bought factory ammo in several years but I do recall some of them used to use primer and bullet sealant on thier premium ammunition, although it was hard to see because it was clear. That was one of the reasons for the price difference between the Silver Box and the White Box, The Green Box and the Yellow Box and the...stuff Federal made. Not the only reason, just one of them. This was according to their sales reps and magazine ads, and a few that I disassembled by the way.

I read your post yesterday and thought I'd do an experiment with the nail polish question. It is thicker than the G&R product as others have mentioned. The nail polish does have more ingredients although G&R doesn't list all theirs by name on the bottle. My biggest concern would have been if it contacted the primer compound would it cause it to fail? So I got a couple bottles of colored nail polish and a bottle of clear overcoat from the wife and put a drop directly on the primer compound and anvil of four primers. I also put a drop of George and Roys sealant on one for a control specimen and let them all dry overnight. This morning they all fired with no problem, shooting sparks out of the four inch barrel.

For any of them you would want to use them sparingly. Not that it would have any affect on the ammo, but if you use a whole bunch of it it might gum up your action.

Dale53 said:

The military don't think it is a waste of time. For regular range use I certainly wouldn't bother. However, when I was hunting in wilderness areas where I hunted in all kinds of weather while back packing, I didn't think it a waste of time. I used a cartridge slide on my gun belt and the cases were "primer up". In wet weather I didn't think that was a particularly good idea. Of course, you could also hope your cartridge container was water proof....

Placing the cartridges in a cartridge box, primers up, it takes only a minute or so to place a drop of fingernail polish (it is really lacquer) on the crack around the primer. I then use a solvent rag to wipe off the excess to insure no interference with the revolver. It just makes a perfect seal around the primer.

The military uses asphaltum compound to seal the bullet in the case. Since I don't have pressure testing equipment, and wasn't planning on submerging my loaded rounds, I skipped the bullet seal.

FWIW
Dale53

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Military cartridges have crimped primer pockets, too. I don't see any applications for civilian use for any of the things the military does to its ammo. I still consider it a waste of time for us civilians.

BE Mike said:

I don't see any applications for civilian use for any of the things the military does to its ammo.

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Actually, there is an application. You can use it to identify the loads. Just like stated before, some premium ammo uses it. In the same vein, you can seal your hotter loads so you can see them at a glance. Its what I did with my .41 magnum loads. When you see one with sick green primer seal, you know its a thumper. And when you see no seal, you know its a "41 special" loading in a magnum case.

And yes, maybe George an Roy is the brand. Its close enough to Bartles and James. Two guys names.

BE Mike wrote:

I don't see any applications for civilian use for any of the things the military does to its ammo. I still consider it a waste of time for us civilians.

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In my own little sick, demented opinionated world I have to disagree. When a gun manufacturer changes their manufacturing process to change their guns from "overkill" to "good enough", I will always take the "overkill" if my life depends on it.

I do agree it's a waste of time if the ammo is going to the range for an informal plinking session or even for a host of other uses, but if it's for self defense, self offense, hunting in potentially hostile areas or etc., you can't make it "too good".

All major ammunition manufacturers use primer sealant and if you want the power and reliability of factory loads, you should too, especially if you hunt or shoot in wet weather. Each 1/2 oz. bottle seals up to 1000 primers, making them watertight so moisture doesn't hinder performance.

You think if they called it Tactical Primer Sealant it would sell more? I want the "power" of factory loads.

rburg said:

Actually, there is an application. You can use it to identify the loads. Just like stated before, some premium ammo uses it. In the same vein, you can seal your hotter loads so you can see them at a glance. Its what I did with my .41 magnum loads. When you see one with sick green primer seal, you know its a thumper. And when you see no seal, you know its a "41 special" loading in a magnum case.

And yes, maybe George an Roy is the brand. Its close enough to Bartles and James. Two guys names.

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I put a label on every box of ammo I reload to designate what kind of loads I have. I still see no use for the primer sealant, but hey if it makes you feel good and doesn't cause any problems, knock yourself out.

OCD1 said:

All major ammunition manufacturers use primer sealant and if you want the power and reliability of factory loads, you should too, especially if you hunt or shoot in wet weather. Each 1/2 oz. bottle seals up to 1000 primers, making them watertight so moisture doesn't hinder performance.

You think if they called it Tactical Primer Sealant it would sell more? I want the "power" of factory loads.

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I remain unconvinced. Do you have any data to back up your claim that ammo without primer sealant isn't as powerful or reliable as ammo with primer sealant?