Best reloading methods for long term storage

[mroels]

I have been wanting to use some of my older brass, which still have some life left, for making some backup/shtf ammo and just storing it. But whenever I let any of my reloads stand for more than a month they get spots, even the bullets discolor a bit. I assume this is due to oil transfer from my hands.

So what are the best methods to avoid this? Wearing gloves? Short tumble after loading?

Best methods for storing? Right now they are going into ammo cans with silica packets.

[iron cannon]

I dont know what others do , but I always wear gloves when I have to handle brass reloading. I give the loaded rounds a quick wipe down with 99% isopropyl alcohol and then a light wipe with a little gun grease( for real long term storage I use a mixture simular to cosmoline and then vacuum seal in plastic bags ) . Ammo looks brand new even after years of storage even in damp condtitions.Ithink most of the problems are from the salts on your hands. On long term stuff I use lacquer on the primer and neck also.

[GeoffLinder]

Tumble for a few minutes with some isopropyl alcohol in the media, then use latex gloves to handle as you pack them in rubber sealed ammo cans with silica gel packet tossed on top. Change silica gel packet to fresh one every couple of years. Keep cans in cool dry place and off the floor on wood pallet, not right on concrete. Do not put anything on the rounds, they need to be dry and clean!

Military stores ammo in cans like this for decades and decades to no ill effect.

[iron cannon]

yes I have read that oil and grease can damage the powder and primer, but have never found this to be the case( but I always seal it with lacquer too).I lived in Alaska many years in very wet conditions and found coating my ammunition w the only way to keep it viable.I still have 30+ year old 44 ammo stored this way.

[GeoffLinder]

New tricks are great, I can see where you are coming from but I have always stored dry and airtight. I live near the coast in a heavy fog climate, has worked well for almost 20 years in this environ. I have some ammo I loaded 25 years ago stored in plastic boxes in a metal cabinet that are still good to go. Little darker brass but still clean with no corrode or brass etching.

I still don't like idea of grease/oils on active items like powder and primers even with lacquer seal. JMHO though :-)

[mud99]

Solutions to a problem which never existed.

Just dump it in an ammo can, it will work fine in 100 years.

Ammo is pretty much airtight, soak some ammo in water overnight, it will still shoot fine the next day.

[iron cannon]

deleted

[the led farmer]

Do you want it to look pretty or go bang?

If you want it to look pretty while it goes bang go to extremes to keep it pretty.

If you want to to just go bang put it in a cardboard box and forget about it until it you shoot it.

This is the same reason I don't waste time polishing(tumbling) brass anymore. I don't need pretty I need functional.

[ar15robert]

Beauty of the brass doesn't determine if it will fire or not. After I tumble the dirty brass I lube it and size then wash it with warm soapy water. Then place on towel steal wife's hair dryer to dry it off then clean primer pockets. Now it's ready for loading and I haven't had any oil grease problems either

[diveRN]

... This is the same reason I don't waste time polishing(tumbling) brass anymore. I don't need pretty I need functional.

Mostly with you on this. ^^^^

When I first started reloading, my brass was as shiny as a new trumpet. These days, because I pick up range brass from an outdoor facility, I tumble in coarse walnut for about 4 hours. Inspection is a helluva lot easier with clean cases. I've found some with over-pressure signs that had to go in the recycle bucket that I may not have caught otherwise.

I don't bother with primer pockets.

[damndave]

Just throw them in the tumbler for a good 20-30 minutes. I store mine in zip lok baggies after. They stay pretty clean, but will still tarnish a little over time.

[Munk]

Tarnish is fine and expected, green/white fuzzy corrosion is not. Storing them in an airtight container with a desiccant pack will take care of them, even after they've been handled bare-handed.

In fact, most ammo will last LONGER once it has a proper, clean, coat of oxidation on the surface metals. If it has already oxidized, it leaves less room for other corrosive elements to get at it. Repeated handling of tarnished cases of various surplus vintages (some from the 30's/40's) has shown no extra corrosion as far as I can tell. (one of the cans we mess with, but don't shoot often, it's been opened off and on for years and handled often. Tarnish is present but no corrosion.)

[johnny1290]

fwiw I tumble mine for 10 or 15 mins after loading to get them shined up for storage. I figure it gets my hand oil off but mainly because I have a new tumbler

I throw them in an ammo box with dessicant. I haven't shot anything more than a year or two old but never had any problems, and don't anticipate anything. It'll outlive me

[mroels]

Do you want it to look pretty or go bang?

Just go bang. I never have shiny brass. But more curious about whether blemishes seen after a month will prevent it from going bang if stored for very long periods of time....although from all the replies it seems not.

[GeoffLinder]

Just go bang. I never have shiny brass. But more curious about whether blemishes seen after a month will prevent it from going bang if stored for very long periods of time....although from all the replies it seems not.

Ammo from WWII stored in standard cans still goes bang just fine as long as it's been kept dry and oil free.