History and Basic Design of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.
Performance of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.
Terminal Performance of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.
.223 and 5.56 Ammunition Testing
Selection of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.
Ammunition recommendations from the authors of the AR15.com Ammo-Oracle.
Purchase and Storage of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.
Miscellaneous .223, 5.56 and Other Ammunition Questions.

Q. What common ammo is properly sealed? Is Wolf/SA/Lake City/M193 properly sealed?
After the results from early experiments and with this question in mind Derek F. subjected several 5.56mm rounds to shallow (1 foot) submersion in filtered water over 72 hours. The worst leaking round of a given time period is shown for each round type. (Click the thumbnails for a closeup):
|
Type Time |
Lake City: Lot 1 |
Lake City: Lot 7 |
South African '86 |
Wolf 55gr FMJBT |
|
24 Hours |
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|
No
leakage. |
No neck
sealant. Significant leakage. |
No
leakage. |
Some
leakage. Some rust. | |
|
48 Hours |
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|
No
leakage. |
No neck
sealant. Leakage. Water in case. |
No
leakage. |
No
leakage. Some rust. | |
|
72 Hours |
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|
No
leakage. |
No neck sealant. |
No
leakage. |
No leakage. Rust. Pliers needed for extraction. |
Notes: I wouldn't want to drink the water that the Wolf was in. Dark brown after 12 hours. Yuck. Clearly, the rounds don't get along with water. Lot 7 is definitely not sealed. None of the Lot 7 rounds fared well after 48 hours, only one held up through 24 hours.
Conclusions: LC Lot 7 is clearly not sealed. This isn't a good thing if you're planning on diving with this ammo. Wolf is also vulnerable to moisture and might rust the bullet into the casing causing a potentially dangerous situation. LC Lot 1 is properly sealed, and will endure 3 days of submersion. South African '86 endured submersion quite well.