It's now a Mag-Saver.  Vac sealed some Steel GI M14 mags and some Chi-Com AK mags today for long term storage.

Crappy cell phone pic, ut you get the point.

I tried that with some 30 rd USGI 556 mags but the sharp edges poked holes in the bags and they lost vac after a couple of days.

Let us know how they turn out after a couple days to a week..

in for report in 7 days

My experience is like R's. I think you'll poke holes in the bags if you have bare magazines in there. If this test round does not work try wrapping/covering the corners.

sandwich the mags in between two pieces of cardboard that are shaped like the mags, but about 1/4 of an inch larger.  Adding a small dessicant packet would not hurt either.

Hey, nice effort, but unfortunately Foodsaver bags won't cut it.  Not exactly from experience because I could not find the right tough vacpack bags for Foodsavers and so never went with one.

I've vac-packed mags for over a decade since the AW ban with great success. But My method is an ultra-long storage solution...ULTRA-LONG. Something like 25-50 years. the Vacuum part is only to get enough air out so the desiccant and oxygen scavenger don't have to work overtime.  The real solution is the bag.  I use a foodgrade 3-4mil MYLAR multilayer bag material very similar to this: http://sorbentsystems.com/specs/pakvf4c.html.  Same company provides many Mylar vacpack bags using this material.  Thicker Mylar from the same company is more difficult to work with unless you leave an extra 2-3 inches for the machine.  I use bags that are 10"x15" outside, 14"x9" inside dimensions.  This size lets me pack up to 8 mags per bag (a tactical load), with a 150cc oxygen scavenger bag and a 28gram desiccant packet, which saves time and material.  The O2 scavenger and desiccant used ARE OVERKILL, but again, I'm packing for a 25-50 year storage life. But that PAKVF4 material will still allow about 5-6 grams of water vapor and 5-6cc of oxygen into the bag over 20-25 yrs., especially if I have to bury the bags underground to hide them from the Federal Govt. due to some stupid silly future mag ban or law.    (These bags are still about 100 times more effective against oxygen and water transmission than Foodsaver bags.) Also, the much larger size accounts for the inevitable partial loss of activity due to the amount of time needed handling mags, bags, and O2scav/desiccant packets before they get sealed up, plus the existing humidity and oxygen in the void space of 6-8mags inside the bag.  I don't vacpack loaded mags or ammo - no benefit from using a vacuum or oxygen scavenger.

I've packed used preban USGI's as well as new steel and Al mags.  No punctures, rips, or tears whatsoever from these kinds of bags.  I use this solution for all gun mags and parts because if i have to hide them, I already have the right protective materials. For uppers and lower assemblies, i use the 7-7.5mil Mylar foodgrade multilayer bags.   Maybe some Pics soon...

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Yes please?



 

I vacuumed sealed a bunch of mags and ammo a few years ago, then one day, took all the plastic off.

I had no trouble with the plastic holding vacuum at all.

WarLord31.............

Mylar is the way to go unless its for very short term (1yr).

Does gunpowder have it's own oxidizer or does it require O2 to burn?

What's the rationale behind this? (Aside from the fact that everything is better when vacuum sealed)

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i will update on this in a week or so.  basicaly just messing around after watching the foodsaver infomercial (hey, i was bored).  i was just looking for a little extra protection from the "elements" of corrosion for steel mags.  not worried about the aluminum mags.  never thought of O2 exorbers or desicant packs.  if these need to be re-packed using a buffer between the bag and mag, i will add those.  i only packed up a few as a test really.  my mags are all stored in plastic totes in my basement with dessicant packs already.  my basement is also extremely dry.  my sump pump has never gotten wet, very sandy soil near the foundation, sitting on bedrock and the water all drains away from the foundation.  not too worried about having to bury mags yet, but figured i could do some testing just in case.

Some cardboard can be "acidic" and react with the finish.

A simple baggie sandwich bag will do the trick.

yes it is!!!

Just finished vacpack 160 mags in Mylar.  Hope to do another 80-240 tonite.  It's a lot of work...about an hour for every 12 packs of 8 mags each.  I WILL SHOW PICS, and thanks to you guys I did take pics to document what I did for my kids & grandkids some 50 years from now.  Hope to get the pics up soon!


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I believe it has it's own oxidizer and doesn't need O2 to explode.

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the ONLY rationale for vacuum packing is storage under less than ideal conditions, or for a longer term than, say, a few years.  I plan to store mine hidden wherever for some 25-50 years, quell hidden from FedGovt eyes, ATF, in-laws, thieves, etc.  If it's means they'll be buried underground somewhere, or underwater. The thick Mylar food grade vacpacking bags and the overkill desiccant and oxygen scavenger I use will more than protect them, assuming I also use a container that prevents them from being crushed or the Mylar from being compromised.

No other reason to do this.  Besides, I only need some 30-50 mags in my lifetime, for some 3-5 AR's.  The rest is future protection of my kids, grandkids, and great grandkids 2nd Amendment rights - the 2011 version and not some super-watered-down year 2050 version.

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Think you want some desicant in there otherwise you are sealing in humidty with your mags and will have a pile of rust shortly.

I have done this with some loaded mags for....um..er....storage.....


Like others have said, sealed as is, the bags became punctured from even minor handling after a couple days. I then tried wrapping the mags in a thin layer of bubble-wrap which was sucessful but the sealed package was still rather fragile.

FWIW- I also through in a desi-pak with each sealed mag.

I don't know the rationale either, but I am a team player (unlike you ) and I was going to suggest a spritz of air freshener before sealing so they have that fresh "just opened" smell that brings a smile to your day.  

I have had similar problems with my foodsaver bags. I have discovered that mylar bags work well with the foodsaver. Obviously they are made of tougher material. You can purchase them in many different sizes as well. You can also add an oxygen absorber in the bag before sealing it to help with moisture.

done this with pistols and the bags were punctured somewhere and lost the vacuum.

I lost my food sealer and bags in a boating accident.

Any particular reason for vacu- sealing mags?  I don't get it.

How else can you take them into the shower with you?  some people just don't get it.  

24 loaded PMAGS Food-Saver'ed over two years ago.
None of them have lost the vacuum seal yet.

Update:

vac sealed 7 AR mags, all but 1 are still selaed as they were( i did have a problem sealing this bag, double sealed it an still leaked, so i attribute this to the bag itself)

vac sealed 8 M14 mags, all still sealed as they were

vac sealed 10 AK mags, 5 still sealed and 5 lost seal.  going to try and wrap these in brown paper wrappers and then seal again with dessicant and O2 exorber

all in all i think the experiement is going well.  i may repack some of the others with dessicants and O2 exorbers, but will probably use 1 of each as a control and just coat them with some CLP and seal them to see what happens.

Mr. Roland - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST THAT!  Do NOT coat the mags, or anything else with CLP, even a light spray if you plan to vacpack them for a long, long term (5+years).



Some 10+ years ago, I vacuum packed, mags, uppers, lowers, and LPK's in thick Mylar bags, with silica dessicant and O2 absorbers.  They all came out of the Mylar bags perfectly fine, with no loss of vacuum or seal...EXCEPT FOR ONE THING...



The CLP turned into a noticeably thick hardcoat of oily-gummy-sticky residue-film.  Yeah, it protected the parts if the vacuum seal was lost.  But it was a bitch to remove.  Only thing I found capable of removing it were pressurized cans of brake cleaner and degreasers like Birchwood-Casey Gunscrubber or similar stuff sold under the Winchester brand at Walmart.  Cleaning one lower assembly took an entire can, and I still took the parts out to re-grease the pins and FCG parts.   It took between 3-4 cans of Gunscrubber, at $10/can, to clean the CLP hardcoat off an entire upper assembly.  I should've used cheaper CRC brake cleaner, but it might've taken more cans.



If you plan to store it for only a year or two, the CLP won't hardcoat.  It won't eat Mylar bags, and its probably fine on Food Saver bags too.  But longer than 5 years, you might regret it.  



All you need is a good bag (thick Mylar recommended), a good amount of dessicant, O2 absorber (vacpack it before it gets consumed), and good tight seal.

Nice idea, I had the same.  Put a piece of card board on sharp edges.  Also oil and solvent can kill the plastic thus the seal..  I eventually just oiled and placed in zip locks and they were ok for years.

Didn't want to steal the OP's thread, so I created a new post to highlight my experiences using commercial food-grade Mylar vacuum packaging bags, etc.



http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/650609_Vacuum_Packing_mags_using_Mylar__dessicant__and_O2_absorber___.html

That's an awesome thread!  Wow!  Thanks for the heads upon the CLP, didn't know that would happen.

No problem and glad to help.  BTW, I think BreakFree CLP might have changed formula slightly b/c I know they've been bought or acquired at least once since the version I used in 1997-1999 when I vacpacked this stuff in my 2nd attempt.  Maybe today's formula won't gum up or hard coat at all after 5-10 years, but of course it'll take that long to find out.  I've got a stripped lower I can vacpack and coat with CLP I just bought this year, but problem is in 5-10 years that same formula could still change again enuf to make a difference.  Bottom line is with enuf desiccant, O2 absorber, good Mylar bags, a good seal, and a decent-to-ok vacuum, whatever you pack will turn out great for a long time.  I go for a really good vacuum because I want to remove as much air as possible so the desiccant and O2 absorber doesn't get used up too much up front, especially when there's another 25-50 years to go.

BTW, thanks for starting the thread in the first place!  It gave me the final kick in the pants to get around to vacpacking my mags.  I planned to do this at the start of Summer...just never got around to it until I saw your thread.

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Some heavy kraft paper may work and be slightly less bulky.  Maybe heavy wax paper?

Since the pmags have smoother edges they may be a better option.  An interesting thought.

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