I recently got a bunch of ammo cans from a friend, and they had been heavily sprayed inside out with WD-40 to prevent rust. I plan on storing ammo in them, but will the WD-40 coating harm the ammunition inside?

Just get a rag damp with solvent and just wipe down the inside of the cans.  Then let it air dry.  If there is any oil that may bother you that should take care of it.

Quoted: I recently got a bunch of ammo cans from a friend, and they had been heavily sprayed inside out with WD-40 to prevent rust. I plan on storing ammo in them, but will the WD-40 coating harm the ammunition inside?

WD-40 is a great penetrant, so I'd clean it all out.  If it gets into the primer then the ammo goes no-boom.

Now if all your primers are sealed, you're probably okay.  However, it shouldn't be that hard to just clean it up and put a light rubbing of gun oil in its place.

Some brake parts cleaner, soaked into a rag, will wipe and dry out those boxes instantly.  Then let them air out for a couple hours, and you are good to go.

Thanks for the help. I'll go ahead and clean inside my cans right away, got a large ammo shipment incoming any day  now

Use some Nitrile gloves with the brake cleaner. Your liver will thank you. Good ventilation too.

Quoted: Use some Nitrile gloves with the brake cleaner. Your liver will thank you. Good ventilation too.

Most brake cleaner is in a non-toxic formula now.  But ventilation is always good.

Yeah, but if someone who has a can of the "good" stuff isn't familiar with what it can do, I tend towards "better safe..........."

Quoted: Yeah, but if someone who has a can of the "good" stuff isn't familiar with what it can do, I tend towards "better safe..........."

Nothing like a little 1,1,1 trichlorethane in the blood to wake you up.  

Don't worry about WD40 on primers.  I soaked a bunch of pulled primed cases in a pint of WD40 for 2 weeks because I wanted to build some realistic looking dummy rounds.  Every case went bang after 2 weeks so I soaked another batch for 3 months and they all went banged too.  I ended up having a guy cut me some alum plugs to make 'dummy' primers.

Originally Posted By Hail Mary: Don't worry about WD40 on primers.  I soaked a bunch of pulled primed cases in a pint of WD40 for 2 weeks because I wanted to build some realistic looking dummy rounds.  Every case went bang after 2 weeks so I soaked another batch for 3 months and they all went banged too.  I ended up having a guy cut me some alum plugs to make 'dummy' primers.

what kind of ammo was it and where the primers and bullet sealed?

Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, but if someone who has a can of the "good" stuff isn't familiar with what it can do, I tend towards "better safe..........." Nothing like a little 1,1,1 trichlorethane in the blood to wake you up.

I think EEZOX contains that.

Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, but if someone who has a can of the "good" stuff isn't familiar with what it can do, I tend towards "better safe..........." Nothing like a little 1,1,1 trichlorethane in the blood to wake you up.

Ahh.  I remember it well.  The unmistakable scent of avasef0gh  ser0783r glsdfgj .....

Sorry, what was the question?



I remember using trich on everything, particularly to remove soldering residue from printed circuit boards.  Alcohol works ok on solder, but it takes a lot longer...

Anyway, I third (or is it fourth) the "use some solvent to clean it out" just because WD40 getys nasty after a while.  And yes, it takes a LOT to deactivate a primer, but there's no reason to let your ammo get slippery and yucky.

By the way, I tried taking the anvil out of a primer once {VERY carefully and under VERY controlled conditions-don't try this at home; untrained idiot monkey demonstrating here!}, and I couldn't do it.  They're stuck in there GOOD.  Dummy primers would be a good thing to find, but DON'T try to make 'em yourself!