If one was going to pack ammo in mylar bags or packed in a vacuum sealer with oxygen absorbers and moisture absorbers....

Does the oxygen being sucked out of the pack effect the ammo?? ie..powder?

Franklin
SurvivalForum

I don't think it will have an effect on the ammo.
I have not tried this for my self but I was considering it as an option for storage as well.

Vacuum sealing your ammo will protect it the brass from moisture.  But the presence or absence of oxygen shouldn't be a factor for the powder because ammo (especially ammo with a sealent applied to it) should be more or less hermetically sealed.  Hold a pistol underwater, pull the trigger, and it still fires, right?

I've vacuum sealed ammo.  If it's in boxes, a half decent machine will squeeze the boxes till you can see the outline of the rounds.  

I enjoy vacuum packing some of my ammo, but a standard military ammo can and a dessicant pack do just as good a job and it's a lot easier.  It would be nifty if I could figure out how to put a pull strip on a vacuum packed mag so you could rip it open quickly.

Troy, are you saying that the 150 cases of dehydrated water pellets that I bought for SHTF wasn't a good buy?  "Fast Eddie" said they'd keep for 10 years or more.

Thank you for the "standard military can" suggestion...

What about mylar bags with moisture absorbers? In the event you have them stored somewhere where they could get wet (in a basement or something)

If it's a cool damp basement...and they are in mylar bags...can condensation build up inside the mylar bag?

Will good moisture absorbers help with this?

No side effects to ammo?

How do oxygen absorbers and moisture absorbers cancel each other out?  They serve two different purposes, no?

Franklin
SurvivalForum

I'm kind of curious about the preoccupation with oxygen and stored ammo.  

The preoccupation with oxygen...

It isn't so much a preoccupation with oxygen, it is more a question of:

If you want to store ammo in an "environment" that is water proof, moisture proof, etc...and you use oxygen absorbers and moisture absorbers to eliminate the "chance" of "moisture", etc...

Would you be effecting the powder or the ammo?

That is the main question that has been posed.

I use USGI ammo cans and some desiccant also.  Be sure the can has a good seal that isn't all cracked up.  Having cans with handles that stack up nicely is a plus.

Shok

Quoted: The preoccupation with oxygen... It isn't so much a preoccupation with oxygen, it is more a question of: If you want to store ammo in an "environment" that is water proof, moisture proof, etc...and you use oxygen absorbers and moisture absorbers to eliminate the "chance" of "moisture", etc... Would you be effecting the powder or the ammo? That is the main question that has been posed.

Okay.  You're worried about dessicants drying out the powder (or some other detrimental affect) and oxygen absorbers neutralizing the powder's burning ability.  Correct?  I believe the concept of brass cased ammunition has addressed your concern.  Properly assembled ammunition should be essentially sealed against everything except temperature.  For the powder to be compromised by anything other than temperature, the case seal has to be breached (case mouth around the projectile, the primer pocket, or a hole in the case itself).  If you're worried about atmospheric conditions such as oxygen and moisture, just vacuum seal it.  Vacuum sealing means removing all the air from the package.  That means, no moisture, no oxygen, no carbon dioxide or any other gases.  As Troy stated, this is probably overkill but if you want complete atmospheric protection (except for temperature), that's the way to go.

Excellent response...thank you