Colored lacquer on primers

[UKTN]

Why is it that some cartridges I buy have a colored lacquer over the primer? Is it to keep moisture out or protect the primer in some way? Is it of any value and a good thing, or just a manufacturing process with no value to me?

 

[BigG]

Sealant to keep moisture out.

 

[Feanaro]

So that you can toss your rounds into the washer without getting the powder wet. You know, for when they start to look grimy.

 

[CWL]

just a manufacturing process with no value to me?

Nothing is done on mass-produced munitions without a purpose. You may buy a box or case or pallet, but the military buys in the millions and billions of rounds at a time.

 

[bogie]

Day to day, like on a hunting trip, a non-sealed primer probably isn't going to matter. It's when a crate sits in a damp warehouse, then in a damp ship, then in another damp warehouse, then gets dumped in a swamp, etc., etc...

 

[SDC]

Some countries use (or used) the colour of the primer sealant/annulus as an additional method for signifying the functional TYPE (AP, ball, tracer, etc.) of round, but it's mainly a way of waterproofing and sealing the round against moisture and oil.

 

[BruceB]

Over the last forty years, I've had occasional incidents of handloaded cast-bullet cartridges being run through the wash in pockets or whatever.

In EVERY incident, the 'clean' cartridges fired normally when tested. No storage or shipping condition I can think of will ever duplicate the severe conditions found in a washer/dryer cycle.

I do use model-aircraft paint for identifying classes of load, in calibers such as the .44 Magnum which I load to differing levels. "Mild" loads get 'cool' colors....blue, green, black etc. Full-power loads are marked with (guess what?) 'hot' colors, such as red, yellow, orange or fluorescent tones. This color-ID is only necessary when I load the same cast-bullet design in several different power levels, and since the RCBS 250KT is used that way, identification is needed to avoid surprises.