Damp ammo question

[wbond]

I ordered 1,000 rounds of Fiocchi 32 ACP hollow point from CheaperThanDirt.com

We are in the midst of a major storm here in WA right now with 8" of rain per day.

The FedEx delivery person left the cardboard box of ammo on the corner of my front porch, not in the center. i.e. - in a very wet location, which was already wet when they left it. i.e. - the delivery person could full wet see they were leaving it in a wet place and knew it was raining like crazy at that time and would continue raining hard for next 24 to 72 hours.

I was gone all day at work. So the box was rained on all day and soaking wet when I came home. A 1,000 rounds in a very wet cardboard outer box of 1,000 rounds with damp cardboard inner boxes of 50 rounds each.

The ammo boxes inside were damp. Not soaking, but clearly damp, and since I didn't get home until 11:30 PM, they'd been wet/damp for probably about 13 hours.

Should I be concerned? Should I demand an exchange for other ammo? How might this affect reliability? This ammo is for both target practice and carry ammo for CC self defense.

Please give me your opinions and advice.

P.S. - I emailed CheaperthanDirt yesterday, but they have not responded yet. It's been a day, but still waiting to hear from them.

 

[MGshaggy]

Assuming you get the ammo out of the wet boxes and dried out, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I'd recommend getting a large cookie tray, cover with a dry towel, pull the ammo out of the boxes, spread it out on the towel, and leave the loose ammo in a small room (like a bathroom or closet) with the door closed and a dehumidifier going full-on for a few hours.

 

[RKBABob]

MGshaggy wrote:

I'd recommend getting a large cookie tray

Oh boy, I thought you were going to suggest drying them in the oven!


PS: Don't dry your ammo in the oven!

 

[MIL-DOT]

I recently ran some 22's throught the washing machine ( accidentally) and they all fired fine. 22 bullets will often rotate in the casing and are not sealed nearly as well as those Fiochis, you should be fine.

 

[kingpin008]

They'll be fine. A little rain isn't going to affect modern ammo - the tolerances are simply too tight between bullet and case and primer and case to allow much moisture to enter.

Now, if they had been exposed to rain or another source of moisture for a few weeks or more, or showed signs of corrosion, that's another story.

Also, I don't know how much help you're going to get from the folks at Cheaper Than Dirt - they almost certainly wouldn't issue you a return-tag for the ammo in this case, since they had no part in the circumstances that damaged it. At most, they'd probably ask you to fill out a complaint with FedEx about the driver leaving packages in inappropriate places exposed to the elements.

I also agree with the other posters - remove the ammo from the wet boxes, and dry it out. It'll be fine.

 

[Big Daddy Grim]

should be ok but I would still leave them on a tray over night and let access water dry off them

 

[wbond]

First thing I did was dry the ammo boxes. I didn't remove the cartridges, but I did remove the little boxes from the big box and set each box an inch or more away from each other box and so they're air drying that away. It's wetter than can be outside. Streets even were flooding all day yesterday and today. My workplace even flooded.

However, my apt is dry and warm, while outside is cold and wet. The indoor humidity is only 50% (I have a tester) due to it being warmer inside than out.

So the ammo is dry now. After getting outer box exposed to rain for about 13 hours, it's been unpacked from outer box and small inner boxes drying for 24 hours. I'm sure it's dry now. Just don't know what earlier exposure might have done.



That would give me a good test to verify the ammo is still reliable for defense.

I could also set it aside for target practice only, but I don't want to do that. I like/want to use same ammo for practice and carry, and don't want to have to segregate it. I also want to store my target and carry ammo in the same dry box with dessicant patches in it. So instead of segregrating this 1,000 rounds from my other 1,500 rounds in storage, I'll just test two rounds from each box of the 20 boxes that were exposed to dampness, as follows:

Next time I target practice, I will take two rounds from each box (opposite ends of each box) and use that for target practice and clock it with my chronometer. Also test another 10 or so rounds from non-exposed Fiocchi ammo to compare.

 

[TimRB]

"Next time I target practice, I will take two rounds from each box (opposite ends of each box) and use that for target practice and clock it with my chronometer. Also test another 10 or so rounds from non-exposed Fiocchi ammo to compare."

As others have pointed out, you're getting all worked up over nothing. Bullets and primers are press-fit into the cases, and it's nearly impossible for water to enter. Consider how many millions of rounds have been fired in hundreds of wars by thousands of soldiers fighting in pouring rain. That said, your proposed test is not too reliable.

Here is the time-honored way to test things that can't be tested without destroying them, yet absolutely, positively MUST work when called upon:

First, decide how many you need. Say fifteen. Next, order a gazillion and fifteen of them. Test a gazillion. If there are any failures, reject the lot. Otherwise, go with the fifteen and keep your fingers crossed.

Tim

 

[BHP FAN]

Ok,buy ONE box of that ammo,and if it makes it to you dry,designate that box ''carry ammo''.The gazillion ''wet'' rounds are now your practice ammo.

 

[KBintheSLC]

As others have pointed out, you're getting all worked up over nothing.

I agree... ammo can handle more water than you would expect. If a little rain killed all ammo, no one would have died in Vietnam.
Just make sure you don't store it wet. Once its thoroughly dry, pack it in an ammo tin with desiccant and you are good to go.

 

[wbond]

If ammo failed in Vietnam (and some did), someone would still die because the enemy's ammo might not fail, or if they both failed, bayonets always work.

Even so, I get your intended point.

 

[stevemis]

I've got a question for everyone who replied "dry it and shoot it". These are hollowpoints, and the OP stated they were specifically for carry.

How many of you, in a similar situation, would follow your own advice.. with 1,000 of YOUR carry ammo?

The driver was clearly negligent when he left the ammunition in a wet location during a rainstorm. Leaving ANY package in these conditions defies common sense, especially a package marked "ORD-M".

Around here, if there's the slightest chance of rain, the delivery folks at least seal the box in a huge bag before leaving it on the porch.

Shouldn't shipping ammunition have required the signature of an adult (18 or over)? If this is the case, why would the delivery company just leave the package on the porch when nobody is home?

Personally, I'd get on the horn with the delivery company and demand they reimburse you for the order and dispose of the ammunition. Hopefully the folks driving the trucks will receive some education in "ORM-D" and corporate policies.

 

[Rustynuts]

Oh boy, I thought you were going to suggest drying them in the oven!

Why not? It'll dry quicker and more thoroughly hopefully. Myth Busters did a segment on that and ammo won't cook off until it reaches 450 or so. I say dry it at 150-200 for several hours. Just don't have small hands around that could change the temp on you!