Do sealed primers make a difference?

To cut to the chase, in their tests, one of which included a 30-day submersion in oil and a 30-day submersion in water in another, no, it did not. Un-sealed primers were just as reliable a source of ignition, and ignited with the same brisance (if MV is any indicator).

If you weren't aware, treating the inside of primers with oil has been found an effective means of 'deactivating' them, which I suspect is why they didn't just test for submersion in water. Not because they think there might be an oil leak in your house.


I have never lacquered my primers anyway because I don't expect anything I load to sit on a shelf that long. But if I were loading for a TEOTWAWKI stockpile, I'd probably lacquer them anyway because if your life might have to depend on them after they've been buried for 30 years, you can't be too careful.


[Guys, if you think what I'm posting isn't in within the original spirit of the "Guns and Ammo" thread, just say so and I'll go back to posting all these articles individually]