What's the longest time you have ever stored loaded rounds lubed with Lee Liquid Alox

[Animal]

I'm just curious... I've read a few post that suggest LLA is pretty resilient for storage purposes. I'm looking to store loaded boolits in ammo cans for an indefinite amount of time. It could be a year or it could be ten or more years. I'll pile in a few o2 absorbers and keep them under 80 deg. F.

[runfiverun]

lla was developed as a rust preventative for spraying under cars.
I'm sure it'll last a loooong time.
it does increase boolit pull though.

[Outpost75]

FWIW,

WAY back I suggested the idea of using Alox 606-55 to Richard Lee, having done so knowing the properties of calcium soaps, which we used for protecting decktop equipment from complete salt water immersion on submarines. The origins of its use date from WW2.

Drop canisters of weapons and ammo coated and protected with this material and dropped into French forests prior to D-Day, still works fine when recovered lodged up in trees 40 years later by French Gendarmarie. Ditto for tree caches placed by SOE and recovered inn Italy by the Carabinieri in the late 1980s.

I LOVE LLA!!!!

This stuff is totally stable, and it is useful as both a primer AND bullet sealant. I can tell you that .45 ACP cast reload rounds with 230 LRN and 5 grs. of Bullseye assembled in the 1960s still run an M3 greasegun, no drips, runs or errors.

This is NOT rocket science.

[Elkins45]

I have an ammo can of 45 ACP in the garage that was lubed and loaded in 1989. I shot a handful of them over the summer (stored now for 24 years in non climate controlled conditions) and they shot just as well as they did the summer I made them.

So the answer is "at least 24 years"

[Animal]

I have an ammo can of 45 ACP in the garage that was lubed and loaded in 1989. I shot a handful of them over the summer (stored now for 24 years in non climate controlled conditions) and they shot just as well as they did the summer I made them.

So the answer is "at least 24 years"

Very cool. I was hoping someone with some personal experience like yours would chime in.

[Fishman]

My personal best is 20 years for some bullets I shot last year lubed in 1993. Interesting info Outpost!

[Old Dawg]

1985 to today. I guess that is 27 years

[Bullwolf]

I'm just curious... I've read a few post that suggest LLA is pretty resilient for storage purposes. I'm looking to store loaded boolits in ammo cans for an indefinite amount of time. It could be a year or it could be ten or more years. I'll pile in a few o2 absorbers and keep them under 80 deg. F.

LLA really is pretty resilient for storage purposes. It's not an issue, and definitely not worth losing any sleep over.

My personal Lee Liquid Alox time capsule...

Back in 1994, I filled up a 50 caliber ammo can with 9mm using a Lee TL356-124-2R tumbled lubed with LLA.

I wiped all the loaded boolit noses off using a splash of mineral spirits and an old T-shirt, then tossed a desiccant pack in the ammo can before closing it up. That particular can has been stored for many years outside in summer's heat, winter's cold, and so on.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when I went and opened up the ammo can wanting to know the exact powder charge that I was using. (I never thought I would forget it)

My note keeping wasn't quite so good back then, so I pulled a few rounds just to be safe, weighed the charges of Unique, and wrote the exact load down in my log book. I also took a couple of pics.

The LLA tumble lubed boolits still shoot fine. I fire a mag full every so often just for nostalgia sake. These days I prefer to use Recluse's 45-45-10 instead of plain Alox, just for the handling, drying time, and the added convenience factor. Still, using good old straight LLA never let me down.

Now I don't worry about it any more. Once it's dry, LLA does not melt or run, and it will not contaminate powder over time. I also agree with Outpost 75's opinion regarding Alox being a good selection for use as a primer, and bullet sealant.

Maybe my experience as well as the other posters above me will help keep folks from worrying about this non issue as well.

Picture of 20 yr old pulled 9mm TL boolit (over) lubed with Lee Liquid Alox.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=52362&d=1304661284



- Bullwolf