Smyth Busters: Can You Shoot Ammo That's Gotten Wet?

"Do not shoot ammunition that's been wet!" insist Internet keyboard jockeys and similar gun experts. But is it true? Once ammo has gotten wet, can you still shoot it? Brownells Gun Techs™ Steve and Caleb sort it all out for us. They define "wet" as contact with water up to and including being submerged under water. Military ammo has a sealer around the primer and where the bullet goes into the case. It can be dunked under water for an extended period of time, and it will fire. Commercial ammo is sealed well enough that if it's been under water for less than 24 hours, it will usually still work. That's true for metallic case ammo; shotshells are not so waterproof and usually won't fire if they've been dunked. If you shoot ammo that's been under water, you might get an occasional round that doesn't ignite at all, the primer ignites but not the powder ("pop and no kick"), or a hangfire, where there's a delay before the powder ignites. Keep the muzzle pointed downrange for a minute in case the powder ignites. So the myth is BUSTED. Ammo that has gotten wet CAN be fired - after it's been thoroughly dried.