Nitrogen-Purged Ammo?

by
posted on September 12, 2014
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The people at Federal Premium are among the finest I know and they have an undying passion for the shooting sports—all of them. I’m sure they study industry trends on some sort of computer program, but I’ve never seen a group of people more eager to garner input from shooters. If, when the range went cold, someone at a bench next to you politely asked, “What would you like to see new in ammo?” it was probably a company employee, on his or her lunch hour.

I’m not sure if one of them got an earful from a “prepper,” or what, but the company’s new 5.56x45 mm Fresh Fire Packs pretty much make my Drierite and desiccant experiments a waste of time—at least as far as ammunition storage goes, anyway. The 30-round packs of 62- or 55-grain FMJ loads come in a tough, nitrogen-sealed can that helps prevent corrosion and lock out moisture. Riflescopes and binoculars are nitrogen purged for some of the same reasons.

Buy can, toss it in the bunker and forget about it until zombies outnumber the lawn gnomes on your neighbor’s front lawn. Putting some of your money in metal commodities (like lead) in case of economic collapse? This particular investment won’t devalue, and after the recent ammunition shortage it’s a pretty good bet its value increase will outpace inflation. The cans are reseable and stackable (don’t want the misses tidying up the ammo bunker, after all), weatherproof, waterproof and made in the United States.

In all seriousness, how many times have you uncovered a box of ammo that has been laying around for years and wondered if it was going to perform reliably? What about the times your range bag has been soaked and the cardboard ammo boxes inside turned into papier-mâché your daughter took to school for art class?  American Eagle Fresh Fire Packs alleviate those concerns.

I hate to break the seal, but someone has to run the ammo through the chrony. So, stay tuned for a full report once my UPS driver grumbles a can or two to my door. MSRP for the 55-grain version is $18.95, and a Zombiecalypse-defying can of 62-grainers will set you back $20.95.

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