Ammo Storage

[lakeside]

Where / How do you all store your ammo?

Open / Locked?

Cabinet / Safe?

Garage (humidity issues)?

Do you care about temp/humidity control or active dehumidification?

I trying to come up with a new ammo storage system (taking too much space in my safe), preferably something lockable, just looking for ideas and wondering what some of you use.

[tvfinak]

Ammo storage

Tightly sealed ammo cans are just hard to beat for ammo storage

Add something to adsorb any moisture and the ammo should be good for LONG time if you can find a cool place with minimum temperature variations. A heated crawl space is good; avoid places like the garage or atttic that can see wide temperature swings from summer to winter.

Where / How do you all store your ammo?

Open / Locked?

Cabinet / Safe?

Garage (humidity issues)?

Do you care about temp/humidity control or active dehumidification?

I trying to come up with a new ammo storage system (taking too much space in my safe), preferably something lockable, just looking for ideas and wondering what some of you use.

[Gerberman]

Best place is in zip lock super bags, or vacuum sealed bags in vault below ground level so temp stays same year around.

[ADfields]

In store packaging or plastic ammo boxes inside sealed surplus ammo cans. Here in Alaska where it’s so wet I toss in a coffee filter of diatomaceous earth just in case and keep them in my basement that I keep below 50% humidity with a dehumidifier. In Arizona I just kept them in my gun room that was climate controlled with the rest of the house, not much humidity issue in AZ when always running ether AC or heat.

It doesn’t need to be cool so much as it needs to be constant temperature, you always hear keep it cool because in most of the country that is easier to do year round than warm. Warm or cold has little effect, swinging from warm, to cold, to warm does so steady room temperature is best. What you want to avoid is moisture and changes of temperature, keep it in a place that stays more or less the same heat and humid year round and it will likely outlast you.

[AKmik]

Ammo cans.

If available they are definitely the ticket. I keep mine locked up in my shop.

[lakeside]

Great responses. Thanks to all. Sounds like ammo cans are a consistent answer for folks. Do you guys add desiccants to them?

[AKmik]

Desiccants really aren't necessary if you are using ammo cans, at least as far as I can tell. In all the military magazines I have been in conditions are no better than the average garage. Usually a concrete building that is secure.

Ammo cans are the solution because they are air tight so humidity is not an issue, sure some of the nicer facilities may have humidity and temp control depending on the area but usually not. That ammo sits for many years just stacked in its cans and it is fine.

[Nitroman]

Magazines. Lots and lots of magazines.

[tvfinak]

I'll have to disagree with you on the temperature effect. Colder is always better; you effectively double the life of the ammo for every 10 deg C you lower the temperature. This effect is one of the "rules of thumb" of chemisty: chemcial reaction times double for every 10 deg C rise in temperature.

If the ammo is to used promptly the temperature probably won't matter but then again neither will temperature swings or humidity.

Another long term storage tirck is to use a Vapor Phase Inhibitor or VPI chemical to keep the ammo from tarnishing or discoloring.

In store packaging or plastic ammo boxes inside sealed surplus ammo cans. Here in Alaska where it’s so wet I toss in a coffee filter of diatomaceous earth just in case and keep them in my basement that I keep below 50% humidity with a dehumidifier. In Arizona I just kept them in my gun room that was climate controlled with the rest of the house, not much humidity issue in AZ when always running ether AC or heat.

It doesn’t need to be cool so much as it needs to be constant temperature, you always hear keep it cool because in most of the country that is easier to do year round than warm. Warm or cold has little effect, swinging from warm, to cold, to warm does so steady room temperature is best. What you want to avoid is moisture and changes of temperature, keep it in a place that stays more or less the same heat and humid year round and it will likely outlast you.

[1Cor15:19]

Where / How do you all store your ammo?

Open / Locked?

Cabinet / Safe?

Garage (humidity issues)?

Do you care about temp/humidity control or active dehumidification?

I trying to come up with a new ammo storage system (taking too much space in my safe), preferably something lockable, just looking for ideas and wondering what some of you use.

My ammo (alongside my reloading bench, powder, primers, etc.) is on open shelving in my "Man room," which is itself simply an extra bedroom. It's never locked, but its off limits to others in the household, except my wife. It's the way I've done it all of my life and it works for me. Since it is inside I am unconcerned with humidity and my inside the temp is a fairly stable 65-70° so that's not an issue. I have nearly all of my handloads in MTM containers and FLs are packaged likewise or are maintained in their original packaging. IF I were storing large amounts of ammo for use decades later I'd be more concerned, but I rarely have more than 10-15,000 rounds on hand at any one time (centerfire, rimfire and shotshells) so I know that it won't be around too long. IF unauthorized access was a concern I'd use lockable cabinets instead of open shelving.

FWIW, I've used ammo stored similarly that was Pre-WWII (mostly shotshells and centerfire ammo) less than 10 years ago. Perhaps the performance suffered, but it went unnoticed by me. For my part, I just can't bring myself to hoard ammo as I simply love to shoot the stuff too much. The more I have the more I use...

[Nitroman]

I'll have to disagree with you on the temperature effect. Colder is always better; you effectively double the life of the ammo for every 10 deg C you lower the temperature. This effect is one of the "rules of thumb" of chemisty: chemcial reaction times double for every 10 deg C rise in temperature.

Huh? Naw, I know what you mean, just teasing. You have it right though. It should read: chemical reaction rates double.... Which means the reactions are quicker (times are shorter), as temp increases.

It would be ideal if we all had the means to purchase ammo cans, line with oiled paper, toss in a few oxygen absorbers, and place the cans in sealed lead/zinc-lined wooden crates and store them in a cave in Nevada. Best you can realistically do is a nice garage behind a false wall with some ventilation.

[ADfields]

I'll have to disagree with you on the temperature effect. Colder is always better; you effectively double the life of the ammo for every 10 deg C you lower the temperature. This effect is one of the "rules of thumb" of chemisty: chemcial reaction times double for every 10 deg C rise in temperature.

If the ammo is to used promptly the temperature probably won't matter but then again neither will temperature swings or humidity.

Another long term storage tirck is to use a Vapor Phase Inhibitor or VPI chemical to keep the ammo from tarnishing or discoloring.

True, cooler is better to a point but I killed a whole bunch of ammo with cold first winter I was here. Using your rule of thumb you are talking 25*f being the difference of it lasting say 75 or 150 years. I don’t plan on shooting any 50+ year old ammo no matter how it was stored anyway. I have shot lots of ammo that survived 150-180F in Arizona tin sheds just fine for years. I’ve seen ammo degrade badly after just a couple years from the daily50-80*f swing of temps in the Arizona High Country. So I stick by my statement “it doesn’t need to be cool so much as consistent temp.”

For those that don’t know this is why I won’t shoot old ammo no matter how it was stored. This was WWII surplus ammo made in 1944 shot in the 80s, we had pulled a couple bullets and thought it was good. After the excitement we found lots of rounds with clumped powder . . . only takes one rotten round to do this and that cheap ammo ain't so cheap no more!



Also ifin I'm still around in 50 years to shoot the ammo I'm puttin up now somebody needs to shoot me cuz I must-a got to old ta shoot it myself anyway . . .

[1Cor15:19]

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Also ifin I'm still around in 50 years to shoot the ammo I'm puttin up now somebody needs to shoot me cuz I must-a got to old ta shoot it myself anyway . . .

Your pics are a good reminder that bargains are sometimes a very poor value. Can't imagine holding onto to ammo for 50+ years. The stuff is designed to shoot not look at...

[ADfields]

Your pics are a good reminder that bargains are sometimes a very poor value. Can't imagine holding onto to ammo for 50+ years. The stuff is designed to shoot not look at...

I hear that, for me it’s a revolving addiction . . . I reload so I can shoot and I shoot to make empties to reload. You know you are hooked when you go shooting just so you will have some brass to load!

Some of the odd stuff like 6.5 and 7.7 Jap sits here quite a while but nothing like 50 years. If I see a label date over 10 years old around here I feel it’s my absolute duty to dispose of that ammo.roud:
If I find a label more than 20 years old you can bet I’ll be pulling bullets and making fire starter from the powder . . . it just ain’t worth the risk to me anymore and I enjoy makin ammo any way.

[.338 mag.]

Another vote for sealed ammo cans. I have some personal issues probably. For instance, some ammo is so important to me that I try to never get below a certain number of rounds for a few calibers. I do have a place where the majority of my ammo is stored, it is a dry area that stays around 68 degrees, but I also keep some rounds handy in other places. Several 9mm and .45 ACP rounds are stored in magazines in the dresser drawer. About 40 rounds of "tactical buck shot/slugs" and 100 rounds of .223 in magazines are in the walk in bed room closet and a couple of belts with holsters and loaded magazines in dual mag. pouches hang in there also. A dozen rounds of 45-70 Govt. for the 1895 Marlin are in the entry way, this area of Kenai, like many others, is visited by brown bears every year. I keep some rounds in my garage also, in case I don't want to take the time to go to the house. The truck, well heck, every body always keeps a half dozen or more loaded .45 magazines in their truck.