How to store ammo? Lifespan of ammo?

[theSaj]

Call me paranoid. But with Hillorama on the scene, I think I have just cause to be somewhat concerned. (Hence I purchased two 30 round Glock 9mm mags. No, I don't own a Glock. But I would like too. And I figured those won't be available in the near future. Get em now..)

That said, a lot of crap is going on concerning attempts to legislate ammo. Ban lead ammo (sort of akin to banning rubber tires). So this has made me concerned that I could one day find myself with several firearms and no ammo to load into them.

So I've been contemplating making larger purchases of ammo (a few cases verses a few 50 round boxes). But being new to firearms I do not know anything about storing ammo?


> How long can you store ammo? (5 yrs? 10 yrs? 20 yrs? more?)

> How should one properly store ammo?

***

This is one of two questions that I've never heard any discussion on, but I think are important for newbies like me.

:-)

[SteveXD]

Store it in a cool dry place and it will last for years (can't really say how low depends on the storage conditions).. Moisture destroys ammo.. I store around 5-10K rounds of ammo..

[Emptymag]

People are still shooting WWII surplus ammo.

As Steve said, moisture is the enemy.

Get your credit card ready and buy the UPS guy a back brace.

[JoeWilliams]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...837&hasJS=true

[fingers80002]

Originally Posted by Emptymag

People are still shooting WWII surplus ammo.

As Steve said, moisture is the enemy.

Get your credit card ready and buy the UPS guy a back brace.

WWII?????
Some of my mosin ammo is post WWI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Age doesn't matter, just make sure it works!!

[625]

As Steve said, moisture is the enemy.

Even then, good ammo resists a good amount of moisture. I inherited a bunch of ammo. Some of the boxes of shogun shells had mold growing all over them. They were old paper hull dealios from Sears. Every one I've tried has gone bang so far. Even the rimfire ammo that was stored in the same area seems ok. Of course it's better to keep it "high and dry", but it seems more durable than I expected.

[theSaj]

What are the best and/or standard ways of keeping the ammo dry and free from moisture.

[Emptymag]

Originally Posted by 625

Even then, good ammo resists a good amount of moisture. I inherited a bunch of ammo. Some of the boxes of shogun shells had mold growing all over them. They were old paper hull dealios from Sears. Every one I've tried has gone bang so far. Even the rimfire ammo that was stored in the same area seems ok. Of course it's better to keep it "high and dry", but it seems more durable than I expected.

Yeah, I was going to skip this story, as it contradicts what I said, but when I was a kid, our basement flooded with 4 feet of water. My father salvaged what he could. I remember a paper(lunch)bag filled with loose .22 rounds that had been submerged in the water for a day or two. A few years after the flooding, I took the bag of ammo out and shot it. Must have been around 1,000 rounds, and only had 3 or 4 that wouldn't fire.

Originally Posted by theSaj

What are the best and/or standard ways of keeping the ammo dry and free from moisture.

I really don't know a lot about long term storage, but there are all kinds of ammo cans on the market. Look for something with a gasket on the lid.

I actually vacuum packed some steel core ammo with our food saver.
I don't know if that will make a difference or not. Maybe someone else has a thought on that.

[Xringshooter]

While moisture is bad, most ammo is pretty well sealed against water, especially military ammo (typically sealed at the neck and the primer with some type of lacquer). Heat on the other hand, whether the ammo is sealed good or not, can change the properties of the powder inside the case. This is not good. That said I'm talking about storage for a long period of time in hot conditions (think years in an attic or other much hotter than normal place).

Depending on how much you have you can but milsurp ammo cans to store it in. These cans have a seal so that when you latch it it is basically waterproof. You can get them at your local Army surplus store, Cheaper Than Dirt, Sportsman's Guide, and even places like WalMart carry similar (typically plastic, but they also are waterproof) containers. Then you can store it in the basement. If you buy milsurp ammo, many times it is already sealed in the containers from the manufacturer. In that case, just stack it up. I would try to keep it off the floor, either buy or build a pallet (many times you can get pallets for nothing from different places).

EM, nothing wrong with sealing them up that way. You're pulling all the air and some moisture out and the package is waterproof. If its good enough to do to food, why not ammo?

[rwilson452]

But Sir, Ammo is gun food

Originally Posted by Xringshooter

EM, nothing wrong with sealing them up that way. You're pulling all the air and some moisture out and the package is waterproof. If its good enough to do to food, why not ammo?