Storing Ammo-I Had To Do It ;-)

[Gunowner99]

So, I store my factory ammo in 50 cal cans, still in boxes. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Do I need desiccant packs? Do I need to unbox?

My reloads generally are in ziplock bags or 50/100ct plastic boxes. I like to keep specific loads together for consistency, but I could care less about headstamp (plinking pistol). For Rifle I do similar by headstamp.

Flame away!

[stainless]

That is an extremely dangerous way to store ammo. It would be much better and safer to store it at my house...

[Rik Bitter]

Ziplock?! Are you for real? Everyone knows Glad bags are the way to go. However if you prefer to tread the path of ignorance and screw up you ammo, by all means keep doing what you're doing.


In all seriousness tho, that's pretty much how I store my factory ammo; 50/30 cal cans with the rounds in their original packaging. Since the seals on the surplus ammo cans are pretty good I don't bother with a desiccant. I always keep my ammo in their boxes in case I ever want to trade or sell it should I no longer need the caliber or want to finance another purchase. It's difficult to sell ammo once it's out of the packaging. I've gotten unboxed ammo as part of gun deals and I always recycle the components even if I was fairly sure it was factory because it's just not worth taking a chance of it being a reload.

As for my reloads, I store them in the 100 count MTM boxes. They stack nice and transport well when it's range day.

Happy hoarding.

[wanneroo]

I use dessicant packs but you've got to remember to change them out. For starters with ammo storage, I think if you have a room that is stable temperature, dry and dark, that's a good start. A lot of people try to pack for the long term, but I try to use up the older stuff first.

[Hawk]

As long as the ammo/cans are kept in a cool & dry place you are good to go.

[pyld]

I use either milsurp ammo cans or the plastic MTM jobs. Most stuff I keep in the packaging, save for a couple of thousand rounds of loose .223 (this is the weekly/monthly range ammo) in one can. Each can gets a desiccant tin and a pack with a humidity indicator. Every 6 months, I "recharge" one of the two. The ammo is kept in a heated/cooled ground level room on shelving off the floor.

Around 2 boxes of any home/self defense caliber (hollowpoints, expensive .223 stuffs, match hunting ammo) is kept in the safe itself. My safe generally never goes about 50-55%RH.

After 15 years or so of doing it this way, I've never had stored ammo go bad--and some of the stuff is from was 5+ years old went in went into storage this way.

My observation from doing this is that the desiccant packs are never even remotely close to being "full" when I charge them. The post-winter check, in fact, would indicate that they've picked up almost no moisture. I suspect that after the first few years that the cans lost so much moisture that only me opening them to check the desiccant is actually introducing any more (ironic, right)?

[bamboomaster]

I use either milsurp ammo cans or the plastic MTM jobs. Most stuff I keep in the packaging, save for a couple of thousand rounds of loose .223 (this is the weekly/monthly range ammo) in one can. Each can gets a desiccant tin and a pack with a humidity indicator. Every 6 months, I "recharge" one of the two. The ammo is kept in a heated/cooled ground level room on shelving off the floor.Around 2 boxes of any home/self defense caliber (hollowpoints, expensive .223 stuffs, match hunting ammo) is kept in the safe itself. My safe generally never goes about 50-55%RH.

After 15 years or so of doing it this way, I've never had stored ammo go bad--and some of the stuff is from was 5+ years old went in went into storage this way.

My observation from doing this is that the desiccant packs are never even remotely close to being "full" when I charge them. The post-winter check, in fact, would indicate that they've picked up almost no moisture. I suspect that after the first few years that the cans lost so much moisture that only me opening them to check the desiccant is actually introducing any more (ironic, right)?

From God's lips to our ears! While this is a bit early for Christmas, the Hallelujah chorus follows shortly..

Ooops, here it is: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...EC64856D17C2DB

The folks that responded to the OP have ALL offered great advice.

If I could reiterate a few points that were already mentioned:

[INDENT]

1. Keep your ammo stored in air-tight containers. Vac-sealing works fine. So do ammo cans with dessicants

2. Isn't it interesting that most ammo I ever tried that's less than a 100 years old goes bang?

3. If stored cartridges (or old ammo) show evidence of brass degradation, don't test these in your heirloom 1911 from your grandfather. Blow up another gun instead.

4. We usually stick to 200 rnds per plastic storage bag for normal and customary rounds (unless it's a really big round like .45-70 and then we just hold the limit at sixty). Always a sticker on each individual bag with reload date, caliber, bullet, primer, powder description, OAL, and crimp. Sometimes velocity, energy, and standard deviation. And sometimes, an additional warning sticker depending on the caliber/load. For example where .45-70 is concerned, you may have plinking loads, trapdoor loads, target loads, hunting loads, lever-action loads, black-powder loads, and "ONLY RUGER RIFLE" loads. The label may say something like "NOT FOR USE IN TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELD", OR ANY LEVER ACTION RIFLE". And we always put a red "Sharpie" mark along the circumference of the cartridge for the loads that while dangerous in many rifles, are made for rifles that can shoot them without a hiccup.

5. Label your ammo cans too. We use green or blue painter's tape and include the caliber, load date, and quantity, again with the help of a Sharpie. We also put that data on a strip across the top of the ammo can in addition to bullet weight, primer, etc. Sometimes when you are looking at your storage shelves, it helps to have identification on the top of the ammo can and on the front of it. And by all means, if you have a great target for this particular load, fold it up and put it in the can. Anyone who digs this up 200 years from now may think they found the burial ground of Daniel Boone!

6. Rotate your ammo. If you've been on any kind of "12-step" program for sportsmen, reloaders, hoarders (or survivors), you should now be close to shooting through all of your ammo loaded in 2011. Always rotate your ammo cans and push your new reloads to the back of the shelf. In a few more years of range time, you may actually find that squib that went by your most diligent quality control in 2013! (not a problem if you have relatively good hearing, a really smart niece or nephew that you have trained, and a squib rod)

7. What to do with fired brass? Tumble it and then accumulate it in either sealed pretzel containers, coffee cans, or zip-lock bags. More .30-06 brass has been ruined by re-inserting it into foam cartridge box inserts and letting it sit there for years.]

Hope this helps and it didn't surprise me that every bit of advice offered by forum members was spot on.

The reason I visit the PAFOA forums is because I learn something new mostly every day from forum members that know how to do a lot of stuff when I have no clue where to begin..

Thanks to all of you members who took the time to respond to the OP's question.

[eyecanshoot]

I hope that you wrote the prices on all the boxes or EM will be disappointed in you.

[twency]

Re: vac sealing rounds of ammo: Is there any danger of loosening the bullet in the case due to air escaping from within the cartridge (behind the bullet)?

[Emptymag]

I hope that you wrote the prices on all the boxes or EM will be disappointed in you.

Yeah. Like this...