Battle Packs - the Poor Man's Version

[Emptymag]

EDIT: Photobucket is once again screwing with people. Images are blurred out

One day years ago I was thinking that it may not be a bad idea to have small amounts of ammo stored and "ready to go" at a moment's notice without needing to go digging through closets, or ammo cans, or whatnot - just grab the pack of the caliber needed at the time and go.
The thought was not to carry thousands of rounds - that could be accomplished by grabbing an ammo can easily enough. I just wanted small amounts of ammo that was easy to grab, pack, distribute, whatever - there are surely plenty of ways it could come in handy.

Since it wouldn't be stored in an ammo can, and likely wouldn't be needed for years, decades, or ever, I decided to use a Foodsaver to vacuum pack the ammo. It should protect the ammo during it's time in storage and allow it to be transported without worry of getting wet.

Back in 2008 I sealed up a few packs of ammo and just this week decided I should add some more. Ideally it would be good to have a small amount available in every caliber owned. I've since added to that list, so I added a few more "battle packs" as well.

I'm not a prepper by any stretch of the imagination and my goal isn't 200 year storage buried in a hole in a riverbank (next to where my guns fell out of the boat) - I just wanted a few rounds at the ready - for whatever reason - and if ammo will last for decades without taking extra storage precautions, sealing it up couldn't possibly be a bad thing, and could have several benefits as well.

I've done a few searches and have seen others discussing this topic in various places online. There may be better methods out there, but my intent was simply to seal up a few small batches of ammo, so that's all I did.

Anyway, here are a few of them.


These were packed in 2008 and are still sealed up snug.





This is the only one not "sucked in tight". I'm unsure if it leaked during storage, or if I simply didn't vacuum all the air out which is a possibility since it's on stripper clips and I thought the corners may poke through the bag.
That's one thing you need to consider as well as the potential to damage the rounds when they get "squeezed" as the air is sucked out of the bag.
It's a good idea to protect the ammo by placing it in something that will not crush, or by padding it in some manner.





Here's a good example. The 30-30 rounds in the boxes are also in plastic sleeves like the ones "exposed" and they surround the bullet end which will protect it from being unseated/loosened when the bag seals tight.







How you can tell I'm getting old...





I had a two of the old plastic CCI 100 rd packages that I filled with an assortment of 22LR. Hollow points, round nose, standard velocity, and high velocity.
I cut a cereal box and created a snug "box" over those two to prevent the corners of the plastic boxes from poking the bag. I was concerned most about unseating 22 LR bullets since they are somewhat loose to begin with, so the cardboard CCI package got reinforced by sliding strips of cereal box inside the package to the point I felt it would be strong enough to protect the ammo during the sealing process. It seemed to work.





When I think to, I arrange the boxes so they can be easily identified from either side and note the caliber in various places when it's not already apparent.