how do you store ammo?

PabloJ said:

From financial standpoint it makes zero sense to buy thousands or rounds and store them for decades. If one dies they will leave their family members with headache of disposal and loss of cash used to buy said ammo which could have been used for something more useful.

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True if you're not going to use it then it's a waste. But if you shoot on a regular basis as everyone who owns a gun should, then it makes sense to have a supply of ammo that you'll use plus some for the next shortage.

I'm fairly new to shooting so I'm still figuring out how much is the right amount. But if we figure that if I hit the range 1x a month and shoot 100 rounds of pistol and 100 rounds of rifle that's 200 rounds a month or 1,200 + 1,200 rounds a year for 2,400 total.

Now how long do we figure the next shortage to be? A year? two? four? eight? Forever?

Don't get me wrong as I'm trying to figure this out, but the press makes a thousand rounds sound like a big number until you start shooting on a regular basis. Shoot a few times a week for practice, compete once or twice a month and that 2,400 rounds is nothing.

Now to save space, and money many of us reload so I can store 5,00 or 1,000 bullets in much less space. Blocks of 1,000 primers don't take much space and 1 lb jugs of powder aren't bad to store. 8 lbs takes a bit more.

But if I buy a pound of pistol powder I can load 1,000 to 1,200 rounds, the block of primers and the bag of bullets won't take much space. Brass I'll keep a bit but not an insane amount.

In other words, as I said earlier what works for someone may or may not work for someone else. AND what works for someone now might not work for them in the future.

In my own case, I'd like to try 3 gun so I need to add shotgun supplies to reload, and a means to store them. This adds to the equation.

Oh and I won't even get into the economy of scale buying in bulk to reload and to fight inflation. Add that and things get into basic economics with future value of money, risk, etc.

I use these,rubber o-ring seal,double latch. 2500 +or-rounds of 9mm and handle and latchs hold up well.Also they stack
Sticky note on the face denoting content as well as load card inside as back-up.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/mtm-limited-edition-50-cal-zombie-ammo-can.html

Use 10% off coupon and free shipping

I store my case size volumes in a closet in original packaging. The majority of the 22LR is in a large metal cabinet and it's full (other than the cases in the closet). I store some centerfire in 50 cal army ammunition boxes with an intact seal. They are marked by caliber so I can find what I'm looking for.

I shoot.......a lot. Have my own range out back, so it's not uncommon to go through 20-25K in handgun ammo alone in a year. My boy turned 13 and he's starting to go through some ammo too. I reload for everything I shoot and store the majority of my reloads in plastic boxes, which I'm slowly color coding by caliber. I reload handgun ammo in "lot's of 2-3K at a time so storage of loaded rds and components is a concern. I use ammo cans for primers, kitty litter containers for brass, and a bookcase for powder cans and kegs.

I've got a gun room/safe room with vault door that resides under my 3 car garage, so space isn't an issue, but organization is. It's on it's own zone for the geothermal system and on top of that I run a dehumidifier in the summer. I've been also slowly buying metal lockers off of Craigslist to work on organization.

The pic is an old WW2 era tool cabinet and contains training/practice ammo, the other cabinets are "war stock" and hunting ammo.


Ammo cans are primers, powder is separate:


Chuck

No, what you have is real money pit.

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Commercial ammo kept in original box can be resold and depending on future economic conditions profitably, components the same. What I would question the value of is somebody's reloads.

Store mine in a 700 round 7.62x54R Czech silvertip wooden crate that I bought years ago for $125. All that surplus is long gone, but the crate latches shut, so I keep magazines and ammo in there.

I have most of my ammo in ammo cans, but I also keep a few boxes of range ammo on a shelf in my den ready to go.

I found a steel storage cabinet at a garage sale. 64 inches tall, 36 inches wide, 18 inches deep, double door. I assembled an inexpensive shelving unit inside of it--steel frame, particle board shelves. Put a new lock on it to keep curious kids out. It stands in my garage. Bulk ammo in ammo cans on the lower shelves. Boxed ammo sorted by cartridge on the upper shelves. Didn't cost much and works just fine.

I have a 2 door steel storage cabinet that I keep the bulk of my ammo in. Stores in 50 cal ammo cans. I beefed up the shelves but most sits on the lower level.

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I like the repurposed metal cabinets that some of you have found. The Fire King 4-drawer for $10, though, takes the cake.

Considering how much simple steel cabinets can retail for, I consider the $400 street price for this Ammo Can from Liberty Safe a real value. I just paid $399 from a local security safe distributor in my area. I'm going back next month for a second unit...
These are for ammo storage, not firearms.





http://www.libertysafe.com/safe-ammo-can-safes-ps-30.html

In my closet and under my bed. My two 800 lb pitties (American Pitbull Terrier for those not in the know) will rip up anyone who goes for my stash.

I'm a bit lucky in that I have room for two 72"x48"x18" shelving units. Plenty of room for all my gun/hunting/shooting stuff. Brass, powder, primers and reloads all have their own area. Now, if I could get all my wife's..."junk"...out of the room....

Mark

Hardtarget said:

I'm a bit lucky in that I have room for two 72"x48"x18" shelving units. Plenty of room for all my gun/hunting/shooting stuff. Brass, powder, primers and reloads all have their own area. Now, if I could get all my wife's..."junk"...out of the room....

Mark

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I solved that, with this:



She can't remember the combo, and won't bother to look it up. So she leaves my "bunker" alone......

Chuck

ohihunter2014 said:

just trying to hide the ammo and be able to lock everything up and keep people out. it would be for binos, rangefinder, etc also with a couple thousand rounds of ammo.

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Couple thousand rounds? just put it in 2 or 3 50 cal cans, tuck them away in a closet and be done with it.

Cheapest way is the best, IMO. Boxes ammo comes in, or relabeled boxes or zip-locks with the info written on them for reloads, packed into a surplus ammo can. Toss a couple silica gel packets in, close it, and they're good in the garage for as long as I'll ever need them to be.

I work at a retail store so the packets are free by the armload, and for the cans I just stop at gun show booths or the surplus store down the road and check the pallet of cheap scratch-and-worn ones for the ones with good seals, then hit them with Krylon satin 'moss'. It's almost indistinguishable, and I stenciled my choice of calibers on the side.

And being in Florida, this is also the best way to store the uncoated metalworking tools I used to use. A coat of oil or WD40, packet, and nothing prevents rust better.

Chuck R. said:

I solved that, with this:

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If you don't mount a bookshelf or something to the front of that, I will be severely disappointed.

I pile all of mine in my room on the southwest corner of my house. I fully expect to come home some day to see the northeast corner jutting into the air from the uneven distribution of weight in my little 900 square foot pier and beam domicile...

50 cal. ammo cans.

Chuck R.: a friend stores approx. 31,000 rds. of centerfire ammo, and his 98-100 milsurp rifles (many are mint/near mint) in one of those.

I bought them when they were $5.00 a box