How do you store reloads (aka Joining the "zip-lock baggie" club)

I joined that club on the second day I ever shot.

With my initiation fee, I received:

One box of Glad-brand resealable ammunition storage systems.

One ten-pound brick of handgun protectors, marked “Hospital Towels, used”

One orange 3-gallon gun carrying case from Home Depot.

One orange 3-gallon ammunition carrying case from Home Depot.

With my kit, the look on other guys’ faces at the range is pure envy.

Zip bag for me. I cut index cards in half and write load info to stick inside.

If its a good one the data card goes into another zip bag of "good loads" marked by caliber.

I started with the nice flip top cases and a bound 'load data" book.

Shipping 40 or so of those plastic boxes at a time isn't cost effective, and I don't work at the place with the printing equipment and machinery to make my nice spiral book anymore. This method works for me!

• Costco Folgers coffee can
• Costco nut containers
• Small canvas/nylon tool bags
• 30 cal ammo cans (metal/plastic)
• Plastic containers with lids

And of course, zip lock baggies along with Foodsaver vacuum seal bags.

pairof44sp said:

With my kit, the look on other guys’ faces at the range is pure envy.

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I finally broke down and bought several plastic flat ammo totes. Once lids come off at the shooting area, easy access to ammo/22LR at the end of truck bed just forward of tailgate (which is used for padded gun counter, especially for multiple shooters and multiple guns) and contain loose rounds from falling to the ground.

If I am using the tailgate to do load testing with lead sled/pistol rest, flat ammo tote already has all the test rounds nicely organized.

for most things that I load, a full can is plenty. For things like .270 or .308, I fill these with factory ammo boxes or MTM boxes. For .270, 2 of the 50 rd mtm boxes fit with room for a couple ziplocks or factory ammo boxes. For 223 I keep it almost full and then put mags on top so that I never get to the range or woods without a mag. 357, 38, 9mm etc I just fill it up. And with 22lr it stacks very neatly with 50 rd boxes but I typically buy more bulk, so the 50rd boxes stay in one can and bulk stays in the other once it’s open.

$5 ammo cans from gunshows. I reload 500-1,000 at a time and store according

LiveLife said:

• Plastic containers with lids

m.

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Workout supplement containers are great ones.

I never use plastic bags. I never run out of small plastic (e.g. MTM) containers specific to the caliber I am reloading. I place/store those in military metal ammo cans or "fake" plastic commerical (e.g. Cabelas) ammo cans. When it comes to my hobby of handloading and gun collecting I behave like I have more money than Jeff Bezos.

Zip lock bags
Old Amazon boxes
Old USPS boxes
Ammo cans

I use ammo cans for bulk stuff. And peanut butter jars to take some to the range or small batches. Those harbor freight ammo cans aren't bad for a few bucks

I have a fairly large investment in Berry’s hinged boxes. Each typically comes with clear or blue, even the new boxes that the bottoms are solid black, and covers 2 calibers...380/9, 38/357, 40/45. Thus, blue - even letters - even caliber. Clear or white - odd letters - odd caliber. So I can see on my shelf whether I need to load more 380ACP, or more 9mm. I started out with this unreasonable fear that my loaded rounds would spontaneously fire if packed loose in bulk, so I went with order and stuck with it. Also, I still consider myself a new loader, and most of my loads are still work in progress, so lots of notations on the box lid, and colored sharpies on primers to know the load differences.

Pelican Micro or Mini. Depends on how much 556 I take to the range. MTM's for pistol.
The 1050 Micro will contain 140 rounds comfortably.

^^Thats an expensive container!


I sometimes use small cardboard boxes I get from work

Eugen said:

I never run out of small plastic (e.g. MTM) containers specific to the caliber I am reloading.

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The last few times I ordered cast 357 and 44 bullets from Rimrock Bullets of Polson, Mt., they came packed in those MTM plastic cartridge boxes. I have a lot of MTM plastic cartridge boxes now.

Otto said:

Pelican Micro or Mini. Depends on how much 556 I take to the range. MTM's for pistol.

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You shouldn’t coddle your ammo. It might grow soft.

20 mm ammo cans for bulk loose 12ga, 223, 9mm
50 cal ammo cans for moderate bulk loose 45 acp, 28 ga, 308, 410, 22lr
30 cal ammo cans get fed from the bulk 20mm cans and I store Plano boxes with hunting rounds 30-30, 6.5 cr, precision rifle.

I'm replacing all the plastic ammo can with used military.

I use baby formula containers for handgun and rifle. 3 lb protein containers cover shotgun shells.
My truck guns have ammo boxes.

I only reload pistol ammo

My pistol and bulk .223 goes loose in an ammo can. If I don’t have an MTM case I’ll throw them in a ZipLock. Usually I try to keep good match loads in an MTM cartridge case though.

lately I have been toying with the idea of using cardboard cartridge boxes for storage.
https://www.repackbox.com/
I’ve ordered some samples of these and like them for my lower count cartridges like 30-30 or .270. It’s a neat way to store and grab a box when you need it. And they are the right size to stack in a .50 cal ammo can.

For cartridges, I use mtm cartridge boxes, zip lock bags, and repurposed containers.
For my shotgun reloads, I have many used boxes. In fact, boxes of folded boxes.

If you’ve got a bunch a 5 gallon bucket works. Holds a lot more than an ammo can, not as easy to move around though.

Over 30+ years of reloading, I've used many and diverse methods.

From ammo in my pocket(s) to ammo in paper sacks, old plastic ware pilfered from Mrs Thunkits' kitchen, cardboard boxes, even Ziploc bags.

In the past few years I've started investing in the snap top ammo boxes, the type with individual cartridge slots. I buy a few whenever I order other materials, eventually I'll have plenty.

I have the MTM cases and have purchased smaller Sterilite bins to put empty brass in, plus some pretzel containers that I would guess are around a gallon capacity for .223 and 300 blackout cases. I purchased a set of the food storage containers below from Amazon which I store finished loads in, plus they come in handy for other reloading tasks. I print out load data labels on the printer and stick them to the lids. They probably hold 200+ 9mm rounds, and stack nicely in my ammo cans for when I go to the range. I think they were $20 for 50. The empties stack up nicely and take up a lot less room than empty MTM type ammo boxes.

I use those same $3 Harbor Freight ammo boxes as WestKentucky. At that price I can buy lots of them and label each one with what caliber it contains. I also have one that holds loaded mags for the AR. When heading out to the range I just grab whatever ones I'll need that day.