I found some grade 3 with very good reviews for about $9 a piece. I'm not the prepper type where everything needs to be 100% waterproof i just need somewhere secure, dry and durable to store ammo. Is grade 3 okay or should i shoot for grade 2? Also, what price's are good for these cans? Gun shows around me are more AR and pistol crowds and the days of the military surplus are gone.
what grade GI ammo cans?
- Thread starter Axis II
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Check the condition of the gaskets--rough condition outside is not a serious issue--even can be repainted but apparently there are no replacement gaskets that I could find--but some make up their own gaskets out of different materials which are probably suboptimal. Silicone grease (no petroleum based products) can help revive tired gaskets on the cans and prolong their existence as well.
unfortunately i cant check the gaskets as they will be ordered from midway.
Check around other places, I found several online sellers in a few minutes that have better prices than Midway as well as Army Surplus type stores locally. Wal Mart is selling aftermarket cloned new ones but not sure how good the seals are. Check Natchez Supply (.50 cal. on sale for 7.99 each https://www.natchezss.com/50-cal-ammunition-can.html ) or Midsouth Shooters Supply as well as they have them off and on.
.50 cal and .30 cal ammo cans seem to be the most plentiful and thus cheapest but I would recommend getting those with good gaskets specified in the description. Only Category 1 of Midway's ammo cans seem to be in that category. Remember, anything watertight will also be more airtight as well if you are storing ammo for any length of time. Putting dessicants into a container with bad gaskets just is a waste of time and money. If you just need stuff to transport to the range, plastic range boxes with gaskets work ok and come in all sorts of sizes and usually at a bit cheaper price at places like Harbor Freight and so on.
.50 cal and .30 cal ammo cans seem to be the most plentiful and thus cheapest but I would recommend getting those with good gaskets specified in the description. Only Category 1 of Midway's ammo cans seem to be in that category. Remember, anything watertight will also be more airtight as well if you are storing ammo for any length of time. Putting dessicants into a container with bad gaskets just is a waste of time and money. If you just need stuff to transport to the range, plastic range boxes with gaskets work ok and come in all sorts of sizes and usually at a bit cheaper price at places like Harbor Freight and so on.
Looking for semi long term storage like say 1-2yrs. I'm a miser when it comes to money so ill hold onto a 50 pack of 9mm for years. I have a 250rd Remington pack and 3 federal 100rd packs i paid $50 for all 3yrs ago i just hate shooting it cause i feel its a waste of money. I'm the type to stockpile it over a year and then shoot 200-500rds and hoard the rest.
Mauser lover
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I get the WalMart or Hazard Fraught... er... Harbor Freight ammo cans. They are good enough for me, and cheap when on sale/coupon, etc.
Ok. Then I would recommend getting the military issue metal can and throw some dessicant into it. Since ammo is so heavy, you might want to get the .50 caliber or .30 if you plan on moving it around or if you want different calibers to have their own box. You can buy dessicant in bulk from craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. and reuse it (just bake it in the oven to restore its dessicant value if you wish). Put it into plastic or a suitable mesh container with holes to allow circulation or cloth containers with zippers etc. If you are really cheap, you can save all of those dessicant packages that come with all sorts of goods you buy, take them out of the packages, reheat in the oven, and reuse over and over again. At 7.99 each, that Natchez has, that is a smoking deal. Unfortunately, I am in the area where Natchez won't ship due to competition with its retail dealers but I think you are okay and gtg with them.
I added two to my cart and they wanted like $15 to ship them. I just found rural king sells them new for $10 but they are made in china
. I have been on the try and buy American kick for awhile but $10 new and local i think ill try one. I have never seen them at my rural king but according to online they have over 50 of them. I just so happened to be on RK.com looking at another item and typed in ammo can and bam. I guess the mil surp ones was more for nostalgia, USA made and price as i would have gotten free midway shipping.I added two to my cart and they wanted like $15 to ship them. I just found rural king sells them new for $10 but they are made in china
Sorry, Natchez used to be better on shipping but I guess they are more like Midway now. Bought from them when I lived in another state.
I suspect the Rural King have the same source as WalMart which was selling aftermarket .50 cal ammo can copies for about $14-15 each. They do have a gasket but not sure about the quality of said gasket.
No apology necessary
. I read the online Rural King reviews and they said the gasket are good. Sportsman guide had a great deal on grade 2 cans last week but I didn't have the extra $ to order one and now they are gone. When I do midway I try and get enough up for free shipping. I'm going to check RK tomorrow and look at their new ones.
My local Walmart has their Stout Stufff 50 caliber ammunition cans on sale for $8.97. They are new. I have picked up several, they are indistinguishable from GI. In fact, I am going to claim, the Chinese maker of these cans is probably the vendor from whom the Military is currently buying them from.
Midway's Grade 3 cans say that they may (take that to read "probably") have been bent and manually straightened. This can compromise the quality of the seal as well as how secure the latch closes. I have bought many of their Grade 2 cans at prices from $11.99 to 14.99 and have never been disappointed with any of them.
CapnMac
Member
You know, in forty years of buying, I don't believe I've ever bought an ammo can mail-order/online.
At lot of the cheap ones being sold in the bog box stores are made in China; they say so on the label.
The ones that actually hold military ammunition are made in the United States or in the case of some extra ammunition contracted for to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the ammunition and the cans that held it for transport were made in Spain.
That is a sad, sad, thought.
I have spent time looking at what Military vendor information there is on the web. Of course purchase orders are not posted so I can't prove that any ammunition cans in military inventory are Chinese, but then, I can't prove which ones are American made either.
There are ways to incorporate over seas manufactured sub components into American military equipment. A little scandal floating around is the number of Chinese parts in the F35 fighter jet, you can look that up. Content laws in the "Buy American" are surprising flexible and I have no doubt the raw components of Chinese ammunition boxes, that is stamped uppers, lowers, handles, are shipped to the US to "American" manufacturers. If these parts are then sand blasted, painted, assembled, and the cost and profit of the labor in the US is higher than the cost of the Chinese sub assemblies, then it is considered "Made in America".
Considering just how many American type ammunition boxes are made in China, and all the factories tooled up to make the things:
http://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Ammo_Can.html
you have to wonder, just whom is buying these things in sufficient bulk, if not the US Military?
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Double_J
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We in the auto industry call that a "ckd" part. We get a sub assembly in a box and we have to "assemble" the final part. Assembly is usually just adding a single bracket or similar small step.
FL-NC
Member
$9 seems high to me. I have found them in pawn shops and flea markets for $5. As far as "grade", my $ says the grade is whatever the seller's criteria says it is. Just throw it in a pool or bathtub overnight and see if water gets in it.
I have a few of the Stout Stuff cans and they are well made and the paint is absolutely flawless but they are a bit shorter than the standard ones. Its only about an eighth of an inch or so but when you have a few lined up or stacked it shows up.
CapnMac
Member
LoL, the 30-40 I have are presently sufficient, thank you very much
Well I talked to my buddy today whos a military surplus nut and he says to me which by the way shocked me. "I would rather have 10 china made ammo cans for $10 a piece brand new then 4-5 military surplus cans that are more money, its not like we are going to war and going to be beating the snot out of them so I buy the cheapest new ones I can find". He says he has a few of the cheap china ones and they do just fine for storing ammo.
FROGO207
Member
Yeah all the ammo cans I have are USGI surplus and work as intended. I have been able to get them all locally from various sources including the local surplus store. They have a BOGO for 40 MM cans for $12.95. I saw 30 pallets full in the back yard of their shop last visit. Those are too heavy to move around much but are good for storage on the cement floor of the garage. I like to use them for shotgun ammo or bulk blasting ammo I make.
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