9mm safe to store "tubular fed" ?

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I can assure you setting one off is NOT at all what I want to be doing. It's just that there are always gaps and spaces among storage items stacked on shelves, in drawers, etc. so I wanted to see how to take advantage of such gaps. I had thought of Ziploc bags, but then was wondering, the risk in a bag of ammo is the end to end (bullet to primer) arrangement (in random inside a loose bag) so the maximum risk would be if they were end to end "tubular", so the question then became what is the risk of that end to end arrangement for 9mm?

One idea was, IF this was safe, just to wrap the cartridges in a roll, like you do with coins, so maybe you have 5 or 10 in a wrapper.

Anyway, based on the points raised in this thread, I don't think I will be doing any of this and just stick with the factory packaging for now.

By the way, are the military ammo boxes THAT STRONG as to contain explosions in the event of the whole box being burned in fire? Somehow I find that rather unbelievably amazing (?) or is the cartridge only powerful when enclosed inside the narrow chamber and barrel of a gun?
 
are the military ammo boxes THAT STRONG as to contain explosions in the event of the whole box being burned in fire?
Yes, that is what they are designed to do, among other things.

Ammo in a fire would not all go off at once in one big explosion anyway.
More like popcorn popping as the heat worked its way into the can.

In a fire, the ammo cans rubber lid seal will melt, the lid latch will spring, and pressure will be released slowly as rounds pop off.

The wings on the side of the lid will deflect case frags and flying primers and keep them inside the can.

See this about ammo in a fire:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7001165#post7001165

rc
 
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One idea was, IF this was safe, just to wrap the cartridges in a roll, like you do with coins, so maybe you have 5 or 10 in a wrapper.

That sounds like ... ... work

And yes, ammo cans are pretty great, for more than ammo. Find somewhere that has "30cal" and "50cal" cans, and grab a few of each, the smaller cans don't hold much, while the larger ones aren't much fun to move when full of brass and lead.
Gun shows or army surplus stores are generally where I get mine.
 
What is wrong with simply storing them in bulk boxes or some other retangular container? The guys are right, you will spend a LOT of time loading all those tubes and the final product will still take up lots of room. Not to mention being VERY unwieldy to handle in the future. The tube itself would need to be decently rigid enough to handle when loaded with the weight of the ammo.

The boxes that the bullets come in and others of around the same size make a lot more sense. Or if you are trying to max out the volume you have available for storage then making up your own plywood boxes that stack perfectly in your cabinets or on your shelves would make a lot more sense.
 
So far it looks like 9mm (and even .223/5.56) loose in milspec ammo boxes will be the solution to maximize storage space (?).

The factory boxes the ammo comes in is nice but there's lots of space in there, between the plastic "crate" for each round.

I don't understand why there is a need to separate the loose ammo in layers, with cardboard? (I understand the labeling using the factory ammo box, but not how cardboard layers would help make it safer?)
 
Stacked one on top of another there would be a chance of a direct primer hit by the bullet below if stacked all the same way and no isolation cushioning. If poured randomly into the box this would be a minimal risk for sure and no separation/isolation needed. I put fixed amounts into quart freezer bags, squeeze out the excess air and dump the bags into ammo cans and have never had anything go off even if the ammo can happened to fall off the tailgate of my pickup onto the pavement below (happened twice).
 
So far it looks like 9mm (and even .223/5.56) loose in milspec ammo boxes will be the solution to maximize storage space (?).

I get 700 45ACP rounds in a 30 cal can and quite a bit more in 50 cal cans. 9mm, 38 spl, 357 mag, 223, 30-06, and others are all stored this way with no issues. The cans are cheap if you can find a mil surplus shop or even cheaper if you buy ammo in the cans and shoot it.
 

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Will it be safe to store 9mm lengthwise bullet to primer? FMJ mostly.
No. The issue is the shape of the bullet. I assume you are talking about 9mm FMJ in a tubular magazine such as the tubular magazine beneath the barrel of a lever-action rifle.

The issue is bullet nose shape, not cartridge or caliber.

For safety in a tubular magazine you need a flat-pointed bullet. So any of the truncated-cone or flat-point 9mm FMJ would be OK (I buy both locally, sorry, I don't recall the brands).
 
I would argue that it might not be ideal but it would be safe because if you had an ammo can of 9mm you ARE going to have some rounds that are nose to primer and a good drop would have the same effect. I have seen a few 9mm carbines but never with a tube magazine. I cant imagine why a big ammo can or even ziplock bag wouldn't be an easier way to store your ammo.
 
This sounds like a mythbusters episode for sure, haha. Get a tube slightly larger than a 9mm round, and fill it up full of 'em in a row, nose to primer, then drop them off the roof to see what happens...
 
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