Best steel ammo can for 5.56 & .300 Blackout?

Phaedrus/69

Phaedrus/69

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
2,595
Location
Big Sky Country
What do you folks say is the optimal steel ammo can for storing 5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout ammo in 20 round boxes? I have ten of them made for .30 cal ammo and that size is very inefficient for 20rnd boxes of 5.56. A fair amount will fit but there's a lot of empty space where there isn't the correct spacing for any more boxes. What can will work better?

Thanks!
 
What other choice is there? Pretty much .30, .50, or a fat-50. In steel mil-spec anyway. (Unless you get into 20/40mm cans).

(Edit: Warning-Loss of ‘style points’ ahead!!! Lol)

Honestly, unless it’s some higher end Sierra match king stuff i have on hand, I rip those boxes open and dump them loose into .30 cal and .50 cal cans.

Off the top of my head I forget how many will fit, but pretty sure I can easily get like 300 in a .30 and like 600 in a .50.

On range day I have Milwaukee zippered pouches I can use or I preload my magazines ahead of time.

It ain’t like it’s gold or precious gems so I don’t have a problem doing this with range fodder.
 
Last edited:
Take it out of the boxes, and put it in labeled ziplock bags.
100 rounds per bag of 5.56 or 300BLK.

50 caliber can holds 9 bags of one hundred 223 very neatly.
About half that much in a 30 caliber can.

Loose and banging around in the can isn't my style.
I like being able to quickly withdraw a known number of rounds without feeling like I'm digging in a pretzel jar full of legos. And then you still need to find something to put those rounds in if you are transporting them farther than from the can to a magazine.
 
I load mags before a range trip and keep a number on hand for emergency use, just looking for a good way to organize and store the boxed stuff. I was hoping maybe by coincidence/dumb luck the boxes will "Tetris" better in one of the standard sizes. I've considered just dumping 'em in loose but as W.E.G. says that makes it less handy to extract the desired number of rounds and transport them. Plus I kind of like keeping the ammo in boxes to make it easier to identify. No problem with a loose can of Green Tip, natch, but I don't want to pour my $1.50/round Black Hills stuff in with WWB.:eek::rofl:
 
BTW, I do appreciate the advice, thanks! If there's no neat solution I'll probably adopt one of the above method. I might just dump the Green Tip together regardless of brand, it seems to be a fungible commodity with LCA being pretty much the same as IMI, etc.
 
I’m confused as to why a .30 ammo can isn’t working for 20 round boxes of 5.56.

Anyway, when I had my AR-15s I used those squatty 2 latch plastic ammo cans you can find at most sporting goods stores. They’re made by MTM Case-gard.
1708921628079.jpeg

IMG_7133.jpeg

IMG_7132.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Phaedrus/69 said:
Another thought was stripper clips but I don't want to be stuck with just ammo on clips if I misplace the mag loading tool.
Click to expand...
I keep a spoon in the grip compartment of my AR grip even though I rarely ever load off stripper clips, I just keep alot of loaded mags most of the time. If you have basically any modern grip on your AR they usually have a compartment great for storing a spoon or front sight post adjustment tool, small tube of lube, small Leatherman or a few extra 5.56 cartridges, spare bolt parts, optic battery, etc..... all kinds of things you can store in the grip compartment, just have to select what according to your necessities. I've thought about designing a fanny pack style dump pouch small enough to store on a carbine.

I have a bunch of clips loaded with 5.56 but I still need the bandoliers to assemble 210rd battle packs. I think they can still be practical because magazines are bulkier.
 
If you load battle packs, modern bandoliers have 4 compartments that will store 30rds to each compartment on 10rd stripper clips for a total of 120rds per bandolier and I think you can store up to 5 bandoliers (600rds) in a .50cal steel military ammo can or 800rds in individual cardboard cartons, maybe more if loose ammo but I don't store anything loose in a container except .22lr

The assembled bandolier battle packs are a great idea, at the very least having a few hundred rounds on stripper clips to store in a fanny pack or dump pouch is also good, but not everybody is of the mindset to have a grab bag. Magazines are obviously the best way to store ammunition for the ready but as far as transporting them they add alot of bulk compared to clips.
 
Could even sport one Minnie Pearl style. :)

FDA8C864-60A8-418A-9889-A8D860905AE1.jpeg

I keep them on to identify cans that have clipped ammo in them, at a glance, there is generally another inside the can. Never used one for anything else so I just keep them with the ammo.

Do the same thing with belted ammo, its easy at a glance to see if it's .30 cal or .50. I also color them for contents. APIT cans get a coat of orange paint for example.

8470E35C-CD5A-4194-BCF8-4C66A3C77236.jpeg

If you've got a bunch of them, its nice to know whats in them without having to go through each one.
 
Last edited:
DustyGmt said:
If you load battle packs, modern bandoliers have 4 compartments that will store 30rds to each compartment on 10rd stripper clips for a total of 120rds per bandolier and I think you can store up to 5 bandoliers (600rds) in a .50cal steel military ammo can or 800rds in individual cardboard cartons, maybe more if loose ammo but I don't store anything loose in a container except .22lr

The assembled bandolier battle packs are a great idea, at the very least having a few hundred rounds on stripper clips to store in a fanny pack or dump pouch is also good, but not everybody is of the mindset to have a grab bag. Magazines are obviously the best way to store ammunition for the ready but as far as transporting them they add alot of bulk compared to clips.
Click to expand...

There are tutorial videos online on how to pack an M2A1 can like they are issued. Round total is 840 rounds in 7 bandoliers of 120 rounds each, one stripper clip guide ("spoon") and one safety pin attached to each bandolier.

If you want get really fancy, two M2A1s to a wooden crate.

 
I use the 20mm cans. Even packed inefficient you can get a heap of ammo in them enough they become about a heavy as I want to move with any regularity.
 
I use .30s for loose ammo and .50s for boxed ammo and fat fifty's for loaded mags.

I made the mistake of filling a fat fifty full of loose 230 gr .45acp ball and almost tore my arm out of the socket picking it up.

I think the ziploc bag idea is the easiest if you already have .30 cans. If I'm short on room I'll drop the loose rounds in a ziploc bag with a dessicant pack and stick one flattened box in as a label. I usually have enough mags for a range trip and don't need to take boxes of ammo but have some MTM cases from my reloading days, I can fill them up if I need to take more.
 
I observed a friend of mine who uses pretty thick 3 or 4 mil gallon clear plastic bag with twist ties for his .223/.308/7.62/.45acp and when he's done shooting he just twists them back off and stores the bags at the bottom of the safe or in a tote or can. Seems like a good way to do it, can always see what you're grabbing and easy to put back away and keep protected.
 
I know you said metal cans... which I typically agree with... but lately I've discovered Harbor Freight's little plastic ammo cans. They can be had in the $5 range when you find them on sale... which is like every other day... and they fit EXACTLY 400 rounds of 5.56mm, with room for a spoon or an extra 20rd magazine...

fWIKkjLm.jpg


JT6v7lsm.jpg


The latch locks down, similar to a USGI can, and the lid has a rubber seal. They also stack very well... better, even, than a USGI can. I think I usually get a little over 400 rounds of 5.56mm in a 30cal can, so it similar in volume, but without the weight and clanky-ness of the metal can. And, like someone else mentioned, it doesn't try to rip your arm out of the socket... like a full 50cal or larger can.
 
Phaedrus/69 said:
I've considered that have the same reservation- that's a heavy can when full!
Click to expand...

I've got a 1200rd Belgian 7.62mm ammo can... it's my favorite can because it fits 12 50rd .308 Midway plastic ammo boxes perfectly, and doubles as a seat if need be... but boy howdy it's heavy when loaded with 600rds of .308. Good thing it has opposed grab handles... but it's still a drunk walrus trying to move it around.
 
I use the 50 cal cans myself. I use them for bulk ammo, boxed ammo both factory and MTM boxes and loose ammo in ZipLoc bags. Yeah, they are heavy when full. But not as heavy as one thats stacked full of lead ingots! I have a dozen or more of those under my work bench in the garage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Best, cheapest subsonic ammo for suppressor useage in .300 Blackout?
Replies
3
Views
431
Acera
Acera
A
  • Locked
Best, cheap, reliable, subsonic .300 Blackout ammo for plinking with a Suppressor & where to buy it?
Replies
14
Views
4K
LoonWulf
LoonWulf
A
  • Locked
Quietness of a suppressed .300 AAC Blackout vs. 5.56/.223?
Replies
9
Views
16K
yugorpk
Y
American_Fusilier
  • Locked
AR-15 hunting calibers, what do/have you used?
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
American_Fusilier
American_Fusilier
J
  • Locked
.300 Blackout Buffer Choice
Replies
14
Views
3K
berettaprofessor
berettaprofessor
Back
Top