Cardboard or Plastic?

[Axis II]

I am starting to accumulate a lot of reloads and looking for some insight on cardboard and foam ammo boxes inside a steel 50cal ammo can vs plastic MTM boxes in an ammo can? I have heard the ammo cans are better because they seal out moisture and what not, so I picked up two of them. I have 3 100rd MTM boxes with 9mm in them and cant fit but 3-4 in the can. Looking at the 2 100rd 223rem boxes I can only get two in there. I was looking at 50rd MTM boxes for 9mm and 223rem thinking they would fit in the can a bit better but I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff to experiment with.

Are steel ammo cans really better than say these? I found this can with ammo boxes for 400rds for $19.
https://mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/50-cal-ammo-can.php

What do you guys suggest?

 

[doubleh]

I like the MTM plastic cases and have a bunch of them. I can't comment on ammo boxes because I don't use them. I carry my ammo in small ,sturdy tool bags and have them labeled for 22LR, 223, etc. and leave what I'm currently shooting in the bags. The rest sits in it's individual MTM box on shelves in an open front cabinet I built especially for ammo storage. I like the bags for carrying ammo because, unlike hard boxes, they are unlikely to ding anything they come in contact with.

 

[kmw1954]

Another here with no large ammo boxes. All I carry is pistol rounds and they get loaded into the cardboard boxes with the plastic holders or I also have a bunch of Berry's pistol boxes in 4 different colors. When it's time for a range trip it all gets loaded into a canvas range bag with a shoulder strap.

 

[Axis II]

Another here with no large ammo boxes. All I carry is pistol rounds and they get loaded into the cardboard boxes with the plastic holders or I also have a bunch of Berry's pistol boxes in 4 different colors. When it's time for a range trip it all gets loaded into a canvas range bag with a shoulder strap.

I have been thinking about getting a larger bag to carry my stuff in because that 100yard walk to the pistol range and an ammo can sucks!!

 

[doubleh]

In your case I would get a folding dolly. I only have to wag my stuff around five to twenty feet depending on whether I back in to the tables or park facing them. I only park facing them if my wife goes to the range with me because she likes to watch what I'm doing.

 

[Rule3]

I am starting to accumulate a lot of reloads and looking for some insight on cardboard and foam ammo boxes inside a steel 50cal ammo can vs plastic MTM boxes in an ammo can? I have heard the ammo cans are better because they seal out moisture and what not, so I picked up two of them. I have 3 100rd MTM boxes with 9mm in them and cant fit but 3-4 in the can. Looking at the 2 100rd 223rem boxes I can only get two in there. I was looking at 50rd MTM boxes for 9mm and 223rem thinking they would fit in the can a bit better but I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff to experiment with.

Are steel ammo cans really better than say these? I found this can with ammo boxes for 400rds for $19.
https://mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/50-cal-ammo-can.php

What do you guys suggest?

Better for what? Holding boxes of ammo or for just dumping bulk ammo into them?
As far a moisture once you open them it makes no difference. The metal ones for military use have a purpose,(storage, transport, heavy duty moving them around etc. for a non military use, does it matter? I don't think so.

 

[Tilos]

I like the MTM plastic cases and have a bunch of them. I can't comment on ammo boxes because I don't use them. I carry my ammo in small ,sturdy tool bags and have them labeled for 22LR, 223, etc. and leave what I'm currently shooting in the bags. The rest sits in it's individual MTM box on shelves in an open front cabinet I built especially for ammo storage. I like the bags for carrying ammo because, unlike hard boxes, they are unlikely to ding anything they come in contact with.

I use cheap tool bags too, dedicated to one caliber, most are black and I mark the caliber with a silver magic marker, to know at a glance what's in it.
The tool bags also work for storing mags, mag loaders, spent brass, etc.

For revolver rounds I prefer the 50rd slip-top ammo boxes because I can put the bottom at an angle into the flipped over top, and easily pull out 5 rounds at a time.
50 rounders because the stack easier/tighter, and I put the label on the bottom and store them bottom up so the top never slips off when I pick them up.

For semi-auto pistol ammo, I use Tupperware type containers that are easy to pull out a handful when filling mags, load labels on both the top/side.

I hate the snap top boxes because they don't stay open, and the top needs to be pushed back to get ammo out of them.

edit: moisture is not a problem for me, I live/shoot in the high desert

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Don't get any cheaper than this. Well made plastic jars that seal up tight and the best thing is the pretzels are really good. The big one holds around 600 9mms and the small one hold around 450 if you shake them.
All I need.

 

[forty_caliber]

View attachment 834094
Don't get any cheaper than this. Well made plastic jars that seal up tight and the best thing is the pretzels are really good. The big one holds around 600 9mms and the small one hold around 450 if you shake them.
All I need.

Exactly this. For pistol ammo, I don't bother with individual boxes. I just fill up the ammo can. This model holds about 1000 .45acp. I use the can because it has a handle and is easier to transport.

.40

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I have both metal and plastic .30cal. ammo cans. I also use the plastic MTM and Berry's ammo boxes.
I throw the bulk general purpose plinking cartridges in the .30cal boxes loosely.
Hunting and target loads get stored in .50 or 100 round plastic boxes.

I generally take one or two empty .30cal cans to the range with me for empty brass and then sort them out when I get home.
Sometimes I sort them by caliber before tumbling and sometimes afterwards depending on how I feel.

 

[Axis II]

You guys don’t worry about the rounds rattling around when putting them in loose?

 

[Blue68f100]

I use 30 cal & 50 cal ammo boxers. The 30 cal is used for bulk storage no boxes, the 50 cal boxes get to heavy. The 50 is large enough to hold the 100 MTM ammo boxes. I have a couple of plastic 50 cal ammo boxes that will take the 100 round 45acp MTM boxes. 223 Rem goes into the 30 cal boxes. I fill the smaller MTM boxes as needed for the range.

 

[Rule3]

You guys don’t worry about the rounds rattling around when putting them in loose?

My reloads go into those 50 round plastic boxes.

Lots of ammo is sold/stored as "bulk" doesn't seem to harm it it "banging around" Tons of 22lr is sold that way as are other calibers.

 

[Walkalong]

You guys don’t worry about the rounds rattling around when putting them in loose?

No. Mostly they sit around anyway. The big cans etc never leave the room, I just use them to fill smaller containers to take to the range.

 

[jeeptim]

I like the steel ammo cans.
I live on the beach and it's usually 10 to 30° cooler then the range I go to.
When I get home from the range due to the ammo cans cooling off I can hardly open them. Vacuum sealed. I have always thought to fill an ammo can I plan on long term storage bring it in the house set it in front of a space heater get it toasty seal it up. Never got around to it but sounds like a good pain in the butt.

 

[splattergun]

US military has been using those steel ammo cans for a very, very long time. Why? Because they work.
I have some .50 cal. cans made in 1944. They still seal tight and they will seal tight for a very, very long time to come.. I intend to will them to my grandson, at which time they will be antique WWII memorabilia, and still be able to seal tight..

 

[entropy]

I can fit 840 round of .223 in a .50 cal. ammo can; the same way I unpacked them back in the 80's. Bandoleers and strippers. Still the best way to store them for firing in an AR. Other calibers go in boxes, or stripper clips loose in the can for 7.62x39 FMJ.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

The big cans etc never leave the room, I just use them to fill smaller containers to take to the range.

So do I. I have about two of each caliber of the mtm containers that go to the range.

I also use some super duty zip lock bags we make at work. The gusseted bags with the flat bottom like you see in the store with food in them.

They work very well also and can be used over and over again. You can't tear a hole in these, you'd have to shoot a hole in it.
This bag has about 220 .327FMs in it and is only half full. I like them to because I put my empties in the bag as I shoot them and don't have to sort when I get home and my range bag doesn't get crapped up with black grit from dumping empties in it.

 

[Stew0576]

Bulk ammo drives me nuts, working on getting plastic cases but until I do I've saved all my ammo boxes over there years and just refill those

 

[Random 8]

I use my empty Hodgedon cans for bulk 9mm, then repackage into re-used commercial ammo boxes with labels as they are put into service or just grab a 1lb can of 9mm for a casual range session. I'm very green (cheap) LOL. I do a run of labels and put them in the can with the ammo. The powder cans do a marvelous job of sealing out moisture, even to the point where 2 survived without any corrosion or signs of tarnish through being immersed in water for a few days when my basement flooded recently and my camp box was immersed. Fired a couple hundred rounds this weekend with no evident loss of performance. This is a good solution for pistol ammunition, but would be problematic for rifle. I suppose .223 would work OK in an 8lb can, but they would be a little "wedgy" and I'd be concerned about losing some concentricity. I do pack 30-06 M2clone ammo in 30 cal US ammo cans bulk, but this ammo is held to a lower standard than most of mine. I just dig in and pack up as many M1Garand clips as I think I'll need for a shooting session and put them in my range box. The cans never leave storage, brass is put in a different can and when the ammo is depleted, brass is reloaded and labeled per #firings and trimmings.

My hunting and match ammunition goes in MTM, Plano, Berry, etc boxes and packed in open ventilated wooden storage crates segregated by caliber and gets rotated regularly enough I have no concerns over longevity.

I'm sure the powder cans will do this long term, as they do it for powder. I've used some powders inherited from a fellow shooter that were many years old, with no signs of degradation or loss of function.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Are steel ammo cans really better than say these? I found this can with ammo boxes for 400rds for $19.

Here's a better buy: MTM can that holds the included ten 100rd boxes to hold 1k rounds for $33
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8NJLS...olid=27IZQTCJ1AQ2P&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If you just want the box, they are less expensive on Amazon also...from $8 to $15, based on color choice
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8NJLS...olid=27IZQTCJ1AQ2P&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Axis II]

Well cleaning out my reloading room last night I found a grocery bag of Remington 9mm boxes that I saved for some reason and there is about 15 of them and I found another bag too but they got wet and dried, so not sure I’m gonna mess with those. Thanks 9mm that is a good deal. I was always under the impression that steel cans with a seal where the proper way.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I don't care for loose bulk ammo. I have access to cardboard pistol ammo boxes and use them to box up my reloads. I use military steel ammo cans to store my ammo. I like the 50 and 30 cal cans.
I don't care for the plastic ammo cans for two reasons. Have you ever dropped one that was full of ammo, they break.
The other reason is that they do not seal. Back in 2016 it flooded down here. More then 80% of the homes in my town were flooded. More then 40% had more then 3 feet of water. It took 3 to 5 days for the water to go down in most places. I was one of the lucky ones that didn't flood, I was just trapped at my house for three days.
I have friends that lost ammo stored in MTM plastic ammo cans. When they got home and opened their cans, the MTM cans were full of water. The military steel cans were dry.

 

[rdnktrkr]

I like to put bulk or reloads in vacuum sealed bags and then store the bags in ammo cans with dissicant, I can seal them in quantities that match my mags (20 and 30 for 556) and after loading the en blocs I put 2 with the points facing each other in the bags, if I ever get enough strips to hold 556 I think that would be a great way to store them. Pistol rounds get packed in 50s or 100s.

 

[Typetwelve]

Great threads...and lots of opinions.

Personally...I don't like cardboard as it wicks and hold moisture. Then again, I'm a fool for form, so I keep a vast majority of my ammo in the boxes they came in, I have a mix of both Mil Spec metal ammo cans and MTM plastic cans I keep desiccant pouches in each can..

Example:


For bulk or reloads, I like using ziplock sammich baggies. Not only do they store better in ammo cans, but I can keep better track of them. For example, I have bulk 223 in 90 round baggies (3 magazines per), 38/9mm in 250 round baggies, 44 in 100 rounds baggies. It's easier for me to count that way and pull out for range days.