Couple of ammo can questions

[DirtyBrad]

Just got in some ammo cans from ammunitiontogo.com. I live in an apartment and closet space is at a premium, so I want to store my zombie horde stash as efficiently as possible.

My original goal was 1,000 rifle rounds (.223) and 500 pistol rounds (.45 ACP) for when the dead finally began to claw their way up again. I also have several loaded mags of each for my emergency bag and more on the way.

I played around with different configurations. 500 rounds of the .45 boxed fit easily in a can and there's room to pack 800, so that's my new goal.

After messing around and reading up some, I decided to dump the 600 rounds of .223 that I have now into the other can loose. The can came with thin styrofoam and cardboard lining the four sides and the bottom. Looks like I can get a thousand rounds in there without trouble. The cans got masking tape labeled with the type of ammo, brand, and quantity so that I can keep track as I add more.

My two questions are:

1. Is there anything I need to worry about storing them loose? They'll be pretty much sitting in the bottom of my safe. The only time I really see them getting moved is if we move. I'd like to be rotating out my emergency stash. That's obviously harder with loose rounds, but I thought maybe I'd start up another can and when it hit 1,000, switch them and then shoot up the old stuff.

2. I know I need some kind of desiccant. I read a lot of people saying they use kitty litter, which is a nice cheap, replaceable way to go. If you use that or some other loose thing, how do you package it? What little experience I have with kitty litter, I seem to remember it being really dusty, so I wouldn't want it dirtying up all of my beautiful ammo. Also, do I just put the desiccant on top or do I need some in the middel and/or bottom?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Get a real dessicant. Use the kitty litter to absorb oil from the Harley.

Or, you can load 12-ga shells with kitty litter, see how that works against zombies and other pests.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Miltary desicant pack can be had from almost any surplus store. Use the real stuff.

 

[DirtyBrad]

Fair enough. I guess I'm being too cheap, especially as I probably won't have more than four or five cans anyway.

I was just looking at these on-line. Ammotogo recommends five 2-gram packets per .50 can. You can recharge these by baking them in the oven for a bit, right? So, I can do that when I first get them to make sure they're good, then like every six months?

I see they also have the kind that change color when they need drying out.

 

[Keith Wheeler]

So, I can do that when I first get them to make sure they're good, then like every six months?

Ummm, you plan on opening those cans every six months? If it's long term storage you're interested in, pack 'em away, put in the dessicant, seal 'em and leave 'em.

Those cans have a rubber seal. Once the dessicant does its job, how is more moisture going to get in there? On top of that, how much moisture is going to be in there in the first place?

I rarely buy dessicant, but then I get a bunch of electronics gear that has it. All sorts of things are packed with dessicant these days, just pop it in the oven at low temp for a few minutes, and you're good to go.

 

[heypete]

I was just looking at these on-line. Ammotogo recommends five 2-gram packets per .50 can. You can recharge these by baking them in the oven for a bit, right? So, I can do that when I first get them to make sure they're good, then like every six months?

I have to charge the ones in my safe every month or so, even in Tucson, AZ.

I see they also have the kind that change color when they need drying out.

Get those. They're very handy.

 

[DirtyBrad]

That's a good question. The website says those would be good in a can for a year, which is why I was thinking of recharging. I also would like to be rotating my supply occasionally, so maybe just sealing them up is the way to go.

I say safe, but right now mine is actually a security cabinet and is not air-tight. I assume that makes desiccant for it a moot point.

For the cans, I just chuck five packets on top of the loose ammo and I'm good to go, right?

Thanks for the help. I know this isn't exactly the first desiccant thread.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Is this necessary?

So why does all my 1950's Korean surplus M2 Ball ammo fire perfectly well being packed with no dessicant?

Why does my South African battlepack .308 all fire perfectly well being packed with no dessicant?

This is 30 to 50 year old ammo we're talking about.

Not trying to be smart, genuinely curious if this is really necessary.

 

[articdog]

The SA battlepack is watertight and airtight, till opened. So the ammo is stored the same as with a dessicant. Much of the Korean milsurp ammo has corrosive primers; these last longer than standard primers. HTH, I am also interested in what others have to say on this topic.

 

[DirtyBrad]

I've seen tons of pictures of surplus ammo that was corroded and lots of posts saying that half or more of a lot was unusable.

I'll spend ten bucks for a little extra insurance.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Much of the Korean milsurp ammo has corrosive primers; these last longer than standard primers.

I have thousands of rounds of lot PS, which is noncorrosive primer. Most of it was opened at least once in the 70's for inspections.

Not one misfire out of thousands of rounds fired through my BAR.

I'm not arguing against a dessicant, I am just not convinced that it is needed.

How long are you guys planning on keeping ammo? 30-50 years?

I have some old Large Magnum Pistol primers that I bought back in the mid 80's and I still load with them now and then, they all continue to fire.

Seems to me that storing indoors in a temperature controlled environment would be the make it or break it thing. Air conditioning and heating would control humidity enough no?

 

[silverlance]

ammo in cans

lol* 1500 hundred rounds will stop the night of the living dead!!

try 15000.

YOU NEED MORE AMMO. THEY WILL COME AND COME AND YOU WILL THROW BEER BOTTLES AT THEM BUT THEY WILL STILL COME..... BUY MROE AMMO! BUY MORE AMMO! NOW!



I put all my zombie ammo in 25mm mortar shell cans. double bag with construction quaility mil bags, then place all the boxes inside with two color changing dessicant boxes on top. the boxes may not be necessary (heck I have wwII ammo that is still surefire) but they are cheap and the cardboard boxes keep them from bursting.

 

[James NM]

heypete

Just wondering...do you have refrigerated air or a swamp cooler?

 

[heypete]

I have thousands of rounds of lot PS, which is noncorrosive primer. Most of it was opened at least once in the 70's for inspections.

PS has non-corrosive primers, but in reference Korean ammo specifically, the KA stuff is corrosive (or at least a not-small-number of lots are, so I treat them all like corrosive). I believe that M2 Ball spec ammo (which the PS and KA are) must have some sort of sealant around the primer and bullet-case interface. The primer sealant is obvious, but the bullet sealant is inside. Try pulling the bullet sometime, and you'll see what I mean.

At least all my PS and KA-stamped Korean M2 is sealed. Most commercial ammo is not sealed, and this may be of some concern if stored in humid environments. My basic rule of thumb with ammo: "Store in a cool, dry place."

Just wondering...do you have refrigerated air or a swamp cooler?

Refrigerated air, that is, normal air conditioning.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

James NM is onto something here folks. Swamp coolers are bad juju for ammo and primers.(not to mention circiut boards in expensive electronic equipment.)

If you store ammo in a house with a swamp cooler or in your garage that is not climate controlled desicant is very cheap insurance.

Heck just go buy 1 pack of the color changing kind. Try it. If it's changing color in under a couple months, then air tight containers with dissicant are highly reccomended. If it doesn't, you really don't need to worry about it.

 

[James NM]

Refrigerated air, that is, normal air conditioning

Since refrigerated air removes moisture, and swamp coolers add humidity, and you live in Tucson, I figured you had a swamp (evaporative) cooler. I'm surprised you have that much moisture in your safe.

 

[heypete]

Since refrigerated air removes moisture, and swamp coolers add humidity, and you live in Tucson, I figured you had a swamp (evaporative) cooler. I'm surprised you have that much moisture in your safe.

My apartment complex has a central AC unit with a blower in each apartment with chilled pipes. I can adjust the temperature as I want, but I don't need a window AC. The electric's included as well. (70F in the middle of a 120F summer? Ah, it's nice for me and the tropical fish.)

Not really sure why the can gets saturated so much...I just put it in my Cannon safe, which isn't airtight but is certainly more sealed than my crappy cabinet I had before. Alas, there's no outlets in the closet where the safe is, so I can't run my Goldenrod.

Maybe it has something to do with my terrible cooking releasing copious copious of steam (and swearing) in the next room?

James NM is onto something here folks. Swamp coolers are bad juju for ammo and primers.(not to mention circut boards in expensive electronic equipment.)

*nods* Swamp coolers are great for humans when it's dry, but suck for metal things.

 

[James NM]

Maybe it has something to do with my terrible cooking releasing copious copious of steam (and swearing) in the next room

Remind me not to come to your house for dinner.

 

[heypete]

Remind me not to come to your house for dinner.)

Hey, it's not bad when my girlfriend cooks...but when I do? Look out!

 

[kungfuhippie]

If you wanna have dry ammo just through the whole metal can in the oven every 6 months

(kidding, remember heat will break down the powder)

 

[atomchaser]

If you are active shooter just, rotate your zombie stock and don't worry about it to much. I have ammo that my dad stored on his damp basement for for 20 yrs in ammo cans that fires just fine. I have Guatamalan 5.56 that I have been storing in an unsealed cabinet in my garage in FL for the past year, and haven't had one failure. Just do a visual inspection on it once in a while.

 

[CNYCacher]

Ammo Cans

If you use dessicant, I doubt you will need to change it unless you are constantly opening the cans. I've seen ammo can geocaches that had spent 4 months completely underwater opened up with zero dampness in the paper log book inside. Ammo cans, unless the rim or rubber seal is visibly damaged, are completely sealed, air and water-tight.