How to keep/store your ammo for long periods?

[Jack Reevez]

I have sumthing like 300 rounds for my 9mm pistols and 400 round for my .38 revolver Plus about 500 rounds for my .303 bolt action revolver and sum 4000 shotgun shells. I keep them in their cardboard boxes and thats about it.

I have been storing them up for about 3-6 years... i just want to know if thats the right way to store them. Would it be safe from humidity and all?

or do i need to store the ammo in a safer way... like wrapping it in a thick quilt or towel or sumthing?

Please advise

 

[Guitargod1985]

That should be just fine as long as you keep it in a cool, dry place. Do yourself a favor and leave your A/C on when you are out of the house. The power bill might be a tad higher, but your ammo will be in good shape. I used to try and save money by turning off the air conditioning when I was away from my apartment. It was not central a/c but a window unit. Heat and humidity had a way of finding their way into the apartment and corroding my brass.

 

[dourdave]

Wal-Mart sells what looks like "ammo boxes". Look in the sporting goods dept for orange, plastic containers having a hinged top with a rubber seal. They cost about $12 and hold a lot of packaged ammo.

They are convenient, easy to store and fairly well sealed. (I'm in Florida so the A/C is never turned off.)

 

[loop]

Store ammo bullets down. Powder will fall to the upper end of the cartridge and keep the primer clear of fouling. In the case of cast bullets, if the wax melts it won't get into the powder. Keep temps under 80 if possible. If that is problematic don't trust any ammo that was stored in temps that exceed 120.

Now, I'd like to hear more about that .303 bolt action revolver....

 

[evan price]

I keep my reloads in factory ammo boxes with plastic (not cardboard) separators (cardboard can get moisture in it and corrode the ammo- plastic will not).

I keep the bulk of them in USGI ammo cans. Most of the rest is in various cubbies and cabinets in my house.
Keep it dry, keep it away from temperature swings and extremes, it will last virtually indefinitely.

 

[FuzzyBunny]

I like metal Mil ammo boxes. Toss in an oxygen absorber and close it up then keep it room temp or cooler. Should last a hundred years or so.

The military stores ammo a certain way for a reason.

 

[c.latrans]

Do any of you guys watch that show about rebuilding old WW 2 tanks? There was one where they pulled a German Tiger out of a river in Poland after it had been submerged there for something like 40 years. To make a long story short, when they were breaking the tank down with a torch, they heated up an old machine gun round to the point that it exploded. While this is certainly on the outside edge, I cant imagine that our modern components are any less stable.

 

[MudPuppy]

I'm shooting 50 year old ammo all the time and it goes bang as often as anything else.

I just keep mine in ammo boxes with the anti-humidity packs that I get from the shipment coming in at work or the original sealed metal tins. The biggest thing I'd avoid it wild temperature swings that tend to cause condensation--like storing them in the attic or something.

I saw a show where old folks were digging up a box they'd buried as kids and had dipped it completely in wax.

Anyhow, most ammo is pretty rugged stuff.

 

[ShunZu]

I like metal Mil ammo boxes. Toss in an oxygen absorber and close it up then keep it room temp or cooler.

+1

 

[Wayne02]

I need to get some Desiccant packs for my ammo cans. Which of these types are you using, and where do you usually purchase them?
http://www.agmcontainer.com/desiccantcity/desiccant_bags.htm

Thanks

 

[rcmodel]

+ 3 or +4 on the surplus GI steel ammo cans for storage.

They provide a 100% seal against high humidity.

And Far Safer in the event of a house fire, because them will contain all the shrapnel & flying primers!

That's what they are designed to do.

rcmodel

 

[OH25shooter]

GI ammo boxes as well. I've got mine at gun shows and gunstores. But I did see some stacked for sale at the local Gander Mountain.

 

[goon]

I generally stick the ammo I'm storing in ammo cans. But as long as it's kept dry and fairly cool, ammo will last for a long time even if it isn't sealed in.

My dad once had a box of 12 gauge shells that he left behind the seat of this old truck he used to drive. He used an old single barrel as his truck gun and always kept some ammo handy.
About 6 years after he stopped driving the truck, I dug the shells out from behind the seat (the box had fallen apart from moisture and they were scattered everywhere), stuck them in his old truck gun, and shot them all without any trouble.

When I started reloading, I found a bunch of old CCI small pistol primers with my dad's old Lyman press. They were close to 30 years old when I got them and had been stored in a styrofoam cooler in his unheated shed for all that time. They all also went off without incident.

I'd say that if you take a reasonable amount of care it will be a really long time before you have to worry about ammo losing reliability.

 

[Funderb]

Military ammo boxes, about ten bucks for a fity caliber can.
Some sillica gel or other desiccant. you're gold, fred.


My desiccant of choice is ammonium nitrate out of a cold pack, wrapped in a used static cloth from the dryer.
cheaper to get, much better than cramming a huge damp-rid thing in there.

 

[edrice]

Store ammo bullets down. Powder will fall to the upper end of the cartridge and keep the primer clear of fouling. In the case of cast bullets, if the wax melts it won't get into the powder. Keep temps under 80 if possible. If that is problematic don't trust any ammo that was stored in temps that exceed 120.

On that note, I notice that Hornady ships their LeverRevolution ammo in bullet-up boxes. This probably to keep it from flattening the ploymer tip over time.

Ed

 

[RTFM]

You'll laugh but my personal trick for safe keeping SHTF ammo is by using one of these:



By vacuum packing 120 rnds of 7.62x39 it's flat quick and light. Plus they pack in a ruck easier than schlepping an ammo can.

 

[Chester32141]

I believe this is a good deal on desiccant ...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=354516

 

[Larry E]

In the late 70's or early 80's a friend gave me some old Canadian 9mm military pistol ammo that a hunting guide in Canada had given him. It was in a crusty old cloth bag, but was clean and uncorroded. The headstamps were all from the early '40's. I shot it in the Hi Power I had at the time, it all went bang, and the cases were reloaded. HOT STUFF too, 124 gr fmj's at something around 1275 fps. This stuff was probably not stored with any thought to consistant temps.

 

[Werewolf]

Ammo is self sealing against humidity and moisture and there's not enough air in the case to cause any problems either.

Soooo...
Toss it in a closet and forget about it until you need it.

Regarding temp: my carry gun used to sit locked up in the glove box of my car. In the summer here in OK it can easily get to 140 inside a car.

I'd shoot the ammo loaded in the gun at the end of each summer. Never had a problem. All went bang and to point of aim.

 

[Bartkowski]

Military .50 cal ammo cans for $6 with silica packs in my basement. The only other thing I do is run a dehumidifier because my basement is a little damp in the summer.

 

[jrfoxx]

Thats all me or my dad has ever done, and I have, an have shot, ammo he bought 30 years ago, and stored in the box on a shelf in th basement and did nothing else, and the ammo worked fine, and looked like brand new still. Unless your house get REALLY, REALLY hot, or as massive temperature swigs, or is crazy humid, you are fine. If you house was hot, cold, or wet enough to be a problem, it would be unbearable to be in it, so if you can stand it in there, it pretty much means your ammo will be fine.

 

[Seven©]

Wayne02 said:

Which of these types are you using, and where do you usually purchase them?

I just steal all the small packs out of everything and keep them. Most all electronics comes with one or a few. Cell phones, cameras, etc. My family and friends know to save them for me. My air compressor came with a giant one that weighs about a pound.

 

[Jack Reevez]

Now, I'd like to hear more about that .303 bolt action revolver....

Loop....


Sorry Sir... My mistake. I meant a .303 bolt action rifle

 

[Elza]

I use milsurp ammo cans with desiccant packs. Buy them both at the local surplus store.

 

[clarkg1124]

I store handgun ammo in a lockable metal filing cabinet.Rifle ammo is in a sealed and lockable Mosin M38 shipping crate.
Clark