Safe/Ammo Storage Dilemma

[Triumph]

I was at the LGS today and the clerk told me he punches a hole in the top of a
bottle of Rustprufe (the jar with the rag & solvent in it) and leaves it in his safe.

He said he has seen minor rust spots on weapons disappear after doing this. He keeps one punctured jar in his safe and just adds Rustprufe liquid when the rag gets dry.

He also told me he would never do this in a safe with ammo in it as he thought it may "hurt the primers".

By the way the LGS clerk is in his 70's.

This is where the dilemma comes in. I have a Sturdy Safe with fire insulation in the garage (has to be in garage)
with a Golden Rod and two Eva Dry 500s. I still have found a couple rust spots on the cheaper guns.

So if I go with the Rustprufe idea do I need a separate safe for my ammo? How many of you store ammo in a separate safe/location?
Also, I assume the separate safe would need fire protection as well?

I put this post in General Discussions as it is not a specific question on Safes.

 

[greenmtnguy]

I wouldn't put ammo in the same safe/locker as my firearms, except for maybe what is in my small gun safe with the loaded home defense pistols in it. God forbid we should have a fire, but if so, I'd rather have the option of throwing the ammo box outside or simply letting it do what it is going to do without doing it among all my firearms, which might otherwise survive a fire (or perhaps not). But, I'd still rather not have a situation with possible rounds cooking off inside an enclosed safe with expensive firearms inside.

 

[AlexanderA]

I don't see the point of taking up space in a safe with ammo. What thief is going to steal ammo?

 

[larry_minn]

I don't see the point of taking up space in a safe with ammo. What thief is going to steal ammo?

With ammo in short supply. Maybe they will steal ammo, leave guns. No serial #s

 

[Seventhsword]

I bought a safe just for my ammo. I only keep the .45, .223, and .308 in it, but we are talking almost 20,000 rds. At todays stupid prices, I'm locking it up!

 

[Havok7416]

I don't see how the primers would be affected. Bullets are carried in a variety of outdoor conditions for extended periods of time with law enforcement and military units to no ill effect. Surplus ammo not from sealed cans is also used quite often by a number of people after being stored in who-knows-what kind of conditions. I say go for it.

 

[Triumph]

I am interested in the RustPrufe idea, may be good fodder for a different thread. The clerk at my LGS told me he put two rusted 22LR next to the jar and next time he came back rust was almost gone.

I am pondering the second safe for the ammo. May try to pick up a used Amsec BF.

 

[pa350z]

As of today, ammo is as valuable as gold. If things continue the way they are, how many of us are going to keep shooting? It's one thing to go to the range and shoot knowing that you can stop at Walmart on the way home and restock, but today, you can't. All of the popular ammo is no scarce and expensive if you are lucky enough to find some. My point is that if you can't restock or reload, why shoot? My ammo is fully secured in a safe. I would not leave cash out in the house unlocked, why leave ammo out unlocked?

 

[Triumph]

My point is that if you can't restock or reload, why shoot? My ammo is fully secured in a safe. I would not leave cash out in the house unlocked, why leave ammo out unlocked?

I agree

 

[Ehtereon11B]

I don't have much ammo compared to others on here. So I have mine locked in the same with the firearms. I put it in a stack-on ammo locker to help keep it organized and a little bit more protected. Also helps keep it very dry.

 

[22-rimfire]

I store my ammunition seperately from the firearms. Much of it is in a steel cabinet. If you really need a container, consider a good metal box from Lowes or Home Depot that contractors use that is lockable.

 

[Triumph]

I store my ammunition seperately from the firearms. Much of it is in a steel cabinet. If you really need a container, consider a good metal box from Lowes or Home Depot that contractors use that is lockable.

Thats a good idea. I would hate to shop for a new safe.

 

[Kramer Krazy]

I saw a special on PBS a few months ago from the 1980's for a safe manufacturer here in South Carolina (I don't recall the manufacturer nor can I find it through a quick Internet search). They put one of their safes with concrete fireproofing into a huge pallet bonfire, and to make a long story short, they do NOT recommend putting ammo in your safe with other items because in a fire, the ammo will cook off and will destroy everything inside your safe. During the show's video, you could hear the ammo cooking off. IIRC, they also recommended to not open the safe for a couple of days after a fire if you have paper products (deeds, titles, wills, etc) inside because opening the safe could cause a backdraft situation where an internal fire will start as soon as you open the safe and introduce oxygen into it.

Many years ago, I kept a few hundred rounds in my safe with my guns, but the guns kicked the ammo out a long time ago and the ammo stays outside. I've been looking into steel ammo lockers, lately.

 

[Fremmer]

Too much moisture in that garage. You need to move it out of there. Otherwise you might have better results using a thin layer of grease on the guns.

 

[figment]

I accidentally left a brick of 22lr in a hunting tote in the garage once. It was there for more than a year. When I tried using it, the bullets never left the barrel.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

While I agree that ammo is getting to be a rare & valuable commodity these days, I'll never suggest keeping ammo in the safe with your guns. Find a mil-surp locker, store it in that, not the safe. If one round cooks off in the safe, odds are all of 'em will. Then you have a cloud of incandescent gas in the safe. Not much survives that. I've seen it happen & it's not pretty. Some sort of upright locker is cheap compared to even one half-decent long gun these days.

900F

 

[22-rimfire]

Some sort of upright locker is cheap compared to even one half-decent long gun these days.

There is no way my 22 ammo would fit inside a locker. But yes, don't store ammunition in your gun safe and don't store it in the garage or basement unless it is conditioned space.

 

[2nd 41]

a Golden Rod and two Eva Dry 500s.

I was told not use both. Just use the Rod. Check on that. I'd like someone to confirm this.

 

[brboyer]

A Goldenrod does not reduce humidity levels, it simply increases the temperature inside the safe to help prevent moisture from condensing. Note: Moisture does not need to actually condense for rust to form.

How often do you recharge the Eva-dry's?

Eva-dry 500's have a moisture adsorption capacity of about 8oz and it takes about 6 weeks to adsorb that much.

The yearly average relative humidity in Houston is about 90% in the mornings. If your safe is not sealed, you are fighting a losing battle. If you open you safe, ever, it will refill with that humid air that the Eva-dry's will take 6 weeks to remove. You are fighting a losing battle.

You need to move the safe out of the garage, or seal it up and use a much, much, bigger dehumidifier or use a Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor (VpCI), like http://www.bull-frog.com/

 

[303tom]

I just keep a few of these sitting around.........http://www.soap.com/p/damp-rid-hi-c...ntent=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla............I don`t ever have a rust problem, no moisture, no rust...........