should ammo be refrigerated?

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only if the fridge ain't plugged in.
No need to refrigerate ammo. Just keep it at a reasonable, stable temperature. It will last longer than you.
 
Yes an old refrigerator would make a good storage cabinet for loaded ammo. Cut off the electrical cord so it can't be plugged in. You could even run a ground wire to the metal of the frigerator but probably not necessary.
 
Just keep your ammo in a dry, mid temperature climate and it will last virtually forever.
 
i live in the northeast and during the summer i use the AC very sparingly. Is the ammo suffering for it?
 
Not unless you are suffering from it.

If it's comfortable for you?

It's comfortable for the ammo.

rc
 
Never heard of the need of refrigerated ammo. You'd be better off getting dry boxes with desiccant if you were really that worried.
 
Keep it dry, only thing refrigeration could help is with moisture, but you would only want it at 50-60 degrees. Waste of electricity IMO.

I got an entire box of these moisture absorbing packs from old ladies work you find in brand new designer shoes, bags, etc. Like the ones for vehicles. (some also remove odors) I have one in the safe, one in each gun case with weapons and a few in with ammunition stored.
 
I've seen powder stored in an old refrigerator. It wasn't working, though. It just happens that a refrigerator has qualities that make it about perfect for storing powder. Its insulated so in the event of a housefire it buys some time to put the fire out before the powder catches. And if the powder does catch flame, the refrigerator will open and release the gas pressure rather than keep it confined and become a high pressure explosion.
 
I don't refrigerate, but I do place a cold pack in my range bag when shooting IDPA matches during July/Aug. I load with WST which is reverse temp sensitive. I started last year after having a couple weak rounds give me problems from being in the heat. Since I haven't had any problems. With my min PF, I don't have much room for error.
 
The only time my ammo ever gets exposed to hot or cold temps is when it's in the field during a hunt or other use. If you read the lable on the powder and primers it will give you some temp restrictions regarding storage.

GS
 
I used to use an old fridge to store welding rods, Disable the cooling unit, install a small (20watt) bulb in the fridge, keep it on all the time and it will keep a constant temp. and keep the moisture out. Dry ammo is happy ammo.
 
They make a thing called an Ammo Can. The military spent a lot of money developing a solution for long term storage of ammo that's also portable. People seem to want to reinvent the wheel for no reason.


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Heat and humidity are the greatest enemy of gunpowder. Cold, unchanging cold, is better than hot. The perfect storage conditions for gunpowder is arctic. Unchanging cold and so dry that plant life is freeze dried.

I would not store gunpowder in an unoperating refrigerator. It is a tin box and if the gunpowder autocombusts any blast would be magnified even though the door is not locked.
 
dragon813gt said:
They make a thing called an Ammo Can. The military spent a lot of money developing a solution for long term storage of ammo that's also portable. People seem to want to reinvent the wheel for no reason.


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Ammo cans are great for loaded ammo. Not recommended for powder. They form an airtight locked seal and become a bomb if they cook off.

The SAAMI specs again:

http://www.saami.org/specifications.../download/SAAMI_ITEM_200-Smokeless_Powder.pdf
 
They form an airtight locked seal and become a bomb if they cook off.
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No, they actually can't become a bomb.
Unless you put high explosives in them.

In a fire, the rubber lid seal will melt before internal temp is high enough to light off the powder, or ammo.

In the mean time, the spring latch on the lid will lose out to the fire, soften, and allow the lid to spring open to release pressure.

If they were closed bombs, they would not be at all suitable for ammo transport & storage in the military.

rc
 
Ammo cans are great for loaded ammo. Not recommended for powder. They form an airtight locked seal and become a bomb if they cook off.
Click to expand...


I agree with this. Loose powder is to be stored in easily ruptured containers. This is due to the possibility of auto combustion inside the can.

ROLE OF DIPHENYLAMINE AS A STABILIZER IN PROPELLANTS;
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY OF DIPHENYLAMINE IN PROPELLANTS

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/783499.pdf

Nitrocellulose-base propellants are essentially unstable materials that decompose on aging with the evolution of oxides of nitrogen. The decomposition is autocatalytic and can lead to failure of the ammunition or disastrous explosions.
Click to expand...
 
Rule3 said:
Ammo cans are great for loaded ammo. Not recommended for powder. They form an airtight locked seal and become a bomb if they cook off.

The SAAMI specs again:

http://www.saami.org/specifications.../download/SAAMI_ITEM_200-Smokeless_Powder.pdf
Click to expand...

The thread topic is ammo, not powder. So I was talking about ammo. And you talk about a bomb. Primers are more volatile then powder. Yet ammo cans meet NFPA guidelines for storage. The seal will melt in a fire well before the powder would combust.


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i store my ammo in GI cans

but i lucked up and got a flammable liquids safety cabinet that a contractor at work was scrapping. perfect for powder and primers. double walled and, like the ammo cans, designed to not hold pressure and turn into a bomb. it actually has some perforated plugs in the sides that keep it from being airtight.
 
dragon813gt said:
The thread topic is ammo, not powder. So I was talking about ammo. And you talk about a bomb. Primers are more volatile then powder. Yet ammo cans meet NFPA guidelines for storage. The seal will melt in a fire well before the powder would combust.


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My bad. I was thinking powder. Sorry.:eek:

Yes ammo cans for ammo, kinda makes sense:D

I'll go back to sleep now.
 
Storing ammo in a refrigerated space seems pointless to me but if it makes you happy go right ahead. I don't think it will hurt anything.
 
My job in the Army was ammunition storage, transportation, and maintenance. I never had any requirement to refrigerate munitions. We've fought is some pretty brutal environments; Pacific Islands, North Africa, the Artic (natural refrigeration there), Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan,... I don't recall us using refrigeration in any of the combat theaters we've visited in the past.
 
I've never used a non-functioning fridge for storing ammo. However, if I had one in the basement that I didn't want to move upstairs I would certainly consider filling it with ammo.
 
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