Storing large amounts of ammo safely?

[Phantom Warrior]

I was just reading a thread asking how much ammo everyone had on hand. One person mentioned...a very large number (hint: more than 349,999 rounds, but less than 350,001) which got me thinking.

1. What are the safety concerns regarding having a large amount of ammunition in your house?

2. What is the best way to store it to reduce those concerns?

3. Is there some point where you would say, "I don't want to get more ammo because I think it would be a safety risk." ?

This is not a trolling question. Some day I hope to have enough money to start buying extra ammo (right now I'm broke). I'm just wondering about safety.

 

[Greg L]

Hmmm...

You know, if you have that many crates of ammo & can stack it solidly you could slap some siding on one side & drywall on the other......

 

[Amish_Bill]

Safe Storage for me means having shelving strong enough to hold it and not fall down if I stumble into it. There;s not much more unsafe than a flimsy shelf dumping cases of ammo on you.

Fire wise, not a concern. No more danger than boxes of firecrackers, and a lot harder to make them go off.

 

[Daedalus]

Make an igloo out of .50 cal cans in your living room.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

No different than storing lesser amounts properly. You know, no extremes of temperature, low humidity, adequate ventilation, proper security, etc.

900F

 

[Insectguy]

Why, store them in clips!

 

[biere]

From the weight mentioned in the other thread, 9k lbs +, I would worry most about the floor underneath it.

Then I would want to keep it at a constant temp, the cooler the better until I hit around 50 degrees or whatever caves tend to run at.

.

 

[Moparmike]

I try to store my ammo near open flames and poorly-protected, high-voltage electrical boxes.

 

[klover]

I sleep on mine!

 

[Valkman]

Preacherman has the most I've seen, and he uses cabinets with strong shelving put inside. His are lockable also.

I took the shelf and rod out the closet here in my office and installed a Gorilla Rack from Sam's Club. Now I can stack a whole lotta ammo on that, and I did the same to the closet in the safe room.

If I ever hit #3 I'll let you know, but I don't have that much yet.

 

[F4GIB]

Small arms ammunition is not an expolsive.

It can be ignited and will burn (just as if the firing pin struck the primer) but the expanding gas will not be confined in the cartridge case or attached barrel. The projectile will not be ejected with much force.

Federal did some tests with the Blaine, Minnesota Fire Department around 1990 and discovered the projectiles would not penetrate a firefighter's bunker gear. That was reported in Fire Chief or one of the other topical magazines.

Biggest danger is structural due to concentrated weight.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

The NRA also did a similar test to that reported above by F4GIB. Those results were reported in American Rifleman. I would imagine a search of the NRA website would bring it up.

900F

 

[odysseus]

A lot of jokes here...

but I think the main issue I would be concerend with is moisture. I think the assumption here in this thread is you are storing 350,000 rounds inside the house.

My question is what about outside of a "house"? Does anyone store large amounts somewhere less enviromentally controlled?

 

[Sven]

Here's a tip from a guy who owns a MilSurp store near me: heat the ammo boxes up with a hairdryer or with the oven barely on before packing them.

When you seal them, as it cools it creates a little vaccum. Also removes any moisture. Those military ammo boxes can survive the elements if the seal is good. Do a test this winter!

 

[Moondoggie]

I store mine in a defunct side-by-side fridge in the basement near my reloading bench. There are several thousand rds in there. My basement is dry, plus I have a dehumidifier set on auto down there. I beefed-up the shelves to handle the weight.

I store powder and primers in the doors on either side.

Kinda nice to have the light come on when I open up my "ammo storage cabinet"!

 

[NHBB]

Here's a tip from a guy who owns a MilSurp store near me: heat the ammo boxes up with a hairdryer or with the oven barely on before packing them.

When you seal them, as it cools it creates a little vaccum. Also removes any moisture. Those military ammo boxes can survive the elements if the seal is good. Do a test this winter!

ammo in the oven.... regardless of all the tests, still sounds scary

 

[goon]

ammo in the oven.... regardless of all the tests, still sounds scary

You could just heat the box for a few minutes, then put the ammo in it.
Sticking ammo in the oven does just seem to be loaded down with liabilities.

 

[The_Antibubba]

Store??? You mean you guys actually buy more ammo than you can shoot at one time?

Wow-I never even considered that.

 

[mainmech48]

Personally, I feel safer with a 'reasonably large' amount of stored ammo than I would without it.

Guess it all depends upon how broad your definition of the terms "safety" and "reasonable" might be.

While I don't believe that my present hoard in any way increases my chances of having a fire in my home, I also recognize that there would be some degree of extra danger should that occur (God, in His Mercy, forbid!).

I do the best that I can to keep the odds tilted as far in my favor as possible. There are appropriate fire extinguishers, regularly checked and recharged, everywhere identifiable ignition sources are located: kitchen, garage, basement, workroom.

All flammables are stored in approved containers, as far from ignition hazards as possible and in the minimum quantities necessary.

Powder is in an Underwriters Lab-approved magazine, as are primers, which are also stored at the opposite end of the house.

No more than one five-gallon can each of kerosene and gasoline in the garage. Usually less, as it tends to get used-up regularly.

All ammo not in sealed crates gets put into .50 cal. ammo cans with new gaskets and a dessicant bag. These go onto HD shelving units in my dehumidified basement. They are in a room behind a locked door and 1/2" of fire-retardant wallboard on top of masonry.

Semi-expensive, but not only passed the inspection for additional HO insurance coverage - it qualified for a discount. To be fair, the dual-purpose (intrusion/fire) alarm system and gun safe probably had at least as much to do with it.

 

[Sven]

Lawyers out there: please note that I advocated heating the ammo containers (not your actual ammo) before packing them with ammo and sealing them.

 

[rritter]

mainmech48 wrote:
> I do the best that I can to keep the odds tilted as far in my
> favor as possible. There are appropriate fire extinguishers,
> regularly checked and recharged, everywhere identifiable
> ignition sources are located: kitchen, garage, basement,
> workroom.

I remember, years ago, seeing something that mentioned that a primary cause of house fires was the television set. Something to do with accumulated dust inside the cabinet in close proximity to some very high-voltage components. I don't know if that's still a valid concern.