Why is it bad to store ammo in a safe?

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Bill2e

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I herd Tom Gresham say on GUNTALK not to store ammo in your safe. My question is why & where should you store it?
 
I am not sure why it would be bad to store ammo in your safe, but I don't have room for it. I store my ammunition in a metal cabinet separate from my firearms. Both safe and cabinet are in the basement but are about 15 feet apart.

I keep a loaded .380 just inside the door of my safe, as a last resort weapon, but I don't expect to have to employ it.

I am interested in the answers that you get to this question.
 
Well, if Tom Gresham said it, it must be true! :scrutiny:

But quite honestly, I can't think of a better place to store it.
(Except in GI ammo boxs on heavy duty shelving in the basement, because it won't all fit in the safe.)

In steel ammo cans, or in the safe would be the safest possible place for it in the event of a house fire.

If it was me, I'd keep at least some ammo in the safe for every gun in the safe!

rcmodel
 
It depends on the type of ammo. Some ammos are sealed, and so it won't harm them. I would not want to store .22LR in a vault due to the moisture, and the fact that many .22LR do not have a particularly tight seal between the projectile and brass. That could compromise the power.
 
"...I herd(sic)..." Gresham may have been pontificating about a thief being handed both the firearm and ammo at once in the event you become the victim of a crime. Mind you, opening a gun safe is usually too much like work for a criminal. Otherwise there's no reason not to. Except that it'll get in the way. Any, preferably lockable, cabinet will do nicely.
 
Ammo not a practical problem, reloading supplies like powder maybe more of an issue in case of fire.....?
 
I can't store all my ammo and guns in the safe, so all the guns are loaded and the extra ammo is in sealed ammo cans.
 
I leave my ammo in the safe for safety reasons. If I had a fire. I don't think the ammo will go through a 1/2 plate door or 2" double walled concrete. Plus I have a dog that likes chewing on shiney objects:eek:

I also heard if you ever have a fire and the fire dept hears rounds going off. They will not fight the fire. The only reason I have heard that can damage guns and ammo is if you live in a humid climate and close the door for months or years. You might be surprised what you might find after awhile. The fix for that is putting safe dry pack in there. They will suck up the moisture. But you should check them from time to time.
 
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The MythBusters found that ammo will cook-off at about 500 F. At that temp, the metal parts of the guns should still be fine. But -- not if the ammo starts to burn. In addition, the safe is a sealed box. If the ammo burns, the safe has been converted to a pretty big pipe bomb: dangerous for the firefighters.

My guesses -- I'd love to read some actual facts.

Tom Gresham posts to this board under GunTalk. Ask him?

I'll be moving ammo out of the safe.
 
Foxtrot, the pipe bomb thing was all I could think of. but wouldn't 50cal ammo can's make a lot of little pipe bombs?
 
The MythBusters found that ammo will cook-off at about 500 F. At that temp, the metal parts of the guns should still be fine. But -- not if the ammo starts to burn. In addition, the safe is a sealed box. If the ammo burns, the safe has been converted to a pretty big pipe bomb: dangerous for the firefighters.

My guesses -- I'd love to read some actual facts.

Tom Gresham posts to this board under GunTalk. Ask him?

I'll be moving ammo out of the safe.
Click to expand...

naaa I 'll keep them where they are. I thought about that before I placed the safe in the house. Corner of the house window on the side. Not alot to burn around it. and if there was a fire. I know where to put the water:D Also a pipe bomb has to be packed tight.
 
I think he might tell you that's it's more of a disclaimer/safety matter in regard to young kids.

All a kid has to know is that if you poke the back of the boolits hard enough they go bang and he/she could theoretically poke them with a nail or something.

I hope he chimes in, however, as he occasionally does. :)
 
I keep a couple of sardine cans in the safe but the rest is in ammo boxes. My converted "breezeway" has concrete floor and brick walls. Adding thick sheetrock asap to the ceiling so the room will be virtually fireproof except for contents. Any powder is near a "blowout" area in case of fire. Cannot understand why ammo should not be kept in a safe other than it taking up valuable space, wc
 
Foxtrot, the pipe bomb thing was all I could think of. but wouldn't 50cal ammo can's make a lot of little pipe bombs?
Click to expand...

Nope....ammo in cans has been shown to cook off without breaching the can...without the confines of a chamber, ammo is not a directed explosive.
 
Real Estate

My primary reason for not storing more than a couple of boxes of each calibre in the safe?

No room.

I can store the guns in there, or I can store the ammo in there.

Ain't room for both.
 
Whatever, my house is small, I store things where I can.

My safe is 25% dedicated to ammo, range bag and other shooting accoutrements. Did I spell that right?

Case in point, I need to buy more firearms and fill up my safe. That's why I bought a biggish safe. 34 gun safe. Not with scopes its not.

I do keep a large bag of dessicant in the safe. I'll be particularly watchful this PNW winter as my safe is close to an outside wall. But it's also right to a heating vent. I just purchased the safe this summer due to starting a family, a boy no less. Yep, already bought him a 22. :)
 
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I'd say why not store it in your safe? My thinking is what's the point of keeping the guns safe and out of reach if you have nothing to shoot out of them. Granted I only keep a couple hundred rounds of 5.56 or 7.62 in there with the carry ammo for the pistols and maybe some shells, but I'd rather have something immediately available for my safe guns instead of hitting two spots in the house for a load out.
 
I live in Vegas- no moisture here. I keep some ammo in the safes, which are bolted to the floor, the walls and each other- so you would need to be highly motivated to take them all at once. The rest of the ammo is kept in my safe room, in ammo cans or factory boxes. I don't have kids and no kids are ever left unsupervised in my house, so safety is not a worry.

I keep loaded mags for my HK91, AR-15 and all the pistols in my safe, just in case. If I need to lock myself and my wife in the safe room, I don't want to go searching for the HK mag.
 
here is my speculation

safes can be quite high in the moisture content of the air. I believe this is related to the fire retardant material that is inside coupled with the near total seal of air you get in the safe.

That's why people put 'golden rods' in their gun safes.

We all know high humidity and moisture is bad for ammo, hence most people store ammo in a sealed can often with some 'dessicant' packs thrown in.

Why put ammo some place that is more humid than average if you don't have to?
 
If there's that much moisture in there, then it aint fit for your guns either. Me thinks the moisture theory don't hold water...hehe, couldn't resist
 
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