So, about storing ammo......

[ABNAK]

I have, depending on where you are from, a "root cellar" or "fruit cellar". It's the little storage room in your basement right underneath the front porch. I had steel security door installed with multiple locks. Although my gun safe is in there, essentially the entire room is a gun safe. I keep all my gun related stuff in there (except home defense handguns of course).

Now, the basement is cooler than the rest of the house in the winter, but obviously not as cold as outside. In the summer it is warmer than the rest of the house but again less so than outside. I have a dehumidifier running in the laundry room/gun workbench area just outside the fruit cellar/safe. In the summer the fruit cellar will get a little bit more humid than the rest of the basement because I leave the security door closed all week while I'm working and usually just open things on the weekends when I'm off and screwing around in there. In the winter it stays cooler than the rest of the basement for the same reason but the air is dry as a popcorn fart.

I know ammo is supposed to be stored in a relatively temperature controlled environment. My SHTF stuff is all in ammo cans. While in the winter the fruit cellar gets chilly it isn't "cold" per se (as compared to outside). In the summer it gets a little stuffy in there but not like outside. While I don't have a thermometer I'll wager a guesstimate that temps in the gunroom fluctuate yearly between the upper 40's to the low 80's with reasonably reduced humidity during the summer (considering the security door is closed during the week as I mentioned above).

Is that a sufficiently "controlled" environment to store ammo in long-term?

[gaijin]

Sounds OK to me.

I have an outbuilding that's my "gun room". Temps here range from 0 to 110 degrees with humidity ranging from nothing to 90% in summer.
I run a de-hue when humidity is high and the temperature is controlled with a "zone line" AC/heater.
My temperature range may not be as great as yours, but humidity is probably similar.

There is ammo, powder and primers that are 25 yrs. old and still functions as new.

[ABNAK]

Sounds OK to me.

I have an outbuilding that's my "gun room". Temps here range from 0 to 110 degrees with humidity ranging from nothing to 90% in summer.
I run a de-hue when humidity is high and the temperature is controlled with a "zone line" AC/heater.
My temperature range may not be as great as yours, but humidity is probably similar.

There is ammo, powder and primers that are 25 yrs. old and still functions as new.

The temp fluctuation I was referring to was in the gunroom, not outside.

[gaijin]

Yep, I got that.

My understanding is extremes in humidity are a bigger problem than temperatures.
My experience bears this out.

[ABNAK]

Yep, I got that.

My understanding is extremes in humidity are a bigger problem than temperatures.
My experience bears this out.

It's TN so yeah, the summer (even inside in the gunroom) is more humid than the winter. But of course the change is gradual as the year progresses and is not as humid as outside during the summer.

I realize I may be splitting hairs but I have a good deal of $$$ tied up in quality SHTF ammo so was just trying to see if my particular setup was GTG.

[Inkslinger]

Have you thought about adding a vapor barrier and insulating the room. That will minimize your humidity and shrink the temperature fluctuation.

[ABNAK]

Have you thought about adding a vapor barrier and insulating the room. That will minimize your humidity and shrink the temperature fluctuation.

?????

[Inkslinger]

?????

What don’t you understand? These are methods to better regulate the climate in your room.

[ggammell]

Have central air? Add a return and register in your basement. That will keep the humidity and temp regulated.

[twm134]

How are you people keeping ammo for any length of time? Ammo to me is like whiskey to an alcoholic; never around for any length of time.

For any ammo that is in danger of getting old I keep it sealed in a can and don't let it get too warm. I have shot/used ammo, powder, and primers from 60 years ago that was stored "relatively" well and never had a problem.

Also, when I was younger, the old men I grew up with were veterans of WWII and Korea. They had much ammo from that era. Surplus and excess. Ball and black tip. I still have some and I have been shooting it for the past twenty years. It has all worked exactly as it is suppose to. No Idea as to how well it was stored.

Seal it in a can and don't let it get baked. It will easily outlast you.

[Jmedic_]

Everything I’ve read, leads me to believe, that fluctuations are the worst thing for ammo. Be it, temperature or humidity. From reading the OP, I would say store it somewhere else. I keep my stash stacked deep in a closet. Thermostat set at 70 degrees. But, truth be told, you’re probably going to have to have your great grand children post on M4C how the ammo did after all those years, once we’re all long and dead lol.

[markm]

How are you people keeping ammo for any length of time? Ammo to me is like whiskey to an alcoholic; never around for any length of time.


Stash ammo in cans never gets touched in my house. I just load ammo to shoot.

[ScottsBad]

Everyone has their way of storing ammo and their philosophy about how much extra to keep around. I'm in Commiefornia where we just lost our right to buy ammo unless the State sanctions it. Knowing this was coming I have been stacking extra for years. I keep it mainly in ammo cans with three or four medium sized desiccant packs per box.

Unused (or maybe carefully used) paint cans are another way to store ammo. I buy unused gallon paint cans at the hardware store. These work great for loose rounds and I can get about 325 rounds of 5.56 in a gallon can lined with a plastic bag and a couple of desiccant packs. Make sure to paint the outside for cammo and because the cans can rust. Stack em with your paint.

Only buy mil-spec or sealed ammunition (sealant primers, and projectiles) if you want it to last the maximum amount of time. However, I had .223 reloads I got from my dad that were bought in 1977 and shot up until 2012. They were not mil-spec and they were never in a sealed can, but shot perfectly despite their age and handling.

I used to keep all ammo in the garage, but finally moved most of it indoors since I have such a large investment now.

Lastly, the only problem I've had with unsealed boxes is that the cheap cardboard boxes can absorb moisture and corrode brass and copper that comes into contact over a period of years.

[twm134]

Stash ammo in cans never gets touched in my house. I just load ammo to shoot.

I do the same thing...mostly. Load what I shoot and try not to touch what's stashed, but I haven't been able to stash any ammo long enough to worry about it not lasting. I've shot stuff that was fifty years old, not stored in any special way and it still worked fine. So I'm thinking my 5-10 year old stuff sealed in cans will be fine for the rest of my life.

[Bimmer]

I have a dehumidifier running in the laundry room/gun workbench area just outside the fruit cellar/safe. In the summer the fruit cellar will get a little bit more humid than the rest of the basement...

This isn't good enough. Spend $8.00 and buy a hygrometer and collect some real data.

40-60% humidity is good and normal. 60-70% is marginal. Anything over 70% is a problem.

FWIW, I'm in the Pacific Northwest, basically rain forest. I store my ammo in file cabinets in my home office (conditioned space). My reloading set-up is in my insulated garage, and I run a couple big 70-pint dehumidifiers out there, as needed (it's 1,200 sq-ft.). At 70% or more, stuff starts sweating.

For all the guys storing ammo in cans long term, I assume they're using dessicant.