View Full Version : Ammo Storage...
Razorhunter
10-28-08, 22:52
I couldn't find much info on ammo storage, and ammo life here, so maybe it's more common knowledge than I had thought.
However, I've always wanted to know the answers to the following questions:
1. Are the green military surplus ammo boxes pretty much the best way to store ammo?
2. What other realistic/affordable storage options even exist for ammo storage in the home? (not that I'm not happy with my OD Mil boxes, because I love them). I just want to make sure they will properly store my ammo for as long as possible, which brings me to my next question:
3. What is the life expectancy of ammo? (.223/5.56/7.62 specifically) I mean, will ammo last a lifetime IF stored in these OD green Mil ammo boxes, as long as the rubber seals are in tact???
4. What if ammo is stored on the shelf in your home??? (and not in the green mil boxes)??? I mean, would that significantly affect the life expectancy of the ammo? (not referring to overly humid garages or basements.).
As you can see, I'm just wanting to know if my ammo will last for AS LONG as I could possibly want it to last, IF I keep it in these Mil surplus boxes???
Of course, I'm also wondering at what point would it go bad, if left stored on the shelf, inside my properly heated/cooled house??? Would it ever go bad at all???
5. Can certain ammo absorb more moisture than others?? I would think it would be awful hard for any ammo to absorb moisture, by just sitting on a shelf.
6. Is NATO ammo, with a sealed and crimped primer less prone to absorbing moisture, while sitting on the shelf? (after all, isn't the sealed primer designed to keep ammo somewhat water/weatherproof, or am I wrong about that?) I've honestly never known the deal here. I guess I just always thought that the purpose of sealed and crimped primers, was so that some mil guys who take their weapons/ammo underwater, would be able to do so without issue. Is this correct, or totally incorrect??
Just trying to make sure I'm up to par on ammo storage here. For years I've thought about bringing this up, but never have until now.
Was going to google a little info, but thought I'd see what you guys here had to say as well...
I have asked about the same topic a few times as well. The mil type green cans and some desicant will do you well for quite a few years. I have heard 10 plus. I think the general idea is to keep it dry and consistant. I use the water proof boxes from wal mart, bass pro and otherrs for a bout 7 bucks. They hold more ammo. I put those boxes inside my safe the also has a few containers if the damp rid. I have even thought about vacum packing mine with a food saver but that just might be over kill.
I fire 7.62X54 ammo from 1949. Bombs/mines/mortars blow up monthly in Europe buried in the ground from WW2. People find Civil war cannonballs that still go boom.
Keep it in the same conditions you like(cool, dry) and it'll outlast you.
(cool, dry)
That's all there is to it. There's nothing Magical about ammo cans. If you live in a low humidity climate you could really get away without them.
Interesting article.
http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/longtermammo.htm
Razorhunter
10-29-08, 19:13
Umm, I get the point about cool and dry, but I'm not so sure about comparing small arms ammo to mines and mortar rounds in Europe.
A mine is designed to be underground, out in the elements, and even if it weren't, the bottom line is that a mine case is a mine case, and a round of ammo is a round of ammo.
Just because a mine has lasted all these years, doesn't mean a small arms round will.
And Lawdog,
Where are you hearing this "10 plus" years? I mean, has someone actually given the opinion that 10 years or just a little more, could be MAX???
I mean, there's a huge difference between "10+ years" and "should last a lifetime".
I realize there is a lot of speculation on the subject, and there aren't many people who have hard core proof, but I'm just wondering where you got this "10+ years or so" info from??
Also, I've heard about these waterproof boxes from Walmart and BassPro before, and I certainly don't know what you are referring to from WalMart.
Are they located in the sports section or what??? I'm trying to think if I've seen these before?? Are they clear, or solid colored or what?
I can't possibly see trusting my ammo to a cheap WalMart case, unless it's damn good. I would think that the green Military ammo boxes which have the TIGHT locking pressure hinges are probably going to seal up a hell of a lot better than the WalMart boxes right? (or wrong?)
Granted, I've not seen them, but I'm just wondering if they can even compete with the green Mil boxes??? If so, then maybe I'll go looking for some.
Tell me what you think?? Thanks guys.
A lot of the com-bloc ammo is corrosive primed which is to ensure the longevity of the ammo. Most NATO countries got away from those primers - most reports I have heard place the date in the 1950s.
If you got to see that Guatemalan ammo that came in about a year ago, you'd realize that if you keep it cool and dry you'd be set. A lot the Guat ammo was stored in wooden boxes in sealed packs. A lot of the ammo was heavily corroded/tarnished. Some of the stuff I got was really nasty but I shot it anyhow to see what would happen - it all worked fine. Most of the ammo was from the late-80s or early 90s so it was pushing 20 years old.
Some people really like the South African ammo that was available by the pallet load in the early 90s - most of that stuff was almost 20 years old.
I guess what I'm trying to say is if you keep it cool and dry you should be set. I've never seen a specific date ammo will go bad - not like milk I guess!
Spooky
If you store ammo properly you will have no issues with it funtioning. The worse things are high heat and humidity. If you can keep your ammo stores in a cool place (room temp) and stored in ammo cans with dessicant or other means that will inhibit moisture then you will have no issues. I have AK ammo here in Iraq made in Bulgaria in the '70's that shoots great.
Umm, I get the point about cool and dry, but I'm not so sure about comparing small arms ammo to mines and mortar rounds in Europe.
A mine is designed to be underground, out in the elements, and even if it weren't, the bottom line is that a mine case is a mine case, and a round of ammo is a round of ammo.
Just because a mine has lasted all these years, doesn't mean a small arms round will.
And Lawdog,
Where are you hearing this "10 plus" years? I mean, has someone actually given the opinion that 10 years or just a little more, could be MAX???
I mean, there's a huge difference between "10+ years" and "should last a lifetime".
I realize there is a lot of speculation on the subject, and there aren't many people who have hard core proof, but I'm just wondering where you got this "10+ years or so" info from??
Also, I've heard about these waterproof boxes from Walmart and BassPro before, and I certainly don't know what you are referring to from WalMart.
Are they located in the sports section or what??? I'm trying to think if I've seen these before?? Are they clear, or solid colored or what?
I can't possibly see trusting my ammo to a cheap WalMart case, unless it's damn good. I would think that the green Military ammo boxes which have the TIGHT locking pressure hinges are probably going to seal up a hell of a lot better than the WalMart boxes right? (or wrong?)
Granted, I've not seen them, but I'm just wondering if they can even compete with the green Mil boxes??? If so, then maybe I'll go looking for some.
Tell me what you think?? Thanks guys.
Umm, I get the point about cool and dry, but I'm not so sure about comparing small arms ammo to mines and mortar rounds in Europe.
A mine is designed to be underground, out in the elements, and even if it weren't, the bottom line is that a mine case is a mine case, and a round of ammo is a round of ammo.
Just because a mine has lasted all these years, doesn't mean a small arms round will.
And Lawdog,
Where are you hearing this "10 plus" years? I mean, has someone actually given the opinion that 10 years or just a little more, could be MAX???
I mean, there's a huge difference between "10+ years" and "should last a lifetime".
I realize there is a lot of speculation on the subject, and there aren't many people who have hard core proof, but I'm just wondering where you got this "10+ years or so" info from??
Also, I've heard about these waterproof boxes from Walmart and BassPro before, and I certainly don't know what you are referring to from WalMart.
Are they located in the sports section or what??? I'm trying to think if I've seen these before?? Are they clear, or solid colored or what?
I can't possibly see trusting my ammo to a cheap WalMart case, unless it's damn good. I would think that the green Military ammo boxes which have the TIGHT locking pressure hinges are probably going to seal up a hell of a lot better than the WalMart boxes right? (or wrong?)
Granted, I've not seen them, but I'm just wondering if they can even compete with the green Mil boxes??? If so, then maybe I'll go looking for some.
Tell me what you think?? Thanks guys.
If I'm thinking of the same thing, these are just cheap plastic verisons of the mil ammo cans. I've got one myself, it is about 15 years old but I can tell you it is nowhere near as strong as the mil ammo cans and won't take much abuse without breaking.
I used to shoot some highpower military rifle matches, I always used a M1 Garand and shot CMP surplus ammo. Some of this ammo dated back to 1957, I've never had nor seen any other shooter have any problems with it. Like I do, just pack it in mil ammo cans with a small pack of dessicant and you will most likely have good ammo for the rest of your life. Just my limited experience and opinion;)
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=20495&highlight=ammo+storage
Like I said I have asked this question before.
These are the boxes I was talking about,.... I thnk they are in the boating section of walmart..
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_820____SearchResults
RogerinTPA
10-30-08, 10:23
I buy in bulk so I keep them in the cardboard case they came in, which are sealed in plastic and stored in a cool dry area. Once open, the ammo not fired is stored in GI ammo cans.
I plan on using the same boxes from Wal-Mart !!! I bought 3 of them ... 1 for my pistols ammo and the other 2 for the AR-15 ammo !!! I live in Florida and the temperature of the house is controlled by the Central Air Conditioner System , set at 76 degrees always, permanently . Since the Central Air removes all the humidity, etc , I think that the ammo in those plastic boxes will be o. k. Any way, I have already 1500 rds of pistol ammo and I just ordered 1000 rds for my AR-15 . The boxes doesn`t have to be very strong , they are just sitting on my closet on the floor . I am not taken them anywhere , just to store the ammo. These boxes have a seal lit, not very good , but, to store the boxes of ammo will do fine .
I put those boxes inside my safe the also has a few containers if the damp rid
Don't store ammo in your safe. It is not safe. (Same for powder and primers). Safes generally have pretty good seals and therefore are like big bombs if in a fire. If you have a house fire and the inside of the safe gets hot enough to cause the powder to start to burn, the pressure inside the safe will start to grow...
Ammo (and powder) should be stored such that if a fire were to occur, it could burn and vent its gasses without risk of causing an increase in pressure. Lockable storage cabinets are OK as long as they are not anywhere near airtight.
Ammo boxes and such are made to fail if the pressure builds up inside of them.
white spaniard
11-05-08, 15:38
So I should not store my ammo in my shed here in south TX?
I have some 30-06 from the early 1950's made by LC. It shoots great. I would not worry too much if you keep it dry and cool.
losbronces
11-06-08, 22:57
I have shot LC surplus ammo in 30-06 from 1943 (this was in 1973) so it was 30 years old and it all worked. I have shot 12 year old 300 Win Mag reloads (my own) without sealed primers with no failures. I don't worry about ammo "going bad" as long as it doesn't get soaked or exposed to corrosive chemicals.
Parabellum9x19mm
11-07-08, 04:21
military ammo cans are convenient for keeping ammo sorted at home, as well as carrying it to the range.
ammunition is heavy stuff. the cans adequately support the weight of their contents. they're good for stacking too. the folding handles work very well.
i would just say get the new style cans. the WWII cans suck. they are also more expensive nowadays i believe.
toddackerman
11-09-08, 01:26
So I should not store my ammo in my shed here in south TX?
That would be a big no.
i built a dedicated reloading shed out from the house, i put a high quality de-humidifier in it to "keep my power dry".
i tried to edit above post,,"keep the POWDER dry"
Pics of the "frozen" rusty Glock (http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=168438&highlight=Katrina+Ammo+Can), falfiles.com, post-katrina thread
post #18
"Ammo cans - Ammo was fresh, clean and dry after several weeks under water. Water was fresh/salt brackish water with sewerage and 50000 gallons of benzine as well as other chemicals in it."
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