Long term set-and-forget magazine storage

[Bluto]

I want to put away some magazines for a very long time. Temperature will be in the high 70's to low 80's with ~35% humidity. This will be a mix of pmags and usgi. They will need to be in some sort of container. My options are anything from standard plastic bins to surplus medical device transportation containers. The medical containers are made out of aluminum with the same type of rubber seal as standard ammo cans. They are much more expensive, but not as expensive as the mags they would protect.

How do you guys prep for very long term magazine storage? Should I plan on anything other than desiccant?

Assume my plan is to put them away and not even think about them for the next 20 years...

ETA: these mags will not be stored loaded.

[sevenhelmet]

I would recommend sealing them in ammo cans with the plastic anti-corrosion liners and a small (~1 oz.) desiccant pouch to minimize moisture inside the liner bags. That's about the best you can do for long-term storage.

I personally store my ammo and mags separately, except for my ready mags, which get shot and rotated often enough that I don't worry about corrosion.

[docsherm]

I use a plastic ammo can with a rubber seal and desiccant.

I only keep about 20 loaded and rotate them every year. All of my long term storage are separated and sealed.

[Bluto]

In case anyone cares, I found these: https://colemans.com/shop/containers...-g-i-aluminum/

Pretty much a huge aluminum ammo can!

They are bigger than they seem; the medium case can easily hold 200 30 round magazines. Not the cheapest solution, but these will last forever...

[docsherm]

In case anyone cares, I found these: https://colemans.com/shop/containers...-g-i-aluminum/

Pretty much a huge aluminum ammo can!

They are bigger than they seem; the medium case can easily hold 200 30 round magazines. Not the cheapest solution, but these will last forever...

Those things are great to store and stack stuff, they used to store and transport medical supplies. Very tough and can support a great deal of weight, but they can get real heavy real quick. The problem is that to point of failure are the hinges. When they go you will loose the seal. As a static storage unit they are a great option.

[Moose-Knuckle]

I use 20mm cans and these with silica gel desiccant packets, . . .

Iris Watertight Storage Containers

[Labayu]

I want to put away some magazines for a very long time. Temperature will be in the high 70's to low 80's with ~35% humidity. This will be a mix of pmags and usgi. They will need to be in some sort of container. My options are anything from standard plastic bins to surplus medical device transportation containers. The medical containers are made out of aluminum with the same type of rubber seal as standard ammo cans. They are much more expensive, but not as expensive as the mags they would protect.

How do you guys prep for very long term magazine storage? Should I plan on anything other than desiccant?

Assume my plan is to put them away and not even think about them for the next 20 years...

ETA: these mags will not be stored loaded.

Why not loaded? If they are low use or new mags then they could be stored loaded indefinitely if they have modern stainless or CS springs. I even pulled an ancient 20rd mag out of a dead relative's army footlocker back in 1998. He didn't own an AR15 so I assume it had been there since he came back from Vietnam. It had been in a Houston TX garage for 35 years and I eventually inserted that magazine into my AR and it fired every round without a hitch.

If they aren't going to be loaded and they are modern magazines with stainless springs then just use the cheapest and lightest container that will stand up to being tossed about a few times during transport.

[Tape]

I would recommend sealing them in ammo cans

ditto, and they will outlive you Bluto.