Question for you ammo collectors and reloaders. How do you store bulk ammo? The darling husband seems to think that we need to have the .223 in 100 round boxes after he reloads. I think that after checking each round we can put them loose in an ammo can. He thinks that can damage the bullet. I said it should only affect the bullet if the crimp is bad. Who is right?

I store my bulk reloaded ammo in coffee cans, I usually load a thousand rounds at a time, as I use it from the plastic boxes that I take to the range, I refill from the coffee cans.

Don't know if this is the right way, but it works for me.

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John

upside down, with the round facing down. I've had great success.

If the crimp is good, then your fine doing bulk storage. I store mine in the black plastic Winchester ammo cans that you can stack...600 rounds in each. Using the 100 round plastic boxes tends to take up too much space. There is no wrong answer, it just comes down to how much area in a room are you willing to give up for ammo storage and the added cost for the boxes verses the bulk cans.

I don't reload but when I buy a case I often take the ammo out of the individual boxes and dump them in a ammo can. Nothing gets damaged.

No reloading...all store bought. All ammo is stored in 50 cal ammo cans with desiccant packs (2) in each that is long term and no desiccant in daily/monthly use ammo. 1000 rounds of 40 cal per can, 800 rounds of 5.56/223, and I'm not sure on 12 gauge or 22LR.

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Bob | KM4DEO
Sport | Glock 22

Cans. joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Store bought goes into ammo cans in the original box. The reloads go into 50 round MTM boxes and they get stacked on the shelf. The reasoning behind this is that the reloads get used in smaller quantities (hunting, match shooting, etc.) while the factory gets used in larger quantities (training, teaching, etc.).

I use the same procedure as some of the others with surplus military ammo cans (50 Cal is my favorite but not always available). I also use standard plastic 20, 25, 50 and 100 round boxes which are placed inside the military ammo cans. I still have some rounds and shotgun shells from the 1970's, and there is no indication of discoloration. I have fired some this past year without a single failure.

I do not use dessicant packs since in my personal opinion they serve no purpose; although I can't see where they do any harm either.

I must add my ammunition has always been kept in my various homes with a controlled environment. In Nam, I can not recall there ever being an ammo issue even under the worse conditions as long as it came out of a military ammo box. The only ammo that did not seem to work even outside of ammo boxes was rounds which were physically damaged by getting banged or bent up.

My storage is as much for organization as anything else.

I think this has a different answer for different scenarios...

Hand loaded, perfectly tuned to the barrel match grade ammo for serious competitions... then they probably should be stored in some type of devices that holds each individual cartridge and keeps it from banging around into another one. Storing them this way also allows for easier round count, but takes up more room.

Mass produced, reloaded plinking ammo to go shoot steel and such... throw them loose in the ammo can.

I shoot a lot of M855 in my AR. I buy it loose and I dump it loose into 7.62 ammo can that holds around 500 rounds of 5.56. That's what I take to the range.

It is true that any minor damage imperfection in the bullet can affect accuracy. To avoid this with my Rem 700 I store ammo in factory boxes with separators and use a loading ramp which effectively makes my 700 a single shot rifle. But since we're talking about an autoloader battle accuracy AR... loose rounds are just fine.

That said, your husband probably takes pride in his reloads, so maybe just leave him be, eh?

Cranked out by the thousands handgun plinking ammo goes in empty shot bags. If you don't have the old cloth ones or don't reload shotshell a lot of farm stores sell white cloth bags in the canning area. 2 of these then go in an ammo can along with 1 empty bag. As you shoot the empties go in the empty bag.

Stored in 100 rounds boxes with the rounds separated, like the MTM cases, is definitely better for the rounds. There is no chance they will be bumped around and potentially bent or dinged.

That said, I've never seen ammo damaged by being stored loose in a box.

This is one of those situations where neither is necessarily wrong. You have to decide if you want to fight this battle. The storage cases are cheap and of good quality. What do you have to lose?

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Freedom isn't free.

Handgun ammo in 50- and 100-rd boxes, mixed factory and MTM. Rifle ammo in 20-rd boxes, factory and MTM, all in .50 cal. cans.

^^^ This is what I do.

I store my ammo in little brass cases, along with some powder and primer.

I had a thread a few months ago about vacuum packing for long term storage. Some people liked the idea and some did not. I have a few hundred stored like that now. I figure it cant hurt.

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Not so Free in the Free State

In magazines?

Here's one more poster in favor of ammo cans.

I also try to keep my stash about the same temp & humidity year 'round.
Some ammo I dump into the cans (saves space & adds more room to round out the count in the can) & others get put up in the original boxes.

Some ammo that isn't gonna' stay around long just gets left in the shipping container.



GF

I did just keep my .223 lose in .50 cal ammo cans but started using stripper clips I can get over a 1,000 rounds per 50 cal can now by stacking them in the can and keeping in the house cool & dry gets pretty dam hot here in AZ in the summer.

Paul

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Was born American I'M AMERICAN

I keep my ammo locked in an old (50's era) four drawer file cabinet in the garage.

The lock is reasonably strong and the cabinet is built like a tank with thick steel. Strong enough to keep neighborhood kids from getting their hands on the ammo. Carry ammo stays in the safe with the firearms.

Here in central California it never gets real cold, or real hot, or humid in the garage and I've never had trouble with this method.

I have four of their cabinets for ammo storage. They are the way to go

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I keep 21 - 30 round pmags with dust covers loaded. The rest in 50 cal. cans in the original boxes. Easier to keep track of lots and type.

What he said.....

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

In the oven...

Seeing Charlie Foxtrots set up reminds me that with the new price of ammo, we need to store IT in the safes & put the guns in the closet!

GF

Labeled ziplock bags in labeled ammo cans.

You don't need to crimp .223 handloads.
Using modest force, if you can push the nose of cartridge firmly with one hand against your gun safe with one hand, and the bullet does not move back into the case, you have plenty of neck tension to support the bullet.

If the bullet moves, you need to reduce the expander ball on your die by 0.001" and re-test until you cannot push the bullet back into the case.

Boxed 5.56 ammo inside ammo cans will waste 30%-40% of the available storage space.

I get 900 loaded rounds, in ziplock bags of 100 rounds each, in a single ".50 caliber" ammo can.

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WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

I keep enough on hand to hopefully get me through the next ammo shortage. Factory ammo in the original box, each box vacuum sealed and stored in GI ammo cans with desiccant packs.

Thanks everyone! I was hoping to get some freshly loaded .223 for Mother's Day, but no joy. His arm hurt from reloading so many 45 acp's for me. Hopefully soon though..
Went shooting on Mother's Day. The darling husband and youngest daughter shot the M&P Pro's. I did not feel like shooting handguns so I had them drop me off at the rifle range which is covered. They had to stop shooting due to rain, I did not, hahaha. I love shooting my M&P AR!

Ammo boxes.

Nice cheap idea. I bought plastic ammo boxes from Walmart. They have the snap lids and hold enough ammo for a nice supply on hand. Just have to grab enough for your trip to the range. Coffee cans would be ideal but I don't buy my coffee that way so, no cans.

Stored in a cool, dry area, sorted by caliber in GI ammo cans.

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"Shall not be infringed"

Same but for the cans. Eventually I'll add some. I'm always a bit concerned about potential moisture retention inside the container and don't want to be bothered with desiccants.

I have duty ammo that has been shelved for a dozen years or more in their original boxes that fire just fine when I test periodically. That said, I'll get around to upgrading my storage methods at some point.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

1. I store ammo in the same conditions I store my firearms: in a cool, dry, temperature and moisture controlled space.

2. Factory ammo stays in it's factory boxes.

3. When I reloaded, plinking rounds would be stored in disposable tupperware. I forget how many rounds per little container. Maybe about 200 or so loose. Rounds worked up for accuracy & precision were kept in MTM boxes.

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-John

Most of my ammo is stored in 5 gallon pickle buckets that i get from Fire House Subs, the specialty stuff goes into big Animal Cracker jugs or trail mix jugs. They get transferred to MTM cases for a trip to the range. After a cleaning and refill they go back to a bucket or jug. I recently shot some 45 ACP that I loaded 17 years ago that was stored in a trail mix jug and it looked and functioned just as well as the more recent ones.

I have used WWII military ammo stored in metal ammo boxes for over 70 years and, if it was stored in a temperature controlled environment, still runs. I wouldn't carry it but it is sure good for practice. I think the military storage cans, sealed, in a temperature controlled environment, is the best way to ensure your ammo is protected. Desiccant in each box protects from moisture. Of course, you won't store it for another 70 years... probably. If not abused, stored in bulk will not hurt it. Good luck.

I have added a few cans since last year.

I just dump my rounds out in ammo cans

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Isaiah 43:1-3

If I have a lot of the same specs...... it goes in an airtight container to keep corrosion down until I use it. Coffee Cans are fine. Either way just don't rattle them around like maracas or see how high they bounce on the floor.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

i have a question. not only where do guys you store your ammo, but how old is it and whats the oldest you have shot.

My oldest current ammo is 20 years old or so. Stored in original boxes in larger cartons on shelves off the floor in a dehumidified room.

The only rounds I have had any issues with over the years are four or five 12 ga slugs that developed some oxidation on the brass. (I have not tested those rounds to see if they would still fire.)

Those rounds were issued to me years ago and may well have been dragged to and from the (hot and humid outdoor) range on the edge of the Everglades prior to them being given to me by a range officer, so I can't account for how they had been stored previously. (Any of those old rounds are used strictly as range ammo at this juncture. I have replaced them with fresh Federal and Hornady ammunition.)

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642-1, M&P15 TS

I've still got a lot of LC52 30-06 that gets shot once in a while. Finally finished the EC43 steel cased 45acp. And I've still got about 800 rounds of turkish 8mm mauser that was made right after WWII. So you can say if the ammo has been stored cool and dry it should last at least 50 years and with the stuff I've shot over 70 years.

I forgot to add it is all stored in GI ammo cans.

I don't keep anything loose. It's all in either the factory box or MTM cases, and then in big green ammo cans according to caliber.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I also store mine in GI ammo cans.

We took 4 ft of water in our walk out basement during Irene and I only had one can leak - and it was missing 2 of the 3 hinge pins.

Desiccant really isn't needed unless you packaged it under very moist conditions, AND live in an area where you get very cold temps that might cause the small amount of moisture in the small value of air in the can to condense. Even then it will primarily condense on the sides of the can as they are exterior surface that cool first), not the ammo, if it's boxed.

Inside the can I usually store it in MTM or similar 50 round boxes, and those are what I take to the range.

However on large lots of a couple thousand rounds where I run out of boxes, I'll dump the excess in 50 rounds groups in a zip lock freezer bag, squeeze out any extra air, then store the bags in the can. You can easily get over 1,000 rounds of .38 Special in a .30 caliber can with that method.

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I store my precision long range rifle loads in 50 round plastic boxes base down/bullet up with a piece of open cell foam rubber cut to fit in the lid. It protects the points and preserves the OAL even if you drop the box.

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My 5.56mm M193 clone ammo gets stored in 10 round stripper clips in 120 round bandoleers that are then stored in .50 caliber ammo cans - 840 rounds per can.

In 3 of these!

RIDGID 48 in. x 24 in. Universal Storage Chest-2048-OS - The Home Depot


Watch for when on sale for $249.99........

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I am the Majority
How about u

In either Factory Boxes or The Plastic Ammo Boxes then in G.I. 50 caliber ammo cans


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Your husband is right if it's rifle ammo and accuracy is a consideration. If it's ordinary pistol ammo storing it in a can will suffice... preferrably a GI ammo can with a good seal. Rifle ammo has a more delicate jacket and any kind of jostling of the bullet or things banging into the bullet and jacket will effect accuracy. For example, if a jacketed bullet falls off of the bench and hits the concrete floor of my loading room, it goes in the trash. The impact can change the core and damage the jacket which in turn causes a accuracy problem. For rifle ammo which is used for distance shooting and accuracy then store it in a box, segregated and bullet down. Then store those boxes in a GI ammo can with a good seal. However if the ammo is not intended for a purpose other than just burning it up then any kind of bulk storage is fine. GI ammo is full metal jacket with a penetrator tip and the jackets aren't fragile like commercial bullets can be stored bulk if need be.

I store my reloads in the manufactures' boxes which is stored in ammo cans.

Really? Where do you get your bullets from? Don't they bang around in the box at the store or in the mail?

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Freedom isn't free.

Mebbe ya oughta' invest in a couple squares of carpet . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I agree with Bozz10mm.
I have My Ammo in Military Ammo Cans with a desiccant Pack in each Can.