If I've posted an irrelevant question, I apologize but you folks have been such a great source of advice the I felt compelled to ask this strange question. I've always bought ammo that came boxed (each cartridge in its own little slot in the box) but only once bought an ammo can where all the cartridges came simply dumped in a plastic bag inside the 50cal style metal ammo box----this led me to always wonder: Could the weight of all the other cartridges in some way possibly "deform" a cartridge or two in the bottom under all of their collective weight. I've always had the same thoughts about "range buckets" type packaging of ammo. Am I being nuts here and overthinking the world or is it a legit concern. I figured experienced shooters like yourselves might know the lore here.

NO......I keep 30 & 50 rd ammo cans full of loaded pistol and rifle ammo. Never had an issue with those on the bottom.

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S&W Accumulator

Is the 50, or 100 round boxes have better quality than the 500 round boxes, and buckets ? I went through a 1375 round bucket of Federal 22LR with 3 bad ones..

Yea I would think that being banged around in a heap would have more effect on rimfire rounds. Soft lead bullets crimped into cases with a short tail inside the case. I could imagine rimfire bullets getting crooked in the case etc. from being treated like so much shelled corn and dumped out of chutes into heaps in boxes or cartons. Not that I can recall finding bent cartridges but I always preferred something like Mini Mags that were packaged nicely and protected until the prices got insane. Jacketed bullets in centerfire carts would likely be the least susceptible to any concern unless really slammed around alot. Lead bullets in bulk boxes from casters can get dings and dents so being loaded in a case dumped in heaps would probably result in same. How much a dented nose on a bullet affects practical range accuracy is unknown. You could save discarded trays at the range and sort your loose ammo with a visual inspection to your own satisfaction I suppose.

Unless you are throwing the buckets around there should not be a problem. Mishandling of anything may cause problems sooner or later.

I myself use ammo cans for brass, a can or two of each caliber that I reload. I pick up empty boxes for stuff I reload at our range. My friend and I call it our version of "dumpster diving". You would be surprised at what we find...

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Yes, it can. Its always a good idea to look at ammo before you shoot it. A couple of years ago I had a few rounds with bullet setback from what I suspect was rough handling by UPS.

Bullet setback from shipping damage

Dave,

I look at my bullets while I am loading the gun or magazines. I do not buy from online sources. I reload so do not buy much except .22 ammo.

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I have no test to back this up . I prefer to store handgun ammo in 50 round boxes , either traditional cardboard or after market plastic ammo boxes .
I have also began buying 100 round plastic ammo boxes .
It just seems logical that storage in ammo boxes , side by side and nose down keeps them from becoming damaged . When I go to the range I take a few boxes ... a G.I. Ammo can of loose ammo would be a lot more than I want to lug around .

50 and 100 round plastic ammo boxes is just the way I prefer to keep my ammo stored ... the 1 gallon plastic jar of reloaded ammo ... just looks wrong ... and I don't care to do it that way .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

re: boxes Only of you change brands to something like Eley Tenex or CCI which don't come tubs or bulk......Worst .22 ammo I ever TRIED to use was ARMSCOR and REMINGTON THUNDERBOLT......Total junk....Would prefer a slingshot over that garbage.

.22's I leave in original boxes. I pour a handful or 2 out onto my carpeted shooting bench and commence shooting.

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S&W Accumulator

I've never been in the military, but I *think* that the ammo cans you mention are how they store and transport their ammo - and the rounds are loose in the can aren't they?
Assuming my assumptions are correct, if there was a problem like what you are pondering, I'd think they'd do something different with the ammo that they are betting their lives on.
But I don't know for sure, just my thoughts.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Been casting and reloading for 52 years. I make bullets of of WW's sometimes with a little 50/50 solder or lynotype added... I load in quantity
on progressive loaders(Dillon) and store in 30 or 50 cal. metal ammo cans. I load from those into 50 or 100 MTM plastic cartridge boxes(The best there there is) to go shoot. Never had bullet or case damage from bulk storage.
In fact. The only way you'll ever damage my unfired bullets is with a pair of
pliers or hammer.

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S&W Accumulator

BC38 that was a great observation and I also thought that for a time till I got to thinking about "storage and transport"---my guess is that in the field the military has got to think about moving the most ammo in the smallest space and tossed in a can will definately store more rounds than piles of individual boxes with their little styrofoam inserts (to say nothing about what to do with all that trash on the front lines???). So I figured they may be calculating is it better to send 1200 rounds per ammo can into the field and risk one or two duds or send just 1000 in cute little boxes???? Have no idea but like you, I too first thought, if its good enough for the military its good enough for me fending of paper targets. But again, that may not be the real calculus.

The military does not ship/store loose ammo. Every round I ever used was in boxes, clips and bandoliers in a ammo can. The cans were in crates when we received them.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Looking at 9mm ... your running around 36,000 PSI of operating pressure.
At even a fraction of these levels, the brass acts more like a rubber balloon than a structural object.
It'll instantly be pressed quite firmly to the chamber walls and breach face.
It forms a seal that keeps gasses from blowing back at us while spreaddin' metal.
Deformation? whatever can happen in a bucket o blammo ammo will be rectified by this pressure post haste.
If it seats ... it yeets

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it just needs more voltage

“Loose” in a can is relative. If the stuff is stacked and packed, there isn’t a lot of movement in it. Bullets aren’t bouncing around, banging against others. Simply dumped in the ammo can is a different story. As for storing mine: I prefer to use the individual boxes for target and even moreso: long range ammo. I’m real picky there. Plinkers and general short range practice stuff gets put in an ammo can “en bulk.” Even there, I don’t bang it around all over heck and gone. It stays stacked up in the (secret hideout).

You guys are the best—so much knowledge concentrated in one forum

That's pretty good for Federal since it's usually just garbage.

The military doesn't ship ammo loose in those cans. They are normally on clips in bandoleers or belted for MG use. Some ammo has been shipped in boxes in the cans, intended for refilling MG belts or reloading rifle clips as needed. But they are not shipped loose. The stenciled info on the outside of the cans tells how the ammo inside is packed.

SHO is fun prying open the 2 spam can wood crates(from CMP).....Then opening the can with a big "church" key"..........MY MY what's inside.......Bandolier upon bandolier of 30/06 on clips with cardboard wrapped around each clip in 8 clip bandoliers.........This is Greek HXP ammo.....Works as good now as it did in WWII..

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S&W Accumulator

The HXP CMP stuff I got is noncorr. 70s vintage stuff. I only opened one can of it though. As for saving boxes from the range, well if they hold 50, you can tell at a glance how much ammo you got left versus a pile.

I normally prefer individually boxed ammo over the bucket type and in fact will never again buy buckets! There are several reasons but one being that the bullets get less deformed, jostled and nicked in a box than in a big bucket or bulk pack.

Secondly, I do believe that most of the higher grade ammo is boxed and the lower grade ammo is in a bucket or bulk pack. Yes, a company like CCI or Federal makes good ammo, but IMHO will fare better in a box than in a bulk package. The Remington bucket ammo is IMHO junk that is best used for plinking steel plates or tin cans, not for precision target shooting.

That has been my experience. YMMV.