AMMO Storage

[1 old 0311]

I'm happy to see you had such a comfortable time, while men fought and died. Let me guess.... joined the AF to avoid being drafted right?
If all men thought like you wrote above, you would be speaking German.

Do you still have all "Your B-52's"?

Every freakin AF guy that did nothing all talk about B-52s like they owned them. Give it a rest. You made a good point already about how you sat around in air conditioned "dormatories" with swimming pools eating steak and crab.... what a hero YOU are...

I would be ashamed to admit what you wrote.

You downplay the SACRIFICES that men made with their lives... you make a joke about it?

People like SMSgt have the right to insult, IN PRINT, those who die every day to protect his freedoms but in all the years I have been going to VA hospitals, I am a 100% disabled Marine Vet, I really don't recall someone like him saying that face to face, even to disabled Vets. Though I would pay to see it.

 

[SMSgt]

For the record, yes--I consider them my B-52s, seeing as that was the first of many combat aircraft I worked on. Yes, that was me scrambling onboard at the end of runway to get those tired old birds (all long since retired and chopped up in the boneyard) fixed and off the ground on time to make their scheduled missions. We all do our part--we just do it in different ways, you see?

Ever see the Time magazine issue with the vertical stabilizer of B-52G 58-0201 lying on the ground in N. Vietnam? That was the first buff I ever worked on, among the 100 or so in U-Tapao and the nearly 200 in Guam, all of which were in direct support of the ground troops. Yeah, I knew some of those crewmen who didn't come home. I even tried to get assigned to flight crew duty but the ears disqualified me.

And hiding in the AF? To avoid the draft? Hardly. I wanted to learn a trade with my service career, other than as an infantryman. I was already six months into my enlistment when my draft notice came in the mail. I've always been facinated with aviation and the other services didn't offer me the opportunities the AF did.

I did my 20 and got on with life. No, I didn't have Charlie shooting at me; I had my own planes dropping bombs on me--but that's another story. And yes, I have my VA disabilities too. But I don't throw it in people's faces.

While I have huge respect for all the servicemen of all branches (my son is former Marine and now Navy EOD/Dive officer), I tend to lose a bit of it for those who think their branch is the only one who busted their backs performing their duty. I think my career speaks for itself.

 

[1 old 0311]

For the record, yes--I consider them my B-52s, seeing as that was the first of many combat aircraft I worked on. Yes, that was me scrambling onboard at the end of runway to get those tired old birds (all long since retired and chopped up in the boneyard) fixed and off the ground on time to make their scheduled missions. We all do our part--we just do it in different ways, you see?

Ever see the Time magazine issue with the vertical stabilizer of B-52G 58-0201 lying on the ground in N. Vietnam? That was the first buff I ever worked on, among the 100 or so in U-Tapao and the nearly 200 in Guam, all of which were in direct support of the ground troops. Yeah, I knew some of those crewmen who didn't come home. I even tried to get assigned to flight crew duty but the ears disqualified me.

And hiding in the AF? To avoid the draft? Hardly. I wanted to learn a trade with my service career, other than as an infantryman. I was already six months into my enlistment when my draft notice came in the mail. I've always been facinated with aviation and the other services didn't offer me the opportunities the AF did.

I did my 20 and got on with life. No, I didn't have Charlie shooting at me; I had my own planes dropping bombs on me--but that's another story. And yes, I have my VA disabilities too. But I don't throw it in people's faces.

While I have huge respect for all the servicemen of all branches (my son is former Marine and now Navy EOD/Dive officer), I tend to lose a bit of it for those who think their branch is the only one who busted their backs performing their duty. I think my career speaks for itself.

A B-52 can carry up to 70,000 pounds of ordinance. If I remember correctly they usually flew 3, 4, 5, or 6 planes to a run. You CLAIM to have survived a bombing run which would be 420,000 pounds of ordinance being dropped on you?

OK at this point this thread is WAY beyond reality so I am bowing out.

p.s. before you respond you may want to Google the "STOLEN VALOR ACT." Just friendly advice.

 

[rburg]

And now, back to our scheduled programming, or in this situation the OPs subject.

I've been reading and watching all the threads about ammo storage. I'm going to guess that there aren't many bad methods. I do own the results of some. A few weeks ago I was seeking 32 Colt ammo. No, not 32 S&W, the .32 Colt that used .299 bullets. I found one box in great condition and only had to pay $25 for it (about 45 rounds). Then I violated one of the cardinal rule of ammo buying. I paid $20 for an even older box of it, sealed in plastic. And of course it was mixed and damaged ammo. The bullets were swollen from white lead oxide to maybe .38 caliber.

So what I took from that lesson is pretty simple, never trust anyone selling sealed boxes. Always look. And its pretty obvious to me the ammo somehow became damaged during storage (they didn't package it like that.) In all fairness, it could be 100 or more years old.

I've also decided some ammo or calibers need different storage methods. My father spent his last years of retirement cranking out 12 gauge reloads. His storage method of choice was to fill one gallon milk cartons (remember those). Then he'd fold the flaps over and seal them with parafin and heat. He passed away in 1980, and the shells sealed that way are still good today. The ones packaged in old ammo boxes, not so much.

I'm a big fan of .50 cal can's, and I own a few .30s. If I had a way of getting them out of the gun shows, I'd own a bunch more. Just over 3 years ago I felt it my duty to aid the ammo shortage by purchasing maybe a lifetime supply of Federal 550s. They were running $13.47 back then. So I purchased 30,000 rounds, give or take. I needed a new system, so I discovered fiberglass milk crates. The thing the milkman used to deliver milk to your door, except in composite instead of wire. The only real problem is you can't fill the milk case. If you do, you won't be able to lift it, much less move it.

The .50 cal can's are fine, but when you fill one with 9mm reloads, it gets way too heavy. Same for 44s, or even mild little .38 wadcutters. Also, even little .30 cal cans become a problem after you get them stacked more than maybe 5 high.

I have found a solution to small quantities where you have no intention of buying more. I purchased a library card catalog about 10 years ago. After removing the wire rod (the one that kept the cards from coming out) you can store a surprising amount of ammo in each of the 60 drawers. Each is maybe 18" long. Works well for ammo and parts along with spare magazines.

These days ammo needs to be protected against theft. It needs to be in some sort of protective storage. Be it a safe, vault, or construction job box.

While the value is high, its not as high as guns. Someone may smash and grab your guns, but they need material handling equipment to move your ammo hoard.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Make sure you pass that info/opinion to the military. They have obviously doing it wrong for the past 100 tears.

This caused me a chuckle.......Some people just don't know......I've been buying 30/06 milsurp ammo for years that has been stored in ammo cans in unheated warehouses. Some head stamped in the 50's.........Guess What?.......It all still goes bang.

 

[SMSgt]

A B-52 can carry up to 70,000 pounds of ordinance. If I remember correctly they usually flew 3, 4, 5, or 6 planes to a run. You CLAIM to have survived a bombing run which would be 420,000 pounds of ordinance being dropped on you?

OK at this point this thread is WAY beyond reality so I am bowing out.

p.s. before you respond you may want to Google the "STOLEN VALOR ACT." Just friendly advice.

Never said a B-52 dropped its load on me, did I? That was conjecture on your part. It happened to be an F-4 that dropped it wing rack as it passed overhead. Made a huge mess where it hit the taxiway and sprayed shrapnel all over the ramp (Thank you, Red Horse, for the reventments!). Fortunately, no one was hit, but no doubt many drawers were changed.

70,000 lbs of bombs? You don't remember correctly.
The B-52G carried 27 750 lb iron bombs internally (20250 lbs.) in three racks of 9 bombs, the D model carried up to 102 500 lb bombs (51,000 lbs) both internally and on twin external racks, neither carrying the aforementioned 70,000 lbs. The standard formation was a 3-plane cell. We typically launched 66 sorties a day from Guam, both D & G models. U-Tapao based only D models, launching over the beach and the outdoor theater located there. The sole remaining H models never served in SEA.

I have my DD-214 with my service history, I have my photos, I did my time over there. There is no "Stolen Valor" here. My mission may not have included stomping through the jungles, but I did my mission all the same and I'm sure there are a few old ground-pounders out there that appreciated it at the time.

And all this because I recommend something other than storing large amounts of ammo in metal cans inside a closet in the home?

Perhaps the real issue lies elsewhere. Likewise, bowing out.