Ammo Storage

[countryfirst]

Would like your feedback and preferences with regard to ammo storage. Specifically surplus military cans vs. plastic (like Plano or MTM).

Is one significantly better than the other? Mine would be for .223/5.56 and 9mm. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[MichiganScott]

Cool and dry. The big advantage with the MTM cans is that they are considerably lighter. Some of the seals on the mil-sup cans may be too old to be 100% effective.

 

[SMSgt]

Read this from SAAMI. It's not rocket science and should answer any concerns.

http://www.saami.org/specifications...wnload/saami_item_202-sporting_ammunition.pdf

 

[JJEH]

For some I use MTM cases, but I also put just the boxes in the safe. Cool and dry is important indeed, invest in a good dehumidifier.

 

[countryfirst]

Read this from SAAMI. It's not rocket science and should answer any concerns.

http://www.saami.org/specifications...wnload/saami_item_202-sporting_ammunition.pdf

Thanks for this link. Good info.

 

[countryfirst]

I am also curious about surplus mil-spec composite/water proof cases I've now seen at the last couple of shows here in my area. Has anyone seen or use those?

 

[MichiganScott]

Read this from SAAMI. It's not rocket science and should answer any concerns.

http://www.saami.org/specifications...wnload/saami_item_202-sporting_ammunition.pdf

Kinda funny. It basically says that if you don't soak your ammo in water or organic solvents and don't store it in an oven, it should be expected to give satisfactory performance.

 

[Smith357]

Back when mil-surp ammo cans were cheap I bought a bunch of them and store my ammo in them. These old cans are now pretty expensive so if I were to need more storage I would probably go with the cheaper plastic cans.

If you happen to drop a steel mil-surp can loaded with 50# of ammo it will not crack or when it hits the ground.

 

[125JHP]

I like metal cans... can't seem to afford them these days so what I have will have to do. I take the gaskets out and silicone spray them every couple of years or so and make sure their beds are straight. .

 

[sqhead]

i found an old stand up metal school locker,it has 5 doors instead of one long single door.the five compartments keep my ammo cal. seperate and the doors have the front vents for air circulation.
i bought 5 locks all keyed the same and can lock-em down ,,it works great and holds alot of ammo.

 

[SMSgt]

Kinda funny. It basically says that if you don't soak your ammo in water or organic solvents and don't store it in an oven, it should be expected to give satisfactory performance.

And they're basicly right. Any environmentally controlled space (air conditioned house) is more than ample. Outside in a leaky storage shed, then you need all the waterproof cans, etc. I've pulled ammo out of 20-year storage in my bedroom closet that's all been fine.

 

[countryfirst]

Know it is pretty straight forward. Appreciate everyone's feedback. Really like the locker idea.

Did get some more specifics on the mil-spec surplus plastic cans I'm looking for. They're considered 25mm and open from both ends. Roughly twice as thick as Pelican. Anyone know what I'm describing?

 

[Duster340]

I have always used surplus .30 & .50 cal cans. (Mostly the .50's) Not that they are better or worse than modern plastic ones, I just have a bunch of them.

 

[Smithhound]

I acquired a cool looking old metal cabinet a few decades ago and used that untill it filled up with different ammo, also several ammo cans, heavy duty plastic bags stored in boxes, whatever I can find really. I've got a great basement reloading/gun room, it stays nice and dry, low humidity and averages around 65 -75 degrees. I heat it in the winter with one of those oil filled radiator looking things. I've never in the 22 years I've lived here had a problem with ammo deteriorating and in 33 years of handloading I've only had 2 cans of powder go bad. Those were the old metal cans that probably were left uncapped for a few days.
I've got ammo I loaded in 1988 that I shoot with no problems. I would suspect a slight loss in velocity but no hesitation on shooting it.
Years ago I was given some old ammo that hadn't been stored correctly, it was in good looking boxes, probably from the 30's or so, I pulled a few bullets and the powder was a greasy, clumped up looking mass. I wouldn't think of firing that, but still have the remainder in the boxes.
As others have said, keep it in a stable environment and it will last decades.
RD

 

[358156hp]

I too use ammo cans, purchased long ago. I've had people angrily tell me that storing ammo in cans makes bombs out of them. I have never bought into that way of thinking. The lids of ammo cans are held in place with a series of really small spot welds (4-8 of them depending on the can size) that attach the latching brackets to the can and lid. These little spot welds break under pressure, allowing the can to vent it's contents, rather than allowing dangerous pressures to build. Don't believe me, look at them yourself. I use desiccant packs in each can to keep the air dry.

 

[cbvanb]

Another vote for surplus ammo cans, mainly because it protects the ammo from getting bumped and banged too much while moving it around, whether headed to the range, or in the back of the truck on a hunting trip in the mountains. And they last forever, I have one .50 can that my dad had when I was a kid. They're also stackable, and easy to label, which makes my ammo closet much for efficient for storage purposes. The cans have gotten expensive and hard to find lately, which I don't quite understand since we've had two wars ongoing for over 10 years now.

 

[gdnagle]

+1 for surplus I use the metal cans as much as posible because I know heavily loaded cans will not fail me. A heavy plastic can could have the handle fail or the top fail, just works for me and have never had a problem with surplus cans fully loaded, solid, with lead shot very heavy.

 

[SuperW2]

+1 for surplus I use the metal cans as much as posible because I know heavily loaded cans will not fail me. A heavy plastic can could have the handle fail or the top fail, just works for me and have never had a problem with surplus cans fully loaded, solid, with lead shot very heavy.

I bought a couple of the MTM plastic boxes and didn't really like them. I bought some .50Cal Surplus Cans and I'm much happer with them. Feel more solid than the MTM's and I too was worried about the handles and plastic with a fully loaded box.

One other issue I had was knowing which caliber of ammo was in which cans. I didn't want to just do tape and Sharpies (just looked cheap to me) and I move things around from time to time. I found these Magnets on another forum that I think I'll get some ordered.

AmmoCanMagnets.Com

I need to get some more Suplus ammo boxes,but I like these!

SW2

 

[Waywatcher]

I use surplus GI cans. They're designed to do the task at hand in the most extreme of circumstances, at a low cost. I inspect the seals and wipe them out before I use them, and then label the outside so I don't have to open it to find out what's in it. I also pack a desiccant in each one.

From personal experience, I know they will not break if dropped, unlike the MTM box.

 

[ChinStrap]

Might not be popular - For long term - I use blank paint cans from home depot/lows - They have a nice liner and are cheap. My local lows sells them for $3.99 - I can fit 600 rounds of .45 auto in 6x100r ziplock bags inside or 8x100 bags for .223 - Last but not least 4x375r bags of .22lr - Nice and simple. Cheap too. After they are all closed up, water/air tight and I can hide them in plain sight - Just put a strip of masking tape on the front that says 'garage grey' - They fit right in with the other paint cans I have on the shelves in the storage room.

 

[k53]

I was thinking of the paint can thing. We were painting some rooms the last few weekends, and popping open those cans got me thinking.... Seems like a nice way to store reloaded ammo to be stashed away as deep stock.

That being said, I have been finding ways to store my ammo. Im farly new to the firearms game. Only a handfull of years going on now, but I have still got enough to have a need of better storrege ideas. I have two old 30cal ammo cans and they do the trick for some of my stuff. Im not a huge fan of the plastic boxes. I have not had any laying around... but I have had too many diferent plastic boxes, like tool boxes, that over time warp, and crack. Handles fail, and the plastic brakes down. Maybe thats not the case with these... but still, I would rather have the old steel ones.

 

[countryfirst]

Several great ideas beyond the "traditional" ammo cans. The "in plain site" paint can suggestion by ChinStrap is genius. For sure going to go that route for some of the stash.

I also wanted to follow up on my own OP...I did pick up a couple of the 25mm military surplus plastic containers. Have done some more research and have seen where they maintain their integrity even after a deuce and a half drove over it. Here's a pic of them.

I'll follow this up after I get contents in them and what works/fits well in them.

Until then, I think I'm going to Menard's for the paint cans.

 

[sw1834]

Steel is not always better.

If any of you are thinking about burying any of your stored items, I've heard of people using PVC pipe. The larger pipes are made to be buried, can be cut to any length, and are easy to glue a cap on one end and a threaded plug on the other. You can vacuum pack the contents with oxygen obsorbers prior to sealing the tubes, bury them, and dig them up forty years later. Hell, leave a treasure map in your will if you want your Heirs to have any ammo.

Now watch the run on large diameter PVC at Home Depot start next week.

 

[rwsmith]

To me

Would like your feedback and preferences with regard to ammo storage. Specifically surplus military cans vs. plastic (like Plano or MTM).

Is one significantly better than the other? Mine would be for .223/5.56 and 9mm. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

To me, the wider lockers are better because boxes of various ammo don't fit in the narrower ones. I have a narrow 7.62 caliber (about 3") ammo box that I can't fit anything in. The boxes for two different 5.56 caliber types (like 800 rnds) are much more useful. They are about 8" wide.

 

[97ZJWheeler]

I use the .50cal surplus cans with random desiccant packs tossed in. I have a couple of the plastic ones, but to me they don't stack as well. I do like the paint can idea though. Might have to go shopping at Home Depot this evening...