Ammo storage

[ClayCow]

As I drove away from my house today wondering if i had left the stove on in my house, i realized that i had one more thing to realize more than the loss of my dog.

I keep my ammo in my closet, if ny house were to burn down, the rounds would start popping off and possibly hurt and damage others

How do you store your ammo?

Would a safe keep it safe?

I have no safe so i will be moving it dowbstairs to ny unfinished basement which should not heat up as hot as my upstair, and provide a measure of protection being underground and surrounded by concrete.

 

[tlay]

Basements are usually wetter and more moist, not good for storage. Find an old refrigerator or freezer for storage.They work great. Or you can buy military style ammo cans.

 

[oldMan1943]

Old fireman told me: never store in safe and or metal ammo cans.

Therefore, I store in: plastic ammo can's & in a dry area.

 

[ClayCow]

Basements are usually wetter and more moist, not good for storage. Find an old refrigerator or freezer for storage.They work great. Or you can buy military style ammo cans.

The main point in trying to make, is keepig it safe in the event of a fire. A fridge or freezer wont stop it from getting hot?

 

[Wheeler57]

If I had ammo I would keep it in my basement. I keep my basement dehumidified. If I had a gun safe I would keep it there also.

 

[THEMULE]

I'm no expert! But I am currently troubled by this as well. If my home did catch fire I would have to tell the FD to let it go because of ammo. I have read that some FD's will let it burn/not fight it up close if they hear rounds cooking off. The caveat to that..... There is a lot of you tube videos proving that ammo cooking off will not penetrate drywall 12" away. It has no pressure behind the projectile. Very little velocity. I'm sure it'll hurt like heck, but no significant force behind it. The bigger concern is the "shrapnel" (brass casing) "going off".

A safe is a bad idea, most people think it's a good idea because of the "fire rating". Inside a safe during a fire the temp rises high enough to cook ammo. Damaging your firearms and creating pressure. The safe is sealed right? Fire proof right? So there is no place for the pressure to escape to.

During a fire the home is burning and collapsing. Gravity. They say after a fire your safe maybe buried in many feet of smoldering ambers and ash for days. Plus 2-3 feet of water. Because the FD will shut the power off killing your sump pump while they dump 1000's of gallons of water at your house.

My plan is to find/build a nice heavy steel lockable cabinet, and drill a couple vent holes. From what I've read/watched ammo in a fire is a lost cause. The best you can do is try to safely contain the train wreck.
Again.... No expert. Just sharing what I have learned. Get on google. A lot of good info. Hours and hours of reading and watching.

 

[THEMULE]

Forgot to mention safe placement in the home. During a fire/theft.
Second story- ok for theft deterant bad for a fire. It's gonna fall.

1st story- bad for both. Hottest part of the fire in the beginning of it and easy access for piece of garbage thieves

Basement- best for theft protection, great for first part of a fire. The worst for the end of a fire because of the heat for days afterwards and water afterwards.

I would like to some how build a gun room out of steel and concrete block, lift my safe up a couple feet on a stand of some sort and pray. Again no expert, just paranoid and read a lot.

 

[ClayCow]

Hmm. Glad to hear the rounds wont be normal velocity. Ill move it away from drywalls. Id still like to store it in my basement. How do i test the humidity in my basement? It doesnt feel humid...

 

[arjay]

Loose ammo won't hurt anything in a fire.The bullet will sit there and the brass will squirt away a few feet is all.

 

[hoc9sw]

There are commercial humidity testing tools/meters. No links to offer, but we have them in all the computer rooms.

 

[THEMULE]

Hmm. Glad to hear the rounds wont be normal velocity. Ill move it away from drywalls. Id still like to store it in my basement. How do i test the humidity in my basement? It doesnt feel humid...

My basement is "sectioned". I keep 1 dehumidifier in all 3 sections. At the lowest humidity selection avalible. Even if it doesn't feel damp, you'd be surprised how damp it really is. Believe it or not some humidity is good for guns, too dry you could crack a stock, to wet rust.

I think 50% is ideal. Again.... Google. No expert..... Just read a bunch

 

[chief38]

The safest way is probably NOT in a metal container and just on shelves in a cool dry locked closet. I would NOT use cardboard boxes as they attract moisture. Basically store them on the closet shelves like the gun stores display theirs. I would make sure the closet can be locked.

From all the info I have gotten over the years, plain boxes of ammo in a fire that are NOT in metal containers is no real hazard. The metal containers can become shrapnel.

 

[catach22]

ok guys this is not as big of an issue as you think.... I am a former firefighter. What you need to consider is when these rounds go of from a fire they are unsupported unlike when they are chambered in a gun... there for the round has no velocity to it...A 500 s&w magnum round will not even puncture a piece of sheet rock unsupported.... I know you think i am crazy... so do not take my word for it watch the video below it will explain it much better then i can....has live ammo testing to very interesting... but take my word for it it's not like the movies where every one needs to run for cover. At the end they even set a whole pallet of ammo on fire in a stucture and the rounds do not leave the stucture or harm any of the firefighters... hope this helps you all sleep better

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOXowwC4c"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOXowwC4c[/ame]

 

[THEMULE]

ok guys this is not as big of an issue as you think.... I am a former firefighter. What you need to consider is when these rounds go of from a fire they are unsupported unlike when they are chambered in a gun... there for the round has no velocity to it...A 500 s&w magnum round will not even puncture a piece of sheet rock unsupported.... I know you think i am crazy... so do not take my word for it watch the video below it will explain it much better then i can....has live ammo testing to very interesting... but take my word for it it's not like the movies where every one needs to run for cover. At the end they even set a whole pallet of ammo on fire in a stucture and the rounds do not leave the stucture or harm any of the firefighters... hope this helps you all sleep better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOXowwC4c

Yea what he said. This is where I got a good portion of what I posted earlier. Remember, if you put it in a metal container..... You need to vent it to allow the pressure to escape. I like the metal container to "contain" what does "explode" so to speak

 

[BC38]

I have a heavy-duty a steel two-door locking cabinet that I keep out in my detached shop. It is about 3' high x 3' wide x 18" deep and I store both my ammo and all my reloading supplies in it.

It has a few vent holes and of course the doors don't seal anywhere close to air tight so the explosion danger is minimal. It is bolted down and the shop is covered by our ADT alarm system so its pretty safe from thieves. I live in a pretty dry part of Washington so humidity isn't much of a concern.

 

[Ματθιας]

I keep my ammo in ammo cans or in the metal tins they came in. Some of the ammo I have is decades old and looks brand new. If it's good enough for military long term storage, it's good enough for me.

 

[islamoradamark]

i just store mine all over the house so i can get to it in time of need

 

[desi2358]

The NRA tested this issue extensively years ago, even a can full of ammo presents little danger in a fire. Test cans swelled, the ammo inside popped open but nothing went anywhere. The rounds popped off slowly as the heat built up and worked into the can. Loose ammo simply pops, at most the case travels a few feet with little force. The only really dangerous ammo is any that is loaded into the chamber of a gun. If it gets hot enough to go off it will be propelled down the barrel just as if someone pulled the trigger.

Powder for reloading is relatively safe as well. The greater volume of powder can make for an impressive fire but only improper storage can make it a real danger. Cans are designed to pop apart and prevent any build up of force, the powder simply flares up and burns off. The cans should not be stored in any kind of strong container as that would allow a build up of pressure and turn them into a potential bomb. Storage on an open shelf or a in a lightly constructed cabinet is probably best.

Bottom line is: if you have a garage, household chemicals, lawnmower gas, propane grill, etc it is far more dangerous in a fire than your ammo.

 

[litenlarry]

I store my bulk ammo in a lockable job box, approximately 2'x2'x3',,anchored to the basement concrete slab..Inside the job box, I have ammo cans full of ammo..Also , others in original boxes and plastic containers..No moisture problems in the basement and no sump pump required..It has a floor drain and all foundation water runs to clear..I have lived in this house for over 30 years and no water issues..
I have seen that SAAMI video a few years back..What a waste of ammo..

 

[Muss Muggins]

Mine is in military metal ammo boxes stacked up next to the safe, which is locked in my office. Like others have pointed out, lots of more dangerous stuff in garage if a fire breaks out. I agree with the earlier poster that the true danger of a firearm to a firefighter is a firearm with one in the chamber, pointed at the firefighter.