Loose ammo vs ammo in boxes

[Trashman4015]

Does anyone keep their ammo loose? As in not in the box they came from? I recently ordered 300 5.56 rounds and they came loose, so I put them in one of my ammo boxes. Usually I keep them all stored in the boxes they came in inside ammo boxes. Just wondering if it really makes a difference to leave them in the boxes or not.

 

[arjay]

Well, if you're like half the guys here,in 25 years,you'll rediscover it and wonder "what is this stuff" ;-)

 

[loc n load]

Boxed or loose

Depends on what I am shooting & reloading.....I reload in 500 rd batches, 500 rds to a 30 cal GI ammo can......keep a "bin card" in the can with all pertinent data for the loads.....if it is something like 25 acp's or 32 acp's, or a hunting load for my CF's that I load 50 or so at a time, I keep them in the box.....if it is rifle ammo other than 5.56, or 308 ball- I keep them in the boxes as well....5.56 and .308 I load in batches of 1K.

 

[Moonman]

General Pistol reloads, boxes or baggies in range bag.

 

[gdnagle]

If they come in a box I leave them in the box. If loose some will go on stripper clips, others stay loose. I have thousands of rounds loose stored in metal ammo cans. If you move them a lot or are rough when you move them they can get a dent or two. I have received thousands of loose rounds handled by UPS, and they aren't the that easy on handling and have never gotten any severely damaged ones even with half full ammo cans with no packing to keep them from moving inside. I have shot dented rounds with no problems as long as they weren't driven over with a tank. Just watch the salts and oils due to handling with bare hands could cause corrosion on them if you handle them.

 

[SMSgt]

All mine is boxed. It's an organizational thing for me.

 

[rburg]

I'm so disorganized its disgusting. If I bought new ammo in boxes, it stays there until I empty it. From then on, its in process. When I reload, it just gets dumped in on top of the earlier rounds like it I've reloaded. At least until the .50 cal can gets filled. I always try to include a piece of paper on the inside with things like the bullet, powder,etc. I sometimes don't bother with primer. For the loads I'm making, it doesn't matter much.

Something else I've discovered is the zip locks that computer cables and parts come in is much better than food grade. The stuff is thick! The last cycle at work (I retired 3+ years ago) was great. I also found some germ warfare suits that had a bunch of heavy thickness bags. I keep them around and to take a 100 or so rounds I don't carry the entire ammo can, just a baggie.

I don't believe in boxing up reloads. A box should be factory ammo. I've violated that from time to time, but I'm not proud of it.

Someday soon I'm gonna croak. It'll be difficult enough for my sons to make any kind of sense out of my reloading room. At least they can go gunshowing and sell the boxed ammo as factory stuff. Soon my ammo will be worth more than my guns. Momma will be a rich widow. Just hope she doesn't sell off my guns for what she thinks I paid for them.

 

[arjay]

100 rounds in a heavy duty zip lock bag with a note on the inside for all my pistol reloads.Those go into large plastic tubs designated by bullet size.

 

[perrazi]

I am an organizational type. all ammo in original boxes or purchased plastic ones. each box gets a note as to what it was loaded with including COL.

 

[MichiganScott]

I keep store bought ammo in the original box in surplus ammo cans. My handloads, which seldom get to be very old, are kept on the shelves in MTM boxes.

I've never bought loose rounds. If I did, the .223 rounds the OP has would have been placed on stripper clips and placed in a surplus ammo can. If the ammo in the cans is kept relatively cool, it will outlast all of us.

 

[hangnoose]

AMMO STORAGE

Personal preference. Are you the type that always keeps his shirt tucked in? I'm a slob, but my guns & ammo are neat & tidy. I'm also a dumpster diver at the range for used factory ammo boxes & buy reloading labels to put on them. I've seen people use Tupperware, coffee cans, ammo cans, zip locks etc. Yes the risk of dents are pretty low, but I'm kinda rough on my range bag and worry more about the soft lead head bullets getting dented or mis aligned, also the labeled smaller boxes let me know when they were loaded, what powder/wt, oal etc. Just how bad is your OCD?

 

[Old cop]

Aside from a bunch of .22 lr that I picked up here and there during the shortage all my stuff stays in the boxes stuffed into ammo cans. I'm just too anal to do otherwise.

 

[scattershot]

Factory ammo stays in the original boxes until they're empty, reloads are kept in 100 round ammo boxes with the pertinent info on a sticker attached to the box. Over the years, it has paid off when I come across a box I loaded 10 years ago, and can't remember what I loaded.

Yours came loose, so storing it that way in another box shouldn't hurt, just include a note in the ammo can as to what they are and when you got them, etc. Unless you get really crazy handling the can, I don't think there should be any physical damage to the ammo.

 

[Trashman4015]

Every ammo can I got is marked as to what caliber is in it. And that's the only thing that goes in it. I'm not really rough, they sit in my safe not moving. I just don't know if I want to empty all the boxes when I get more ammo or not lol.

 

[chief38]

Up until about 2 months ago I always kept all my ammo in 50 round plastic ammo boxes, however that all ended when I bought my new Dillon 650 loading press. I have gone hog wild and have reloaded more rounds than I have boxes for. It's a good thing that we drink lots of Chock-full-of-nuts coffee that comes in 3 pound cans because that's where I am storing ammo until boxes become available. Hey, I've got coffee scented ammo now!

Such problems............

 

[rwsmith]

It appears that even consumers.....

Up until about 2 months ago I always kept all my ammo in 50 round plastic ammo boxes, however that all ended when I bought my new Dillon 650 loading press. I have gone hog wild and have reloaded more rounds than I have boxes for. It's a good thing that we drink lots of Chock-full-of-nuts coffee that comes in 3 pound cans because that's where I am storing ammo until boxes become available. Hey, I've got coffee scented ammo now!

Such problems............

It appears that consumers have a need to store in 'bulk'.

LOL on the Dillon 650. Do you have coffee cans in your closets, kitchen cabinets, under your bed, in the trunk of the car? Thought about renting a storage space??

 

[chief38]

I simply got caught up with the new Dillon! For the first time in 30 years I am actually enjoying the process of reloading which I previously despised because of the tedium and lengthy time involved. Now with this new Dillon I crank ammo out faster (and much better quality as well) than I ever have before and have to admit, at least for the time being I am having fun doing it.

Anybody want a cup of coffee? I need the can!

 

[W.E.G.]

Handloads go in ziplock bags in ammo cans.

Boxed ammo from the store stays in boxes, and also goes in ammo cans.

When you get to the point where you are wondering "Where am I going to put all these ammo cans?" you should stop.

 

[mbullism]

If you lived in MA, you'd be storing it in the original boxes... or be a criminal, ... either/or

This state is SO daft...

 

[carpriver]

I don't have a lot of factory ammo, what I do have is in the original box in the original can. I have reused those black plastic ammo holders that come in the factory ammo box. I also use plastic storage boxes that my wife gave me they hold 250 rounds. I make a label that tells me the bullet weight the powder and the powder weight. All my defensive ammo stays in the original box in the gun safe. All the reloaded ammo is stored in surplus ammo cans.