Securing ammo

[Dave Lively]

From about 2014 until the end of 2019 I pared down my gun collection by selling everything I had not shot in a couple of years and kept stocking up on ammo. I added up how much I my guns and ammo are worth and realized that at today's crazy high prices my ammo is worth more than my guns.

The guns are in a safe, the ammo is on shelves. I keep both guns and ammo out of sight so any repairmen or other visitors will not see it. And my house has a monitored alarm system. But other than that the ammo is unsecured.

Do any of you with a big stockpile of ammo do anything to secure it? Putting it in a safe seems like it would be a bad idea if there was a fire. And I do not want to buy another safe.

 

[Liftrat]

Not a big stockpile here, but the same concerns. I think hiding in diverse spots is about the best option at this point. Maybe build a couch with the cans, and drape a blanket over it? (only half kidding). Or buy an old freezer/fridge for the basement/garage, and store it in there?

 

[SpikeIDMT]

Fire safe is better than a closet!

Most quality safes are rated to at least around 30 minutes at 1200 degree or so.

 

[jjfitch]

In general ammo, powder and primers should all be stored separately.

Generally away from and outside wall due to moisture.

Each storage container should be made of wood and have a top, bottom or side that can "blow out" so an explosion is not contained. Not sure a "fire proof" gun safe qualifies!

Most reloading manuals have safety recommendations in the front.

Some fire district jurisdictions have "maximum" quantities for home storage.

In a fire projectiles do not take off like in the movies. When ignited they separate by only a few inches and not spectacular!

A stockpile of paint spray cans could pose a higher danger than ammo storage!

Smiles,

 

[Buzzzer]

I was thinking about this "sort of" thing the other day. I bought some, meaning very little at normal prices (no primers though), reloading components. No-one looked at me funny or anything but I can't help but wonder. If I was a crook I would hang out and watch for someone buying something in particular and follow them to their home, or at least get a license plate number. I wonder if this time is coming as it pertains to this, hope not. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid but I'm always in condition yellow...

As far as locking ammo up I've always done it. When our kids were young it had to be that way in our house. Guess I just never got out of the habit.

 

[Dan Zulu]

My suggestion is a locking metal cabinet for ammo storage. If in the garage, some desiccant.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

Dave,

For the past ten years I have been using Stack On metal safes that are lockable, and that are bolted to a wall. However, ammunition is both bulky and very heavy. I don't want to use my Liberty safe to store my ammo, or buy a second safe. I've been reading forum posts for several years and recently decided to buy plastic, sealable ammunition boxes. I have labeled each of the ammo boxes with the caliber of the ammo that is inside.

The ammo boxes are stored in my "Man Cave" on top of a small wooden block (keeps the boxes off the concrete floor), and in a location that cannot be easily seen by anyone.

Hopefully, after we have this pandemic under control I can get back to range and begin to use it again.

I have also agonized on the fire issue-risk. If there is a fire in my home I don't want to watch the firefighters standing by watching the fireworks while my home burns to the ground. Therefore, I sure hope that "jjfitch" is correct!!

Cheers!

Bill

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

Keeping quiet about it.

That helps a lot.

 

[rkittine]

When I built my current house I built a gun room. Guns and Ammo are in the guns room and quite secure, but Primers and Powder are in another area, not in the main house. They are locked up in separate enclosures that allow venting if touched off.

Bob

 

[Steve912]

Regarding ammunition behavior in a fire, this SAAMI video is informative. Also covers drop testing.


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

 

[schutz5]

Boating accident here !

 

[Stevens]

I hope that ammo test video was made well before the Ammo Shortage, it kinda makes you want to cry!
Steve W

 

[djohns6]

I look at it this way . Some of my guns are irreplaceable . They go in the safe . Ammo is bulky and HEAVY . Probably not worth the effort for a burglar in a huge hurry . I don't waste space by locking the ammo away .

 

[tops]

I have also agonized on the fire issue-risk. If there is a fire in my home I don't want to watch the firefighters standing by watching the fireworks while my home burns to the ground. Therefore, I sure hope that "jjfitch" is correct!!

Cheers!

Bill

I talked to a fire chief about that and he said they had the training that showed ammo is not dangerous but they still won't go in a house with ammo exploding. It leads me too believe that there are some fireman that will think up excuses too keep from doing anything. I was a volunteer fireman for 20 years and and ammo exploding would not slow me down. Larry

 

[robrossk]

Super informative video - thanks for sharing.

 

[CH4]

Boating accident here !

Me too! If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all. Snapped a couple pics before she slid beneath the waves.

 

[Moo Moo]

At least you have a choice. Here in Australia, ammunition must be stored separate to the firearms, and in a lockable container. I use one of those large tradesman (you might say Contractor) tool boxes hidden in my garage.

Weapons Education YouTube channel had ammo stored in an old refrigerator albeit the video has been taken down now.

 

[vipermd]

Dave,

For the past ten years I have been using Stack On metal safes that are lockable, and that are bolted to a wall. However, ammunition is both bulky and very heavy. I don't want to use my Liberty safe to store my ammo, or buy a second safe. I've been reading forum posts for several years and recently decided to buy plastic, sealable ammunition boxes. I have labeled each of the ammo boxes with the caliber of the ammo that is inside.
I have also agonized on the fire issue-risk. If there is a fire in my home I don't want to watch the firefighters standing by watching the fireworks while my home burns to the ground. Therefore, I sure hope that "jjfitch" is correct!!Cheers!Bill

JJFITCH is correct. I have demonstrated this to a number of people including my wife. Take a burning barrel, start a fire, a good fire, once you have a bed of ashes you can drop a cartridge into the fire, with safety shield on, you can watch it. A 22 lr bullet is about 36-40 gr, while a case weighs about 9.6 grains. Basic physics- heavier object stays where it is, lighter objects moves. So the casing may move a couple of inches, the bullet is not going to "fly" around like in Rambo -First Blood, it just does not happen. Why the face shield?, because a fire has a life of it's own. Be it a burning barrel, fire pit , campfire, little pockets of gases can be contained in wood and shoot hot embers, which could hit eye, face etc. Bullets in loaded firearms may fire like pulling the trigger, since the pressure is contained a chamber & barrel. I would hate to see any of my ammo burn, I do keep some mint boxes of rare ammo in a safe to prevent sunlight from discoloring the box. Be Safe,

 

[LoboGunLeather]

GI ammo cans. I picked up a couple of dozen when they were dirt cheap (some came for free). Good rubber seals, airtight and waterproof. Storage in areas without excessive heat.

I also have a steel cabinet used as my ammo locker. That is for the stuff I use frequently for range practice.

As others have pointed out, some jurisdictions have fire code restrictions on quantities of ammo stored in dwellings. The major danger is not explosion effects, but an insurance adjuster might ding a policyholder in the event of a claim involving ammo in excess of a legal limit (insurance policies usually have provisions for denying any claim involving violations of law), so it makes sense to research your local ordinances and fire codes.

 

[Claymore33]

Buy another safe

 

[cmj8591]

Gun safes are for guns, not ammo. If ammo ignites inside of a gun safe, the safe will act just like the chamber of a gun barrel creating a bomb. US military ammo cans are designed to rupture before the pressure builds to the point of explosion. Wooden containers are the best followed by plastic. Wood is better because it offers more insulation in a fire. Storing ammo in metal containers not specificity designed for ammo storage is asking for trouble. Definitely keep it out of your gun safes!

 

[Hair Trigger]

GI ammo cans.

This is what I use for 99% of my loaded ammo storage. I have several sizes, from 81mm mortar cans to .50BMG cans and separate the ammo by caliber. These just sit on the floor or on a shelf in my attached garage, which is also where my reloading bench is. My powder cans (the factory plastic containers) sit in the open on a shelf, the primers are in plastic drawers (like the gizmos you keep screws and nails in) below the powder, along with projectiles and ready to load brass. The other 1% of my loaded ammo is in several magazines and speed loaders in the safe ready for immediate use with their associated firearm. My safe is across the house from everything else related to ammo and shooting, so I keep a little there to be ready if needed. Ammo in a safe won't explode any more than it will in a ammo can or closed container; a fire-resistant safe will delay its ignition in a fire, but once breached, it behaves like any other ammo thrown into flames. I also have a 10 pound dry chemical extinguisher hanging at the loading bench, just to make me feel better, I guess.

 

[jjfitch]

Projectiles??

JJFITCH is correct. I have demonstrated this to a number of people including my wife. Take a burning barrel, start a fire, a good fire, once you have a bed of ashes you can drop a cartridge into the fire, with safety shield on, you can watch it. A 22 lr bullet is about 36-40 gr, while a case weighs about 9.6 grains. Basic physics- heavier object stays where it is, lighter objects moves. So the casing may move a couple of inches, the bullet is not going to "fly" around like in Rambo -First Blood, it just does not happen. Why the face shield?, because a fire has a life of it's own. Be it a burning barrel, fire pit , campfire, little pockets of gases can be contained in wood and shoot hot embers, which could hit eye, face etc. Bullets in loaded firearms may fire like pulling the trigger, since the pressure is contained a chamber & barrel. I would hate to see any of my ammo burn, I do keep some mint boxes of rare ammo in a safe to prevent sunlight from discoloring the box. Be Safe,

In the video the SAAMI expert refers to "projectiles" while correct it is somewhat misleading. In previous testing by the NRA and in the testing I witnessed the only "projectiles" that left the fire were the cases that were separated form the bullets. The bullets stayed put while the lighter weight cases went flying! Some might say simple physics!

Exactly as you witnessed!

Smiles,

 

[cmj8591]

A small amount of ammo in a gun safe will not cause an explosion. The problem with a small amount of ammo is that it will cook off at a temperature lower than what the safe is designed for. Even though the safe is fireproof, the interior can go to 350 degrees which is well above the point of cook off. Now you have something burning inside of your fireproof safe. Sort of defeats the purpose of having a fireproof safe. Most safes that I know of have no way to vent pressure from the inside. A large amount of ammo cooking off inside of a gun safe will eventually create enough pressure to explode the safe. How much is a large amount? Sounds like the makings of a Myth-Buster episode! Everyone does their own thing and if you want to keep ammo in your safe, God bless you! I'm going to shy away from it myself. I have several wooden cabinets that I store my ammo and reloading supplies in and I keep everything in it's original packing, which is designed to limit damage. I keep several loaded mags close by the gun safes so I can grab it on a run if needed. I just don't see the benefits of taking safe space for ammo. I do however, see a lot of potential problems.

 

[SpikeIDMT]

Safes are for VALUABLES

Ammo is protected from THEFT in a safe!

You have much higher risk of THEFT than a FIRE!I


Ammo is worth more than guns these days!!!

lol

 

[smoothshooter]

From about 2014 until the end of 2019 I pared down my gun collection by selling everything I had not shot in a couple of years and kept stocking up on ammo. I added up how much I my guns and ammo are worth and realized that at today's crazy high prices my ammo is worth more than my guns.

The guns are in a safe, the ammo is on shelves. I keep both guns and ammo out of sight so any repairmen or other visitors will not see it. And my house has a monitored alarm system. But other than that the ammo is unsecured.

Do any of you with a big stockpile of ammo do anything to secure it? Putting it in a safe seems like it would be a bad idea if there was a fire. And I do not want to buy another safe.

I am in the process of removing some of my guns from my safes to make room for a basic assortment of ammo. The guns would be a little easier to replace than the ammo.
I basically stopped almost all shooting of metallic cartridge ammo several months ago. Have fired less than 30 rounds of it during that time, and will fire even less of it in the future.

 

[Breaker]

I also use a “Job Box” which is basically a metal box secured by recessed pad locks that are designed to secure tools at job sights. They are readily available through any of the major home improvement centers.

 

[cvc944]

I don't lock my ammo up. It's all in a climate controlled room in the basement hidden from prying eyes in kitchen cabinets. Back when life was normal the last thing you would expect was for a burglar to steal your ammo as it was real heavy and wasn't worth much money. That was back when we could load an '06 for about a nickel or a few pennies more. Now it's worth much more, but it isn't any too lighter in weight. Even at today's prices and availability it probably isn't the first thing that will be taken. Because, you know, heavy.