Securing ammo

[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.