Storage Of Ammo Cans On Concrete Floor Question

[Walter Rego]

I am moving to a new house with space in the garage for a combination workbench and reloading bench. I would like to use some of the space under the bench to store .50 cal USGI ammo cans that contain cast bullets, reloading dies, some loaded ammo, etc.
Is it best to lay a sheet of 3/4" plywood down on the floor or use a couple of runners cut from 2x4's so that air can circulate under the cans ? It should be a dry environment but i would hate to find rust stains on the floor at some future date.

 

[Green Frog]

In my experience, if there is any exposed metal it will be subject to rusting when left long term on bare concrete. Further, if you are sliding the ammo cans across concrete, you will scrape off paint eventually. Sooooo, if you want to prevent rusty bottoms and stained concrete, some sort of separation between box and floor is a good idea.

Froggie

 

[505Gibbs]

In my experience, if there is any exposed metal it will be subject to rusting when left long term on bare concrete. Further, if you are sliding the ammo cans across concrete, you will scrape off paint eventually. Sooooo, if you want to prevent rusty bottoms and stained concrete, some sort of separation between box and floor is a good idea.

Froggie

Good advice!!

 

[double-dipper]

I have about a 1/2 dozen M2A1 and M19A1 ammo cans in my garage. They have set on a shelf for well over 10 years and I have never noticed any rust on them yet. Summers here are very humid. If I were concerned about the bottoms rusting I would put them on a shelf or paint the bottoms.

 

[Skeet 028]

I went to Tractor Supply and gota 3/4 inch rubber mat that is meant for horses in stalls..Got the large one when it was on sale for about 30 bucks. A word of warning though..dies and such will have a tendency to rust in the ammo cans.so put some silica gel packets in with them. But I lived in an extremely high humidity area back east. I happen to have about 50 of the ammo cans left and store a lot of cast and jacketed bullets as well as lead ingots I made up in the past. BTW when loaded with bullets or just lead ingots those cans get very heavy. I have 2 or 3 that are full of loose 45 autos that were loaded on the Dillon 1050...also heavy

 

[weatherby]

Concrete with the lime, moisture, and bare metal are a recipe for rust.

 

[Krogen]

Froggie is right. Same as my experience. Bare concrete is a moisture sponge and the paint gets scuffed of the can bottoms. You'd probably be ok if your concrete is sealed or if you have one of those high tech epoxy finishes. Most of us don't . . . .

For a while I used 20 mm cans. They hold a lot more than 50 cal cans. That's both good and bad. It seemed like a good idea until they needed to be moved.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Just a note about ammo cans. The "surplus" ammo cans I have bought over the last 40 years come in 2 varieties. The real Ammo cans and cans that are for mining! The mining cans can be Army green or other colors, and have 4 1/8" holes in the bottom to let liquids drain. YOU ABSOLUTELY DON"T WANT THESE!

Ivan

 

[hobby-gunsmith]

storage of ammo cans on concrete floor question

I would suggest plywood and carpet samples, available at floor/carpet stores, to protect from moisture. I have had rust problems in my garage with a portable bench press, vice and a piece of steel rust while resting on the floor. However, I remember reading about protecting those tools by placing plywood on the floor and a large piece of carpet samples on top of the plywood under those tools as a barrier between the bare floor and metal. After scrubbing and soaking the effective rust areas, I set the tools on the plywood and carpet samples. So far, I have not observed additional rust and I am in the process of moving to an apartment with a garage and will redo the same procedure as in my former garage. Moisture can effect metal on top of the garage floors and with the for mentioned procedure, I think I have stopped the rust. As far as ammo cans, I would do the same procedure.

Nick

 

[pharmer]

I have my cans in the climate controlled house. There is tile on concrete so I have cut 3/4" outdoor plywood to line the bottom of the closet. Floor and wall as high as cans are. Drywall will be damaged by shoving the cans back after getting what you want out or put into them. So far so good. Joe

 

[fredj338]

Concrete is hydroscopic, it absorbs & transfers moisture from the ground. Do depending on the garage construction, may if may not be an issue. Throwing a piece of 1/2" plywood down is cheap insurance.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I the Military, our Bunker supplies were Never put on the "Deck".

Wood pallets or metal shelves always held the metal ammo cans.
Some cans even had a static cloth placed between the shelf and can, for safety reasons.

Never stack too high or over load storage units.. !!

 

[dogdoc]

Why worry? I have been storing ammo cans on the floor of my garage for years. I have not had any rust problems and if I did it would be such a minor thing it would be insignificant. Anything you put down will make it harder to clean as dirt will get under it. Who cares of a garage floor has stain. You will get that over the years from all the stuff you do in any kind of shop. It is a man cave after all. Most slabs have a moisture barrier anyway.

 

[Old Corp]

Store ALOT of full ammo cans, GI and commercial plastic in my concrete floored garage. Humid in Spring/Summer and salt air environment.
All the cans sit atop scrap 2"x 8" boards. IIRC, I also placed some roofing shingles underneath the 2 x 8's.
Nary a problem.

 

[SMSgt]

Go to Home Depot, buy a couple furring strips, cut them to desired length, and set the cans on them. They will allow air to circulate between concrete and cans, unlike any "solid" cover.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I put down plywood and a plastic runner meant for use under a computer station. It works well enough but I like the idea of the rubber horse mat suggested by Sheet 028 in Post #5.

 

[Skeet 028]

I quite often reload standing up(mostly shotshells) and I use the large rubber pads to stand on too. I also have a couple where I have the lathe and drill press set up. But I don't use the lathe as much these days. Wish I had kept the milling machine though. Those rubber pads work pretty well for lots of things. Harbor Freight also has thinner pads(cheaper) that work fine.

 

[gwpercle]

Very few people put down a vapor barrier under the garage floor slab.
.006 visqueen isn't that expensive ... but few do it . Concrete absorbs moisture from the ground and it goes through the slab....do not sit anything metal or paper / cardboard on the floor , it will get damaged by moisture. Plastic storage containers are a good investment .
Gary

 

[dogdoc]

Very few people put down a vapor barrier under the garage floor slab.
.006 visqueen isn't that expensive ... but few do it . Concrete absorbs moisture from the ground and it goes through the slab....do not sit anything vmetal or paper / cardboard on the floor , it will get damaged by moisture. Plastic storage containers are a good investment .
Gary

I must have a vapor barrier under mine as no problems with ammo cans or some boxes either. I cannot remember as it was 20 years ago when I built the house

 

[rockquarry]

I have a large 20mm ammo can that I store at least thirty bullet moulds in. The can sits on a bare concrete garage floor. I've done this for years without rusting or moisture problems. Most of the moulds have a light oil coating and are in original boxes or wrapped in paper.

I have a dozen or more die sets that I no longer use in their original boxes stored in a cardboard box that also sits on a garage floor. They are not protected with a lubricant film other than what may be inside the sizing dies, but I've seen no evidence of rust on the dies.

I'm not being critical of someone that takes extra measures in protecting their stuff as humidity and other factors vary greatly from one storage location to another. I live in North Texas where moderately high humidity is only an occasional problem.