Ammo Storage

Papermaker

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I have stored my various types of ammo in my gun safe for the past years. Now, my firearms purchases have begun to overcrowd the ammo space, and I need to move ammo out of my gun safe. "I have always heard that you are not supposed to store ammo in the gun safe, but I did anyway". What are some options for ammo storage, considering economy and environmental conditions? I have a couple of the plastic and metal ammo "cans", but was wondering what you guys use for storage. Most of my ammo is in the 50 round blocks, whether it is 9mm, 357 mag, 38 special or etc. Especially interested in environmental/waterproofing seal. Thanks in advance for you comments.
 
Temperature variations are my main thought especially longer term ... inside an air conditioned & heated home there is little concern as long as there’s no flood possibility like say basement. I use good old .30 and .50 cal military ammo cans (with good gaskets) for storage. They are easy to handle and stack plus throw in a desiccant pack and moisture is also sorta handled. I do keep most ammo in an old Justrite HazMat cabinet I bought at an auction years back which is lockable, grounded and halfway fire resistant but that’s just me.

I have vacuum sealed some ammo for hunting trips where I was worried about moisture effects ... but that is not something I do for main ammo storage.
 
Military surplus metal ammo cans. They're designed for exactly what you want to do. They're sturdy, cheap, seal well, stack easily and they're easy to sell when you're done using them. Store in a safe if you want but a RSC will probably do the job just as well.
 
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I have a big basement. It’s air conditioned so I don’t worry about moisture or temperature fluctuations.

I do have ammunition in the garage, and that isn’t stored in anything either.


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I store in metal ammo cans. Have some that are my “never open till SHTF cans” and some that are my working stock. I keep G code bang boxes always full in my range bags and just refill or top them off from my working stock cans when I return from a range session.
 
Ammo cans. Generally 50cal for factory stuff in original boxes and 30 cal for bulk reloads. Few thousand rounds on a shelf in the garage that I mostly shoot from.
 
Mine is mainly in original packaging on shelves I built in a closet.
 
I'm in the same boat. I can't fit all of it in the safe and I'm quickly running out of room. I just rearranged things and freed up a little space. Like others have said, 50 cal ammo cans, labeled with desiccant packs. I agree, as long as it's in the house, there shouldn't be a problem.

I just pulled a 50 cal can out of the safe and stacked the boxes on one of the shelves, that freed up quite a bit of space and now I have an extra ammo can.

I mentioned to the wife the other day that I am about to need another safe "OMG, I'm just going to move out to give you more room" LOL.
 
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I’m amused that so many folks put ammo in their residential security containers. If left out there ain’t no burglar grabbing either a significant number of individual boxes or a bunch of ammo cans that weigh 30+ pounds each. It’s work and conversion to cash is not straightforward.
 
I’m amused that so many folks put ammo in their residential security containers. If left out there ain’t no burglar grabbing either a significant number of individual boxes or a bunch of ammo cans that weigh 30+ pounds each. It’s work and conversion to cash is not straightforward.

I agree. Keep in it some sturdy cans on sturdy shelves in a climate-controlled space (desiccant if it makes you feel better) and call it a day.
 
I use a Liberty Ammo Can bolted in the far corner of my garage. I put several “Moisture Eliminator” canisters that I get at dollar tree on the same isle as the hangers etc. I am able to store over 20,000 rounds + this way, moisture proof.
 
I’m amused that so many folks put ammo in their residential security containers. If left out there ain’t no burglar grabbing either a significant number of individual boxes or a bunch of ammo cans that weigh 30+ pounds each. It’s work and conversion to cash is not straightforward.

No room in my safe for ammo. Try to imagine the warehouses, trucks and storage containers where all the stuff sits long before we buy it- hot un-air conditioned, etc. Lots of nice heavy old fashioned file cabinets and fireproof storage things show up at the Re-stores and consignment shops. File the ammo using the Pewey Decimal system ;)
 
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0425202027.jpg Ziploc bags inside plastic buckets with lids seems to work well for me. It is also rather difficult for a thief to make off with a 5 gallon bucket full of 45 Auto rounds. The buckets can be stacked two to three high if needed. Label what is on them because all those buckets look the same after a while, and it is a pain to go through several dozen buckets to find the right ammo you need for a day of shooting.
 
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View attachment 207952 Ziploc bags inside plastic buckets with lids seems to work well for me. It is also rather difficult for a thief to make off with a 5 gallon bucket full of 46 Auto rounds. The buckets can be stacked two to three high if needed. Label what is on them because all those buckets look the same after a while, and it is a pain to go through several dozen buckets to find the right ammo you need for a day of shooting.
Do your amps go to 11?
 
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Boxed and in milsurp ammo cans.

I keep all my magazines stored in the plastic ammo boxes you'd find at Walmart or Academy...I can fit 8 AR magazines per box.
 
USGI ammo cans. Once opened WARSAW Pact spam cans go into USGI ammo cans. Keep in cool, dry place. If in your home, generally where you don't trip over it. Got space under bed, behind couch or closet? Restencil or label maker (I use a paint marker) contents of USGI cans. Maintenance can: keep cans clean, brush off any rust
Seal: refresh over decades with silicone or talcum powder, not needed if you never open.

Three types of caches
Concealment ie hidden in house, under tarp in garage
Burial: ie underground
Submersion: under water, USGI ammo cans good down to at least 1 ATM (33') IIRC

Work ammo, Loaded belts of 7.62x54R in cans
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Bottom two black cans are unloaded. Top two black cans have 3,000 rds 7.62mm each for the Minigun, then cases of 40mm HEDP, plus other things that go boom.
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Tall stack is all 5.56, front 7.62x51 belts
IMG_0650.jpg


CD
 
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