Ammunition storage priorities- temperature or humidity

[45Badger]

Either can will outlive most of us.

I don’t want to be hauling stuff up and down the very steep basement steps, especially as I get older.

 

[mothybee]

Ask Joe Biden-Harris

You mean Harris-Biden.

 

[bigblue]

Thanks guys. All my ammunition is currently in 30-40 cans with desiccant. Did that for the move to NH and keeping safely stored while we are renting.

This is my favorite ammunition storage cabinet. I can neatly sort my less than case quantities by caliber (and bullet weight/shot size). It needs to be in decent environment, so I think the repurposed bedroom will be best choiceView attachment 465674

Full case quantities can get stashed in closets. In the long run, we can finish off one bay of the garage and add an electric baseboard to keep temp stable.

That’s a shit container for ammo. Provides no protection from the things that matter: Heat, Humidity, and FIRE.

Ammo should be stored in a wood box 1” thick. Stack 50 cal ammo cans in the wood box for organization. Put desiccant packs in the cans and label as previously mentioned.

 

[Broc]

Old school ammo cans.... basement, done

This.

I have kept black powder stored in a barn with no heat or humidity control for well over a year, no issues.

I have kept a box of 7.62x39 in a car for 3 years (I didn't know I had it until I traded it in, lol), shot it, no issues.

I have even reloaded rounds with moisture (I didn't realize it until I saw powder was sticking to cases), shot it, no problem.

I am not recommending you do the above. What I am saying is, a good ammo can that seals in a basement will be fine.

I dont think the cold/hot is a big deal due to it happening fairly slow. If you brought the ammo from a room at 10 degrees into a room at 90 or the other way, you might have an issue. But slow changes over several hours/days, is not a huge deal.

Most of the surplus stuff we shoot was stored in wooden crates in warehouses in Eastern Europe with no humidity control.

 

[Mtn_Guy]

Option 1: Move.
Option 2: Give me your ammo.
Option 3: Decentralized storage - 9MM under the bed in the master, .22 under the bed in the kid’s room, etc...

 

[AHM]

I thought you lived in CT. Why put them in the safe?? No safe storage for ammo in CT.

Nope, PRM. No unlocked ammo storage in Mass.

(The Stack-On safe has at least one (unoccupied) hole in the back for lag-bolting.
And contains no loose powder or primers.
So in the event of a catastrophic house fire where the smattering of stored ammo
gets hot enough to start firing, the safe's gonna be geysering smokeless smoke
out that hole like one of Smaug's snorts. But since it's not hermetically sealed,
I'm telling myself that internal pressure isn't going to rise to the point where
powder changes its combustion rate. Besides, the loaded 1911 will put one
slightly larger hole in the steel when it cooks off the round in the pipe).

Thought its very VERY space inefficient, I do like the gym locker system above. Easy to stay organized and very flexible. Provided its in a low humidity location.

And in the event that the owner secures the individual lockers (maybe with a system of
bars through all the hasps on the same horizontal row), it becomes a real annoyance
to burgle each cubby.

Unless ammo burglers rip the sheet metal off the back,
which is probably riveted on?

I have a similar problem at our new place only much worse... not enough "conditioned" storage space, so store ammo in the bone dry attic (but subject to wide temperature fluctuations)

WWII ammo allegedly works like a champ,
but I'ma go out on a limb and say no one ever tested it by roasting the ammo
for 4+ months a year in an uninsulated New England attic.

When I roomed in a rented bungalow with fellow alums
upon moving to New England, we didn't merely have
a cemented cobblestone foundation -
the cellar wall had a natural spring during, uh, the spring.
So I understand how bad basements can be.

But attics seem like a hard block for storage.

I am inclined to use plastic cans like these:

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-dry-storage-ammo-can
Good or bad? Any thoughts?

The plastic cans are designed to take decent (and indecent)-sized padlocks,
they seal, and yet no one is going to accuse you of building a pressure bomb
if they are in a house fire. They probably melt into glop that looks like
the contents of our coronary arteries before the first round cooks off.

But you're pissing away your hard-earned cash
if you don't buy those bad boys at Harbor Freight.

0.30 Caliber Ammo Box

Amazing deals on this .30 Cal Ammo Box at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Back before the Purse War started with China,
HF occasionally had them on coupon-sale for $2.99/ea.

Because they were all fabbed at the same ChiComm slave labor factories.
Just be sure to check 'em for The Usual Imperfections (item #4)
before you bring 'em to the checkout counter.

That’s a shit container for ammo. Provides no protection from the things that matter: Heat, Humidity, and FIRE.

Ammo should be stored in a wood box 1” thick. Stack 50 cal ammo cans in the wood box for organization. Put desiccant packs in the cans and label as previously mentioned.

So you're saying the Leg Lamp was protected from Heat and FIRE?

I dont think the cold/hot is a big deal due to it happening fairly slow. If you brought the ammo from a room at 10 degrees into a room at 90 or the other way, you might have an issue. But slow changes over several hours/days, is not a huge deal.

(Except for that one time when you were running your press while taking a shvitz)
you're probably really only talking about the risk
of condensation on the outside of the ammo; amirite?

 

[EJFudd]

The plastic cans are designed to take decent (and indecent)-sized padlocks,
they seal, and yet no one is going to accuse you of building a pressure bomb
if they are in a house fire. They probably melt into glop that looks like
the contents of our coronary arteries before the first round cooks off.

But you're pissing away your hard-earned cash
if you don't buy those bad boys at Harbor Freight.

0.30 Caliber Ammo Box

Amazing deals on this .30 Cal Ammo Box at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Back before the Purse War started with China,
HF occasionally had them on coupon-sale for $2.99/ea.

The problem for me is that those small plastic HF .30 cal ammo boxes hold less than a third of what the Cabela's boxes can hold... and the Cabela's boxes sometimes go on sale for $9.95 each (although not lately). Now, admittedly, those Cabela's boxes can get damn heavy when filled to capacity, but once settled in their storage location, who cares?

I just need some experienced opinions on whether to go metal ammo boxes or plastic ammo boxes in a very wet basement. Does it make a difference? Or is one as good as the other?

 

[dcmdon]

AHM - nobody steals ammo. The idea of locking up ammunition against theft has always seemed dumb to me. Besides, ammunition is not a firearm and therefore theft of it would fall under the "contents" portion of your homeowner's insurance.

Wait, I was wrong. The government steals ammunition from citizens all the time. Though I don't think any safe is really going to stop them.

 

[drgrant]

AHM - nobody steals ammo. The idea of locking up ammunition against theft has always seemed dumb to me. Besides, ammunition is not a firearm and therefore theft of it would fall under the "contents" portion of your homeowner's insurance.

Wait, I was wrong. The government steals ammunition from citizens all the time. Though I don't think any safe is really going to stop them.

He's possibly afraid of CMR garbage (which is a joke, but i digress) but more likely also proximate unwashed in posession issues- as a hedge or protection for unwashed people that might live in or transit his household.

 

[AHM]

The problem for me is that those small plastic HF .30 cal ammo boxes hold less than a third of what the Cabela's boxes can hold... and the Cabela's boxes sometimes go on sale for $9.95 each (although not lately). Now, admittedly, those Cabela's boxes can get damn heavy when filled to capacity, but once settled in their storage location, who cares?

I'm sure I was projecting, because I only buy that size. But...

0.50 Caliber Ammo Box

Amazing deals on this .50 Cal Ammo Box at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

MSRP: $9.99
Don't recall if they go on sale the way the .30's do,
but if they do, the sale price will be below $9.99.

He's possibly afraid of CMR garbage (which is a joke, but i digress) but more likely also proximate unwashed in posession issues- as a hedge or protection for unwashed people that might live in or transit his household.

[x] CMR garbage.

No permanent unwashed.
As a matter of fact, now that our LTCs have reached steady-state,
The Bride's always expires a month and a half after mine.

Although, the ammo is in the bedroom that,
when we have houseguests, only ever lodges minors.

 

[EJFudd]

I'm sure I was projecting, because I only buy that size. But...

0.50 Caliber Ammo Box

Amazing deals on this .50 Cal Ammo Box at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

MSRP: $9.99
Don't recall if they go on sale the way the .30's do,
but if they do, the sale price will be below $9.99.

Still much smaller than the Cabela's plastic ammo boxes, but way better than the HF .30's.

 

[AHM]

Still much smaller than the Cabela's plastic ammo boxes, but way better than the HF .30's.

Dayum. Help me find my car and we can drive out.

No, I just assumed that the Cabela's one was the only other size plastic one sold.

Sorry for the bum steers.

 

[EJFudd]

Sorry for the bum steers.

No worries. In fact, thanks for trying to help!

 

[AHM]

No worries. In fact, thanks for trying to help!

Well, for completeness sake, if you search HF for just "ammo",
there's a somewhat even larger plastic can with a flip-up external tidbit compartment
that looks like the hellspawn child of a real ammo can and a tackle box.
And a couple of metal cans.
And an assortment of "Apache" (faux Pelican) cases,
and an assortment of "Voyager" (faux I-don't-know-what)
mini-suitcases w/ aluminum edges and corners.

Maybe if you removed all the foam from the fake Pelicans,
they'd meet your functional requirements.
But I won't claim it'd be cheaper than buying those large plastic cans at Cabela's.
(You would briefly get treated like 006½ if you rolled in to your club range
and started pulling ammo out of what they thought were Pelican cases;
until they got close enough to see the "Apache" label.
007 holds out for Zero-Halliburton ammo cases I guess).

 

[bigblue]

Target Sports has new, actual steel ammo cans with a seal, for $15.

Why waste your money on those pathetic plastic pails?

 

[AHM]

Target Sports has new, actual steel ammo cans with a seal, for $15.

That I can't even lock.
Unless I drill a hole into the sealed case,
and insert a bolt, cross-drilled to accept a padlock.
A bolt I don't have.
Placed in a hole made using a drill bit I don't have.

So, an unsealed ammo case that costs 5x the price I pay for Harbor Freight.

 

[AFAR/PFAR]

That I can't even lock.
Unless I drill a hole into the sealed case,
and insert a bolt, cross-drilled to accept a padlock.
A bolt I don't have.
Placed in a hole made using a drill bit I don't have.

So, an unsealed ammo case that costs 5x the price I pay for Harbor Freight.

No offense, but why are you installing a lock on a surplus ammo can. They're a dime a dozen and easily available. Buy a bunch, toss your ammo in it, label the boxes as you see fit.

If you feel like securing it, buy a job box to stick your ammo cans in.

 

[bigblue]

That I can't even lock.
Unless I drill a hole into the sealed case,
and insert a bolt, cross-drilled to accept a padlock.
A bolt I don't have.
Placed in a hole made using a drill bit I don't have.

So, an unsealed ammo case that costs 5x the price I pay for Harbor Freight.

Wow, you are really really smart. Like first quartile on the parabola.

Why don’t you go read something from an authoritative source on how ammo and explosives should be stored and stop spouting your driveling nonsense.

 

[AHM]

No offense, but why are you installing a lock on a surplus ammo can.

Because I store ammo in it? (And I suck for the CMR garbage™).

Wow, you are really really smart. Like first quartile on the parabola.

Why don’t you go read something from an authoritative source on how ammo and explosives should be stored and stop spouting your driveling nonsense.

I could not care less.

Spoiler: Oh, and P.S...

 

[AHM]

That I can't even lock.
Unless I drill a hole into the sealed case,
and insert a bolt, cross-drilled to accept a padlock.
A bolt I don't have.
Placed in a hole made using a drill bit I don't have.

I've seen pictures where people drilled through the whole case to add a locking bolt
like this guy:

except instead of an eyebolt, nut, washers, gaskets, yadda³,
it was a simple thick bolt, passed through the hole with the head on the inside,
and a cross-drilled hole for a padlock that lived beyond the latch.

But the hole is unnecessary with at least some latch types (the "usual" kind?):

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step: No ammo can lock is particularly secure. Ammo cans are made of thin sheet metal and the lids are held in place by thin metal rod, easily cut through with a hack saw, or even more quickly with a set of bolt cutters. My interest in locking an ammo c…

www.instructables.com

 

[45Badger]

Damn. I started an ammo box storage war.

Thanks for all the insight. I’ve stored cased ammunition in 20mm cans with desiccant. That will continue.

The assorted stash will be in the locker set in the reloading/4th bedroom. I’ll revive this thread and post pics after I move and get it set up.

 

[AFAR/PFAR]

I've seen pictures where people drilled through the whole case to add a locking bolt
like this guy:

except instead of an eyebolt, nut, washers, gaskets, yadda³,
it was a simple thick bolt, passed through the hole with the head on the inside,
and a cross-drilled hole for a padlock that lived beyond the latch.

But the hole is unnecessary with at least some latch types (the "usual" kind?):

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step: No ammo can lock is particularly secure. Ammo cans are made of thin sheet metal and the lids are held in place by thin metal rod, easily cut through with a hack saw, or even more quickly with a set of bolt cutters. My interest in locking an ammo c…

www.instructables.com

Seems like a solution looking for a problem. If it works for you, go for it. IMO, seems to be doing things the hard way.

Because I store ammo in it?

So does 47.8% of the civilized world.

 

[AHM]

Seems like a solution looking for a problem. If it works for you, go for it. IMO, seems to be doing things the hard way.

I'm right there with you on that.

Note well: that FR photo is from a Geocacher just looking for waterproof field logbook storage.
But if you look for "add lock to ammo can", it qualifies as a Google hit.

(Even better is the ham radio fox hunters -
the smart ones put prominent "this is just a radio transmitter geocache" decals on them.
But every once in a while a hiker discovers an ammo box with an antenna wire.
They assume it's Islamist terrorists monitoring Boston Harbor for ship movements
call the police, and hilarity ensues).

I coulda sworn there was a how-to with a solid bolt cross-drilled for a padlock,
but maybe it was just the cross-drilled rifle brass.
I do think someone else besides the geocacher was drilling a hole all the way through
the wall of the ammo box behind the latch - .
(Which we've established up above in this thread, ain't necessary).
But that how-to ain't jumping in my lap...

So does 47.8% of the civilized world.

Here's our disconnect:
I'm not storing ammo in the civilized world -
I'm doing it in Massachusetts.

 

[DJBrad]

Target Sports has new, actual steel ammo cans with a seal, for $15.

Why waste your money on those pathetic plastic pails?

That I can't even lock.
Unless I drill a hole into the sealed case,
and insert a bolt, cross-drilled to accept a padlock.
A bolt I don't have.
Placed in a hole made using a drill bit I don't have.

So, an unsealed ammo case that costs 5x the price I pay for Harbor Freight.

Wow, you are really really smart. Like first quartile on the parabola.

Why don’t you go read something from an authoritative source on how ammo and explosives should be stored and stop spouting your driveling nonsense.

Because I store ammo in it? (And I suck for the CMR garbage™).


I could not care less.

Spoiler: Oh, and P.S...

I've seen pictures where people drilled through the whole case to add a locking bolt
like this guy:

except instead of an eyebolt, nut, washers, gaskets, yadda³,
it was a simple thick bolt, passed through the hole with the head on the inside,
and a cross-drilled hole for a padlock that lived beyond the latch.

But the hole is unnecessary with at least some latch types (the "usual" kind?):

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step

A Lock for a 50cal Ammo Can in 1 Step: No ammo can lock is particularly secure. Ammo cans are made of thin sheet metal and the lids are held in place by thin metal rod, easily cut through with a hack saw, or even more quickly with a set of bolt cutters. My interest in locking an ammo c…

www.instructables.com

Don’t look now but TS beat them by a few bucks.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

Target Sports USA Mil-Spec. 50 Caliber M2A1 Brand New Ammo Can - Deals

Target Sports USA Mil-Spec. 50 Caliber M2A1 Brand New Ammo Can at Target Sports USA. (TSUSA-AMMOGREEN50-LOGO)

www.targetsportsusa.com

This is the way we lock our can, lock our can, lock our can

Not my picture but I use the harbor freight 3pk of locks. This is only made for honest people and .gov anyways.

 

[greencobra]

overthinking again! i have 5 cases of ammo on my kitchen counter, been there for a year or more. goes bang still as expected. all types of conditions, dry extreme heat, humid & hot, extreme cold and humid and cold.

 

[bigblue]

overthinking again! i have 5 cases of ammo on my kitchen counter, been there for a year or more. goes bang still as expected. all types of conditions, dry extreme heat, humid & hot, extreme cold and humid and cold.

That does not comply with CMR in MA, which was the impetus for the whole conversation and the OP.

 

[greencobra]

That does not comply with CMR in MA, which was the impetus for the whole conversation and the OP.

ahhh...did you catch the thread title? i quote.....

"Ammunition storage priorities- temperature or humidity"​

 

[45Badger]

What’s a CMR?

I think I’m going with basement storage in cans to start. House has a portion of old barn that provides the equivalent of a third garage bay. I may finish that space to provide a temp and humidity controlled reloading and ammunition storage room.

 

[bigblue]

ahhh...did you catch the thread title? i quote.....

"Ammunition storage priorities- temperature or humidity"​

How tf does your solution of “nothing” address that?

Every time I login here, its like my worst fears about humanity are played out in B&W. Wtf

 

[AHM]

I think I’m going with basement storage in cans to start. House has a portion of old barn that provides the equivalent of a third garage bay. I may finish that space to provide a temp and humidity controlled reloading and ammunition storage room.

I approve.
There's a lot of room in a barn.