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Ammo storage....?

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For about 40, or so years I have always stored my ammo in .50 cal. ammo cans. I'm sure a bit more expensive than plastic, but with a little care will last for well probably as long as you do. A piece of duct tape on the top, and a magic marker, and contents are easily identified. Every now, and then a little oil on the hinges, and a bit of armor all on the rubber seal, and you are good to go. I bet that can on the left is probably 30+ yards old. Since the recent carnage of my guns to my sons, these are the only two I have kept. One with various handgun rounds, and the other with a few shotgun shells. All #4 shot, or 00 buckshot. How do you store your ammo?
 
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I should not show you what I use for 2 reasons 1 now you know what I store them in and I can no longer hide them in plan sight. 2 is because I now realize that an old beer case is really not that strong. I am using an old Drewrys beer case and a Ryobi saw case. The beer case is what you might call a family heirloom my dad started to use in back in the 70's and when he passed away I have been using it ever since. I do have a .50 cal. ammo can but I use that to store my fireworks. I might rethink I how store my things that go bag and pick up a few more ammo can.
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Most of mine seems to be stored down range:wink1:. Really I just store mine in my bedroom closet locked in a gun safe. Not sure I would store it in a beer case though, with the price of beer around here if someone would break in that might be something they would take.
 
"How do you store your ammo?"

The "ready ammo" is stowed on shelves in old metal medical lockers kept in the house. The remainder is stored in .30 caliber and .50 caliber ammo cans just like you use. The storage building is vented but is not climate controlled. No issues have been noted from ammunition used after having been stored in this fashion though some of it has been kept this way for 35 years.

Ammunition has almost unlimited shelf life if kept dry and relatively cool (that is, out of the attic in Texas in summer). The oldest ammunition I've ever test fired was some late 19th century Winchester .38 WCF ammunition with small rifle primers and loaded with black powder. Several hundred rounds from an old pawn shop back in the 1980s. Don't know where they got it or its history. Probably a third proved to be duds but the rest went off with a satisfying crack and clouds of smoke. I have also fired some Frankfort Arsenal 1904 dated .30-40 ammunition, Frankfort Arsenal revolver ammunition from 1911, both in .38 Long Colt and .45 Colt, and quantities of World War I and World War II US military ammunition over the years.

Didn't have such good fortune with these three .45 ACP cartridges a while back when I had the chronograph out to the range, testing some .38 Special loads. I had picked up these three rounds of Frankfort Arsenal '26 .45 ACP ammunition at a local gun show and thought to try two of them over the chronograph screens, saving one for the cartridge collection. Just after snapping this photo I attempted two of the cartridges but they were a bust. Several tries proved they were duds.
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Legion

Staff member
When I had to store lots of ammo I kept it in those metal 7.62mm army ammo boxes. They are pretty well sealed.

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50 caliber cans. And I spray paint over the yellow printing on their side. Eventually I just spray paing the whole outside black "primer" ( flat black)
 
Pistol ammo lives in a mil surp ammo can such as the ones shown in the thread. I rarely have more than a few hundred rounds on hand though so 1 can suffices. Shotgun ammo is stored in cardboard boxes on shelves near my reloader and then in my range bag in smaller quantities.
 
It's really hard to find a better home for long or short range storage than the .50 cans. Quite safe and very effective at what it does. Can even be made kidproof. Highly recommended. Try to get real ones if possible--not some thin knock off.
 
Mine is in a closet, in a wooden box that my dad used for ammo storage when he was younger. I recently shot some 50 year old 30-30 ammo and didn't have any issues, so I'm sure my kids will do the same some day! Not fancy, but it works. Oh, and my Mosin Nagant ammo is, of course, in giant spam cans.
 
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