Storage methods for reloaded ammo.

[JDucros]

With the way my schedule is and the way things come up I am not always able to reload on an "as need" basis. I purchased my Dillon press from Brian well over a month ago and haven't even loaded one round on it yet. I'm going to load 250 rounds tomorrow and order some more bullets powder and primers and do one large batch of about 5000 rounds so that I have enough for competitions in the event something keeps me from being able to load on a regular basis.

In this situation, what is the best way to store the loaded ammo to protect agains humidity. I love in Austin, Tx an even in the dead of winder(all four days of it) the humidity is still at about 55% and that's about as dry as it gets. Someone recommended using a primer sealer and leaving it at that. Me, I'm the cat that curiosity killed until it got bored. Is primer sealer enough or would an alternative like using ZipLock bags with a desiccant pouch and oxygen absorber tab work? I don't have a FoodSaver but I imagine those would be good for storing ammo. I've also got a few ammo cans with tight seals on them. Would it be enough protection to box up the ammo and seal them in the ammo cans with a desiccant cube?

What have you guys found to protect your ammo the best for long term storage.?

Thanks,

-James

Edited November 30, 2010 by JDucros

[cyburg]

Pick up a few ammo boxes from an army navy, military surplus store. Ammo that was made prior to WWII is still being shot.

Just remember some powder is temp sensitive and if you load it during the winter and use it in the summer there may be a variance in the power factor.

[Classic_jon]

Many people make this question more complex than it is :-D

Buy some Military surplus ammo cans that have good seals, put the ammo in them and seal it up.

The only reason to put all the primer sealant and dip the ammo in resin etc is if you are going to be slogging through mud and all sorts of stuff that is seen in a combat environment. For general purposes for "the game" an ammo can should be plenty of protection.

As Cyburg said make sure that the powder and the load that you are using will make power factor both during the heat of the summer and the cooler times that are here in Texas.

[Kyle O]

Gallon Ziploc Bags, work as well as an ammo can on the shelf, but not as durable for transport and such.

[Yagi]

I use plastic food containers that fit old ammo boxes... light and cheap ones...plus i dont have to bring the heavy ammo box each time i go to the range...

[prreed10]

I go to the Dollar Store & get some if their rectangular food containers - they come 3 in a pack for $1. One will hold about 200 loaded 9mm, 175 40's or 125 45's. They also stack easily for storage. When I get to the range, I dump them into a mesh pouch that fits in the side pocket of my range bag.

[kevin c]

If your ammo gets literally damp, say, from dramatic and rapid temperature swings where you can get condensation, maybe some care is needed, but I doubt that high humidity by itself will do anything to the ballistics of the load. It might tarnish the cases a bit is all. Doing what you proposed would be good if you were going for really long term storage, (survival preparations for the post nuclear holocaust may be), but if you plan on using the rounds even after a couple years or more, I don't think you need to worry about humidity.

[Mike in CT]

Great replies. I was thinking the same things. I am reloading in the basement and have humidity control at 45%. I was planning on just using the plastic storage boxes and plan to shoot what I load within a year.

Mike

[bbbean]

I regularly see plinkers and hunters drag ancient commercial ammo out of garages and old sheds that's been stored in old sheds, garages, and basements where there temps vary widely and our average humidity is 71% in a drought year. Even though the ammo is in cardboard boxes, I've never seen ammo fail due to open storage. When I first started shooting competitively, I started with a couple of cases of s&b that'd been stored in cardboard boxes under my darkroom sink for several years. They all ran great.

I'd think that unless your ammo is under water for an extended length of time, you'd be fine for years in any sort of container.

[Sarge]

Great replies. I was thinking the same things. I am reloading in the basement and have humidity control at 45%. I was planning on just using the plastic storage boxes and plan to shoot what I load within a year.

Mike

I also load and store ammo in the basement with a target of 50% humidity. I just dump mine in one of the AKRO bins Dillon sells for the SL 900. It holds ALOT of 9mm or .40.

[goat68]

I shot up the last of my shotgun (practice) loads that used up some primers that were in my garage for 5 years and had no problems. The Humidity in eastern washington is pretty low but we do get snow in winter and there is always water rain or snow melt during the winter. I was a bit concerned that the rounds would not fire so I used them for practice only just in case. Unless you have a flood, my opinion is that your ammo will be fine.

[JDucros]

If your ammo gets literally damp, say, from dramatic and rapid temperature swings where you can get condensation, maybe some care is needed, but I doubt that high humidity by itself will do anything to the ballistics of the load. It might tarnish the cases a bit is all. Doing what you proposed would be good if you were going for really long term storage, (survival preparations for the post nuclear holocaust may be), but if you plan on using the rounds even after a couple years or more, I don't think you need to worry about humidity.

I live in Austin, Tx but I come from New Orleans, La. I grew up hunting in the swamps of Louisiana and even ammo that was stored in dry containers at home were effected by the humidity. Cases tarnished but the powder was also effected at times. My grandfather once talked about when the Navy and the Corps of Engineers had several projects to find ways of storing ammo for long term without being susceptible to the humidity. I don't remember all of the details of the conversation at the time but I do know that in all of his sealed ammo cans at home he kept several desiccant packs in each can. Believe me, it sounds unlikely but ammo is more susceptible to the humidity in the south than you think. One of the guys in our hunting club uses his GameSaver to seal all of his ammo and shells. He's the only one that has NEVER had a dud or delayed detonation. Of all 14 guys my grandfather was the only other one to not have any bullets fail. He had a few 12ga shells fail but that was before he discovered the can they were stored in had a leak in the rubber seal.

As for factory ammunition, I know Winchester NATO ammo uses a primer sealant. I wasn't sure if anyone had any newer and less tedious "technology" that they knew of for long term storage of reloads.

[gohuskers]

Dillon Ammo Boxes. For the extra ammo I just dump it in a surplus army can. works fine.

[gohuskers]

Dillon Ammo Boxes. For the extra ammo I just dump it in a surplus army can. works fine.

[Classic_jon]

I live in Austin, Tx but I come from New Orleans, La....

... He had a few 12ga shells fail but that was before he discovered the can they were stored in had a leak in the rubber seal. ...

Honestly, I think you are over-thinking this for the Austin area that you are living in now.

Unless you are going to be storing the ammo for "multiple years" in the normal Texas weather you should not not have an issue with humidity. I have some factory .40 ammo that is over 3 years old that still goes bang. My Dad has some .38S&W (Some call it ".38 short") that is well over 10 years old and had been sitting in the garage that I fired a couple months ago in his 100+ year old S&W 4th model, and it all went bang.

I have family in Louisiana (Actually just got back from Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving ) and the humidity there is quite a bit different than it is further north. Austin is also several hundred feet higher than New Orleans and that will make a difference as well. If your ammo is going to be in a Bayou or similar humidity it should be just fine in a well sealed container. A desiccant pack is a very good idea in the Louisiana humidity but, we are talking about Austin which has a totally different climate and moisture level. I also think you also answered part of your own question when you said "...when he discovered he had a leak in the seal..."

If you wanted to put a desiccant pack in the can with the ammo I would call it a good idea considering the normal humidity in Austin but...not totally necessary if it is in a good sealed container and the ammo is of good quality. If you want to paint the primers and it makes you feel better about it, then by all means do so. It is your ammo and your time so you can do what you want to the ammo to protect it.

The other part of this is, if you are Shooting the ammo fairly regularly, it should not last long enough to have problems with humidity

And with that, you have several peoples opinions on the subject as to what to do, the final decision is yours.

[JDucros]

I live in Austin, Tx but I come from New Orleans, La....

... He had a few 12ga shells fail but that was before he discovered the can they were stored in had a leak in the rubber seal. ...

Honestly, I think you are over-thinking this for the Austin area that you are living in now.

Austin is also several hundred feet higher than New Orleans and that will make a difference as well.

The other part of this is, if you are Shooting the ammo fairly regularly, it should not last long enough to have problems with humidity

While parked in traffic today I started thinking about this a little. I realized there were some things I was overlooking as well as over-thinking. I think the main reason I'm so concerned with long term storage is because it's somewhat of an investment with loading a large amount to last a year. I don't get to shoot that often(compete about once or twice a month and go to the range two to three times a month) and with my odd work rotation I don't have much time to reload. I was looking at loading between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds and setting those aside and packing up my loading equipment(due to a limited amount of space available) and just shoot from the stored up ammo and then when I need more I'll wait for a break from work and set everything up and load another 5-10k.

I appreciate your input on the subject and thank you very much.

DO you have any suggestion for replacing a can gasket? I've got some normal sized ammo cans and some larger rocket cans that have long rectangular seals. Is there a product available at Lowes or Home Depot that would work or is it a specific type of rubber?

[sirveyr]

I use the orange Homer buckets with lids from The Home Depot. I don't even need to label them. The really heavy ones are filled with brass and the really really really heavy ones are full of ammo. I don't think I've had any ammo sit around long enough to "go bad". Well, there is that stash under the stairs that I've been saving for the zombie hordes, but that should be fine too.

eta: It's hordes, not hoards, dumb ass.

Edited December 4, 2010 by sirveyr

[limited 10]

I use the plastic coffee cans...

[dansy]

I think that you are worried about something that is not very important as far as I know....55% is actually very low...I have loaded ammo above 90% and had no problems what so ever, I always chrono my stuff before level 2 Qualifier or level 3 and I have never seen anything that make me believe that the high humidity factor has something to do with my ammo...

I just store mine in a Big Yellow that I get at Home Depot....for practice it's in a ammo bag and for matches in Cardboard box....so I don't have to bring them back home...

[GrumpyOne]

The very first center fire rifle I bought was a Winchester Model 94 30-30 when I was 15 (this was 1983). The man I bought it from lived in Cedar Key, FL, on the Gulf of Mexico (literally, over the water, his house had pilons down to the water below). He had bought the gun new in 1963, along with a box of Remington Core-lokt 150 grain bullets, and a box of Winchester 150 grain silver tip. The silver tip was old enough that the aluminum (or whatever the silver stuff was) had actually corroded off of the round and the bare lead under it was visible. The core-lokt rounds were a very deep shade of brown. After cleaning the rounds up with a scotch brite pad, and removing what was left of the silver tip, they both brought down deer that year. They shot absolutely perfect.

BTW, he shot the rifle 11 times and then put it up, never touching it again until he sold it to me, which I still have.

Humidity doesn't do much to a round other than tarnish the case.....

[Amerflyer48]

Loaded ammo is actually very durable,..

I was at a plate shoot one year at my home range,... and somehow I dropped some ammo by one of our "shooters" tables you know the one where everyone BS's and loads/unloads mags etc.

found them a year later, snow,rain, heat & cold,.. knew they were mine due to the .45 with a TC projectile and a red and black cross on the back of the casings,...

Figured,.. shoot them whats worst that could happen I have a squib rod .. all went bang as loaded....interesting experiment..

FWIW, Nowadays I ziploc bag and store in ammo cans and waterproof my duck shells with nail polish on primer and shot crimp....

John

P.S. About the can gaskets,... you could use a foam weatherstrip from HD or Lowes ,

Or degrease or clean the lid and grease/oil /wax(release agent) the box and RTV form-a gasket it..

Edited December 4, 2010 by Amerflyer48

[rexican]

I'm also in Austin, and I don't blame you for over-thinking things: I'm looking for a similar solution as well. I have been thinking of making an old freezer into a dry box for loaded ammo, and installing some form of humidity control. I keep my Dillon properly lubed and covered in the garage, however the primer feed system has started to rust three separate times over the last few months. Even my some of my poor rcbs dies have rusted on their toolheads:angry2:

I have literally tens of thousands of rounds of unloaded brass that I am in the process of organizing. Coffee cans with their plastic lids have worked to keep brass from tarnishing after tumbling, however they are not really efficient storage devices for me. I have been evaluating different types of rubbermaid-type containers, and it has been quite a pain.

Good luck to you!

[JDucros]

I'm also in Austin, and I don't blame you for over-thinking things: I'm looking for a similar solution as well. I have been thinking of making an old freezer into a dry box for loaded ammo, and installing some form of humidity control. I keep my Dillon properly lubed and covered in the garage, however the primer feed system has started to rust three separate times over the last few months. Even my some of my poor rcbs dies have rusted on their toolheads:angry2:

I have literally tens of thousands of rounds of unloaded brass that I am in the process of organizing. Coffee cans with their plastic lids have worked to keep brass from tarnishing after tumbling, however they are not really efficient storage devices for me. I have been evaluating different types of rubbermaid-type containers, and it has been quite a pain.

Good luck to you!

You'd be surprised how much a small squirt of WD-40 can protect threads against the humidity. It's working for me.

People who aren't from here and haven't experienced what the humidity here can do to things like ammo and tools don't really understand.

As for using the freezer as a dry box, excellent idea. For humidity control inside your freezer/dry box, check out the GoldenRod Dehumidifier. Sells for about $30. It's normally used in gun safes to eliminate humidity. Most of the high end safes at Cabela's come with an electrical outlet inside them for the goldenrod.

Cheers,

-JD

[JDucros]

I have been thinking of making an old freezer into a dry box for loaded ammo, and installing some form of humidity control.

By the way, that's freaking genius!

-James

[GrumpyOne]

I'm also in Austin, and I don't blame you for over-thinking things: I'm looking for a similar solution as well. I have been thinking of making an old freezer into a dry box for loaded ammo, and installing some form of humidity control. I keep my Dillon properly lubed and covered in the garage, however the primer feed system has started to rust three separate times over the last few months. Even my some of my poor rcbs dies have rusted on their toolheads:angry2:

I have literally tens of thousands of rounds of unloaded brass that I am in the process of organizing. Coffee cans with their plastic lids have worked to keep brass from tarnishing after tumbling, however they are not really efficient storage devices for me. I have been evaluating different types of rubbermaid-type containers, and it has been quite a pain.

Good luck to you!

You'd be surprised how much a small squirt of WD-40 can protect threads against the humidity. It's working for me.

People who aren't from here and haven't experienced what the humidity here can do to things like ammo and tools don't really understand.

As for using the freezer as a dry box, excellent idea. For humidity control inside your freezer/dry box, check out the GoldenRod Dehumidifier. Sells for about $30. It's normally used in gun safes to eliminate humidity. Most of the high end safes at Cabela's come with an electrical outlet inside them for the goldenrod.

Cheers,

-JD

And us here in Florida have no idea about humidity?