Storing reloaded ammo

[RudyVey]

I store some of my reloads in my garage due to space issues. In the last months we have had really warm and humid weather. Temperature during the day will reach high 90's and it drops to about 80 over night. Should I expect any issues with the reloads being stored at such temperatures?? My space in the basement is a bit limited, so the overflow has to go to the garage. Any input from you guys is appreciated.

[stick]

How much ammo are you storing that you can't store it in a cooler area?  Where do you keep your components?

[RudyVey]

All components, like primers, powder etc are in my basement. This is just ammo I could not store in my very tiny basement anymore due to space issues.

I plan on using this one first, but I wanted to know if there is any problems I may run into.

I know there is a lot of guys who reload in their garage or in sheds outside the house and even store their components there, and a lot of you live in the hotter areas of the country. Not planning on storing more in the garage, but due to the virus my range was closed since March and I just had finished a larger reload run.

Edited July 15, 2020 by RudyVey

[Cowboy1629]

Never had an issue with mine in over 25 years of storing in the garage both loaded ammo and components. We have big temperature swings here too.

[iflyskyhigh]

I live in the desert Southwest. We don’t have the humidity, but we have temps from 120° in the summer to 30° in the winter. All my ammo and components are kept in the garage. My garage doesn’t really get above 100° or below about 50° now because it’s insulated for when I run the AC out there. But in my previous home I never had any issues. I think with modern components you’d have to almost get them wet to render them inop?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[m700]

Get 50 call ammo boxes that seal. And toss a hydrosorbent 40 gram reusable canister in each can. Seams to do the trick. I toss 1 in each can plus box with primers and powder. Do all my drawers for woodworking tools that used to rust quickly in my garage now they don't. Once every year or so take all canisters and bake in oven for a couple hours and they are good as new

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[m700]

Once every year or so take all canisters and bake in oven for a couple hours and they are good as new

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

The canistors not the loaded ammo

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Intheshaw1]

55 minutes ago, m700 said:

Get 50 call ammo boxes that seal. And toss a hydrosorbent 40 gram reusable canister in each can. Seams to do the trick. I toss 1 in each can plus box with primers and powder. Do all my drawers for woodworking tools that used to rust quickly in my garage now they don't. Once every year or so take all canisters and bake in oven for a couple hours and they are good as new

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

I store all my factory ammo in 50 cal cans and picked up a gallon of the silica balls that are used in the canisters for like 25 bucks off amazon and cut up an old shirt to make packets and rubber banded them closed. 

 

I have some ammo over 8 years old and when I cracked the can to recharge the packets in the oven the colors barely changed as the balls go from orange to blue when they are used up. As a test I put a packet on top of the cans and it turned blue in a few months.

 

The ammo cans themselves work great and a silica packet is just insurance on top of that. Can't go wrong with this setup. Costco occasionally has a 50 cal and 30 cal pack of cans on sale for about 12 bucks and when they do I always pick up a few, just in case.

[akoda]

I load in my hot humid garage, I bought a dehumidifier and it has made a huge difference

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[36873687]

Been doing it for years no issues. 

[BigMoneyGrip]

I keep all of my stuff in the garage. Powder, primers and my loaded rounds are stored in 5 gallon buckets with lids. Being in MS, we see some pretty high temps in the summer and in the winter it can get real cool. I' e never experienced any problems. 

[RudyVey]

So today I went to the range and shot quite a number of these, and did not have any issues. Guess the storage conditions did not affect the ammo and its performance. Thanks for all your input.

[Glock17open]

Quick side note about humidity and ammo.  I often leave a round in my pocket after matches.  Those rounds get washed in the washing machine on a regular basis.  Early this week I took on of those rounds to the range.  It shot just like all the other rounds.

[Joe4d]

LOL,,,  I set up a stall fan in my loading area seeing if temp would get below 105,, its a metal no insulation garage..  Winter is below freezing.. I got powder primers factory and reloaded ammo out there,. decades old.  Got back into shooting recently... It all goes bang.

[Ken6PPC]

It is generally accepted that extremely high temperatures and humidity will shorten the life of ammunition and the components of ammunition.  Not that extreme temperatures and humidity will do much in the short term, but over decades, it certainly can. 

 

Quoted from SAMMI Recommendations, "however, extended exposure to high temperatures and/or high humidity may damage ammunition."  https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SAAMI-Recommendations-for-Safe-Ammunition-Storage-and-Handling-1-18-2018.pdf 

 

More:  https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Smokeless-Powder.pdf  

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Primers.pdf  (Note 11-5.4 in this one...)  

 

Now, having said that, I have shot some lots of ammunition of 30-06 from WWI, WWII and the Korean War era that shot great, and some were actually pretty accurate as well.  I also had some surplus ammo from around the 1930's (or 1940's) that was dissapointing.  Those were inconsistent in recoil and accuracy (no chrono available back then), and I pulled and reused the bullets from the rest of them.  The bullets were fine - natch!  

 

I even witnessed some French surplus 8X57mm Mauser ammo that a friend had, which ruptured the case about half of the time.  Some with case head seperations!  This ammo was shot in a rifle that functioned well with all other ammo tested.  (I advised him to stop shooting that ammo - IMMEDIATELY - at least around ME!)  

 

Naturally, I have no idea of the conditions any of those lots were stored in, but I seriously doubt the WWI ammo was stored in air conditioned spaces!    

 

If you just store your ammo and components in reasonable conditions, they will very likely outlast you!  

[36873687]

7 hours ago, Glock17open said:

Quick side note about humidity and ammo.  I often leave a round in my pocket after matches.  Those rounds get washed in the washing machine on a regular basis.  Early this week I took on of those rounds to the range.  It shot just like all the other rounds.

I’ve done this a lot also. All went bang

[Farmer]

I once did a test in which I took some loaded 38 specials and submerged them past the primer in a pan of WD40 for two weeks. It ate the nickel coating off most of them but they all shot just fine. Also have some 1940’s 30-06 rounds that shoot quite well.