Storing .22lr ammo longterm

[westco10]

If storing in an ammo can, would you suggest the plastic with o-ring seal or the metal with o-ring seal cans? Just wondering as I currently have about 3K rounds of .22 sitting in their boxes and then placed the boxes in the plastic o-ring sealed ammo cans I had left over from bulk shipments of 9mm and S&W 40 I had purchased from LAX Ammo.

[farmerjoe]

If storing in an ammo can, would you suggest the plastic with o-ring seal or the metal with o-ring seal cans? Just wondering as I currently have about 3K rounds of .22 sitting in their boxes and then placed the boxes in the plastic o-ring sealed ammo cans I had left over from bulk shipments of 9mm and S&W 40 I had purchased from LAX Ammo.

Either one is fine, as long as the seals are till good.

[TKM]

I get about 6600 rounds of 22lr. in a .50 cal ammo can. Well, several .50 cal ammo cans...

Nobody needs those little cardboard boxes unless you shoot less than 50 rounds at a time.

[crufflers]

I like the original boxes for taking to the range sometimes in a pistol bag. Mini-Mag sliders are slim enough to fit in the pockets of my hand gun cases. My favorite bulk size they don't make anymore - the CCI 375 packs. a dozen fit perfect in a .50 can - 4500 rounds per can. Mini-Mags is 2600 in sliders I think. I don't like to dump them into a can bulk-style. Exception would be SKS ammo on strippers or 5.56 on strippers. Personal preference. If I shot a Bucket or bulk pack and have some left over I usually dump into a small ziploc and toss into a can though.

[billt]

If storing in an ammo can, would you suggest the plastic with o-ring seal or the metal with o-ring seal cans?

Metal over plastic. Here is why. Ammunition is very heavy. I've filled those cheap plastic ammo boxes with rimfire ammo, and when you lift it the lid will bow, breaking the seal because of the dead weight. The plastic is just not stout enough for this type of application. Metal cans will not do this. They are also much stronger, and will not crack if dropped. I once had a plastic ammo box filled with 12 gauge shotgun ammo fall off the tailgate of my truck on to asphalt, and it broke into pieces. A all metal can would have just received a small dent.

Harbor Freight has nice metal ones for cheap if cost is a factor.

https://www.harborfreight.com/50-cal-metal-ammo-can-63181.html

[crufflers]

Metal over plastic. Here is why. Ammunition is very heavy. I've filled those cheap plastic ammo boxes with rimfire ammo, and when you lift it the lid will bow, breaking the seal because of the dead weight.

Yea those .50 size MTM plastics are no bueno. I only have a couple I tried. The MTM crates are ok, but still could shatter - they have the handles molded to the bottom instead of the cover.

I grabbed a dozen of those PSA milspec .50 cans (Blackhawk). $7.50 each shipped.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/case-of-twelve-12-50-caliber-m2a1-ammo-cans.html

[bergmen]

I have had issues here with long term storage of .22LR. Some of it leaches salts at the edge of the brass. That makes them jam. Remingtons have had that problem here, the rest I've not saved that long. It took 10 years for that to happen.

You end up scraping that crap off in order to shoot them in a revolver, forget semi-auto. The stuff I'm saving long term is Federal in the sealed cans. Get back to me in 10 more years.

I do live at the beach so maybe that had something to do with it leaching.

That is exactly the reason. Salty air is very corrosive unless things are well protected.

Dan

[BobbyC]

I've been using Plano 1312 cases that have been on sale for $5. I also have a few from Harbor Freight but they don't stack well with the Planos because of the slightly different feet so I use them for other stuff. I also have a MTM crate for longer term storage.

They're small enough that even when full, the top doesn't bow. I don't move them around much so it's not an issue.

The deal from PSA is pretty awesome and I would've jumped on it if I didn't already have 10+ Plano boxes.

[rimfire11]

I'm hoping my 40gr LRN 22LRs with the oil or wax coating don't dry out too badly after 5+ years. I store mine in the metal cans with rechargeable desiccant packs.
I'm pretty sure they'll go bang, but I hope that accuracy doesn't suffer too much. Since I don't get a chance to plink as much as I would like, I'm usually, ~80% of the time, aiming at paper targets.
OP, I guess we'll see what methods worked and what didn't in 5-10+ years. I don't think many, including me, have actively set out to store/preserve 22LRs before as a lot of shooters in CA are going to do before 2018.

Here's a link to a related article on 22LRs

http://shilohtv.com/?p=7155

[bohoki]

inside a normal home should be enough i found an old brick of thunderbolt i bought at k-mart 20 years ago the bullets kind of have a rough feel but they all work as good as they ever did

[XCC_RIDER]

I've still got bricks of .22 that I paid $5.99 for and stored in ammo cans with diseccant packs in them. I try and shoot off the old stuff first but I just got 3 bricks from my FIL that he paid $4.99 for so I'll be using them up first. Thinking they are close to 40 years old by now.

Years ago when I wasn't shooting much I gave my neighbor a large Jiffy peanut butter jar full of old .22. At the time they were over 25 years old and went bang every time.

Long term storage isn't a problem.

[johnthomas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSVIR7qNIgI

[rimfire11]

I've still got bricks of .22 that I paid $5.99 for and stored in ammo cans with diseccant packs in them. I try and shoot off the old stuff first but I just got 3 bricks from my FIL that he paid $4.99 for so I'll be using them up first. Thinking they are close to 40 years old by now.

Years ago when I wasn't shooting much I gave my neighbor a large Jiffy peanut butter jar full of old .22. At the time they were over 25 years old and went bang every time.

Long term storage isn't a problem.

Thanks, these are the kind of experiences I like hearing about.

[oilcanhenry]

Yep,
Never had any misfires from .22 or any other caliber I've stored this way in the garage since the 80's. No desiccant ever used. Exceeds 100 degrees in summer.

Its the humidity that can destroy ammo, not the temperature.

[5.56]

I have thousands of rounds of .22lr ammo. I was wondering what the best way to store my ammo. Should I keep it in the boxes or store them in ammo cans. I keep my ammo locked up so the only thing that I can think of keeping them in their original boxes is that they fit together better. But I was also thinking that ammo cans keep out the moisture better. Any thoughts. Thank you.

I've had .22 rounds go through the wash in my pants, been left outside for a year on the range, stepped on, bent, rusted, exposed to a whole winter of rain and picked them up and fired accurately just like a brand new round. The best way to make your .22 ammo stay reliable is to not buy Winchester because it is terrible!!!!!