Ammo can paint?

[Maverick831]

What kind of spray paint would you recommend for painting ammo cans that wont chip or scratch off? I sprayed a couple cans with krylon camo paint and let them sit for 7 days. When I put the cans back together and clamped them down it would scratch the paint off. Is this just going to happen and nothing you can really do about it besides powder coating them? lol. Does anyone know what kind of process they normally use to paint them? That paint (whatever it is) usually holds up pretty well. Btw before I painted these cans I sanded off all the rust and some parts were down to bare metal. I primered them then used just about a whole can of krylon on each one.


A couple more questions.. when storing ammo should I keep them in their boxes or take em out and just dump them in the can (loose). I plan on buying stripper clips and some cardboard boxes later on. I heard it's better to keep them in the box because the boxes soak up moisture. Is this true?

And as for storing mags.. should I keep them in plastic and put em in the can or just leave the plastic off and toss em in there? Is there any benefit to leaving the plastic on?

Thanks everyone!

[rumble phish]

SPray paint is just too thin. The film it creates is thin and brittle and will chip and flake off every time. Look into using a 2 part industrial epoxy coating. They come in both water and solvent bases. I'd suggest you look into the water based epoxies. Down side is that they are expensive and mixture/application can be a bit tricky.

Why not take them down to your local Line-X shop and see if they can spray a coat of bed liner on'em for you. That's what I'm gonna do.

[Maverick831]

Why not take them down to your local Line-X shop and see if they can spray a coat of bed liner on'em for you. That's what I'm gonna do.

Hmm.. that's a good idea. Haven't thought of it. I'll look into that, thanks

[cj cake]

Why not take them down to your local Line-X shop and see if they can spray a coat of bed liner on'em for you. That's what I'm gonna do.

On that note...I tried this some time back, the line-X was too thick and dont allow the lid to close properly. So I picked up a compromise, Hurculiner from the local auto parts store. You apply it at home, easy to do, tougher that paint, thinner than Line-x.

[Maverick831]

Can anyone answer my other questions?

[rumble phish]

Can anyone answer my other questions?

when storing ammo should I keep them in their boxes or take em out and just dump them in the can (loose). I plan on buying stripper clips and some cardboard boxes later on. I heard it's better to keep them in the box because the boxes soak up moisture. Is this true?

I'd dump them into the box loose. You'll be able to fit more in when the rounds are loose. If you're worried about moisture, throw a couple of desiccant packets in the box with the ammo.

And as for storing mags.. should I keep them in plastic and put em in the can or just leave the plastic off and toss em in there? Is there any benefit to leaving the plastic on?

I wouldn't worry about the plastic. I've stored magazines for quite some time in just a shoebox in the safe. A word of caution though... if you have any "rebuild kits" make sure you store them in disassembled form, just in case....

[Jonathan Doe]

Just cover the can with a lot of stickers.

[realmswalker]

I spray my cans with two coatings on flat black krylon. works fine for me. Is it going to scratch, yes. not a big deal, coats can be easily reapplied.

[minuteman]

I think the condition of the gasket is more important than scratches. If it really bothers you buy some nicer cans or get plastic ones.

[Desert_Rat]

I dropped some in the hot tank at work a few years back,then I pressure washed them and then I spritzed them w/denatured alcohol,let them air dry and painted with muffler black.this held up pretty well.But the GASKET WAS RUINED..

[cj cake]

A couple more questions.. when storing ammo should I keep them in their boxes or take em out and just dump them in the can (loose). I plan on buying stripper clips and some cardboard boxes later on. I heard it's better to keep them in the box because the boxes soak up moisture. Is this true?

Put the ammo in loose. The cardboard will trap moisture...inside the can, where you don't want it. There is moisture in the cardboard right now, so you will just give it a chance to corrode once it is locked inside the cans.

[Maverick831]

Ok cool thanks everyone. I think I'm going to take all the ammo out of the boxes and just dump then in the can. I'm not so worried about the scratches anymore. I guess I should be more worried about the condition of the inside of the can. Usually when I look at surplus ammo cans I open them up and make sure there's no rust on the inside and the seal is in good condition. From there I pick the ones with the best condition on the exterior. Thanks again everyone!