Underground storage.

[Badmusic]

Hello all,
I am new...please forgive if this has been covered, I did a few searches but can't find anything...

If one were predisposed to hide a weapon or two underground, would a regular surplus .50 cal ammo can with a good seal, be sufficient for a container provided the gun was well cleaned and oiled, the ammo in plastic, and desiccants utilized?

Assuming the owner cannot afford a commercially offered product, any suggestions?

[iBkickinit]

maybe overnight, but not for any length of time. The ammo can would rust pretty quickly. it could last, but its along the same lines as people burying steel sea containers. simple solution, but not long term, and for the same cost, could be done much better.

For the size, I assume you mean a pistol. PVC pipe of the size needed would be a better choice. Cap one end and put a screw-in plug on the other end. Use proper glue, and before you seal it, throw in some desiccant packs and 02 absorbers. Make sure to thoroughly clean the firearm and oil it to inhibit any chance for corrosion. Even better would be to cover it in Cosmoline. If you just make the tube longer, you could put long guns in as well. Make sure to use PVC, not ABS. PVC is stronger (rated for more pressure), and breaks down differently than ABS.

[kemikalembalance]

the ammo can is gonna build allot of moisture. might get a little messy after a few years, but it will still wrk.

[Decoligny]

I would go to the hardware store and buy an appropriately sized piece of PVC sewer pipe (5 or 6 inch diameter) and two end caps and a bottle of PVC glue.

Glue one end cap on the pipe. Wrap the pistol is a clean dry cloth, add desiccant pack and pour in ammo to fill the voids. Glue on the other end cap.

Completely water and air tight, and unlike the metal ammo can it is impervious to rust from the outside.

Edited to add: Or go with a screw on cap on one end.

[Librarian]

On the other hand, I think this bit is probably true:

If you think it's time to start burying guns, it's time to dig them up.

[iBkickinit]

oh yea, if you put in a chunk of dry ice, and loosely place the cap on, let the dry ice sublimate, then seal it. This will fill the canister with inert CO2. that, with the desiccant and 02 absorber, should be a perfect environment.

[JoeJinKY]

If the gu'mint thinks you have weapons and you tell them you lost them in that boating accident, they'll search your property with metal detectors and such.

That is not a problem, UNTIL they find the first bullet or barrel hidden in a wall in your home. At that point, you can kiss your home goodbye because they will strip it to the studs looking for other hidden items, and you can bet they won't repair the home when they don't find anything else.

Burying things in your yard is iffy, because they have to be properly sealed and deep enough to be missed by metal detectors. The alternative is to go to an auto wrecking yard and buy a bunch of old pistons, door handles, lug nuts and rotors and bury them about 18 inches deep in your yard, all over the place. Bury your guns DEEPER. When the feds dig up a few old auto parts you can tell them that the previous owner was a scrap metal salvage guy and "Gosh ... I thought I got rid of all of that stuff when we moved in. you mean there is MORE?" They'll either have to dig up every piece of metal you have buried, or abandon the search. Bury an old engine block three or four feet down, and make them work for it!

[bill_k_lopez]

I'll hold on to it for you, let me know when you want to meet at a store to do the dros.

[wash]

Instead of buying metal ammo cans, I've gone to 5 gallon home depot paint buckets. They come with a lid that snaps on tight and they are cheap.

If you want to get serious, store items in heat sealed VCI plastic bags inside a paint bucket with desiccants and tape up the lid to give you a secondary seal.

I would guess that could last underground for a few decades unless the pressure gets to it. Maybe you could fill the air space with kitty litter to firm it up.

Above ground you shouldn't need the tape, just keep it dry and out of the sun and it will last a really long time.

[whatpain]

Instead of buying metal ammo cans, I've gone to 5 gallon home depot paint buckets. They come with a lid that snaps on tight and they are cheap.

If you want to get serious, store items in heat sealed VCI plastic bags inside a paint bucket with desiccants and tape up the lid to give you a secondary seal.

I would guess that could last underground for a few decades unless the pressure gets to it. Maybe you could fill the air space with kitty litter to firm it up.

Above ground you shouldn't need the tape, just keep it dry and out of the sun and it will last a really long time.

thats a good idea. the drums wont corrode and the kitty litter will soak up any excess moisture

[Badmusic]

Ok, thanks for the comments. I really like the PVC idea, but where does one get small quantities of dry ice?

[iBkickinit]

alot of grocery stores near me carry it, as does wal-marts i believe.

[Cali-Shooter]

Instead of buying metal ammo cans, I've gone to 5 gallon home depot paint buckets. They come with a lid that snaps on tight and they are cheap.

If you want to get serious, store items in heat sealed VCI plastic bags inside a paint bucket with desiccants and tape up the lid to give you a secondary seal.

I would guess that could last underground for a few decades unless the pressure gets to it. Maybe you could fill the air space with kitty litter to firm it up.

Above ground you shouldn't need the tape, just keep it dry and out of the sun and it will last a really long time.

That's a nice viable option. And that's loads (pun intended) better and lighter than anything metal to store guns or ammo underground, compared to old ammo cans or anything mil-surp.

I was thinking about something along the lines of this:



...but you would throw your back out lugging something like that across the yard to drop into a burial hole, let alone digging it back up and trying to pull it out.

Excellent suggestion and idea.

[Badmusic]

alot of grocery stores near me carry it, as does wal-marts i believe.

Wow. i've never seen it in either. Another thought... If someone were really broke...could they save up the little desiccant paks that come in soooo many products these days and re-use them, or are they a one shot use kind of thing?

[Cali-Shooter]

^ ^ ^ One of my prep friends saves all the desiccant packets he can and puts them with his ammo storage. I would think they would last years before needing to be thrown out, but if you get them from food packages, I would wipe them clean, get rid of any residue that might be on them and make sure they are dry before throwing them in with your ammo.