Ammo storage temp.

[ad40]

Hello all,

I wanted to ask you all what is a good temperature to store ammo? I keep my ammo in ammo cans but live in an older house so I don't have much insulation.
I have heard that temperature fluctuations greatly effect the ammo.
Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Memorial Day!

[357magnum]

I would say keep it inside your house is best.
Avoid hot, humid places, like the garage or storage sheds.

[CaliforniaLiberal]

Hello all,

I wanted to ask you all what is a good temperature to store ammo? I keep my ammo in ammo cans but live in an older house so I don't have much insulation.
I have heard that temperature fluctuations greatly effect the ammo.
Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Memorial Day!

I wouldn't say Greatly affect. It's more like the ammo will be good for a hundred years or longer in a cool dry place (60 to 80 degrees?) and maybe only good for 20 or 30 years when stored in hot/cold storage.

I mean not actually those precise numbers but something like that.

CalGuns posters have reported shooting ammo that was stored for 20 years in a hot garage and 5 or 10% were duds. Others report WWII era ammo stored in the back of a closet that functioned perfectly.

I bet there is some Army manual on storage of ammo and ideal conditions and life expectancy.

[Divernhunter]

I have ammo stored in my garage since 1960's which shoots just as good as the ammo loaded last week. I have mil surplus ammo from the 1930's stored in the garage and it shoot ok.

[4Defense]

It must be stored in a temperature controlled environment. Otherwise it will explode upon contact with sunlight.

For chist sake, it's only ammo. People have shot surplus ammo with success that were found from the 1800s . They were stored in the devil's den for the last millenium.

[AreWeFree]

It's the large temperature swings that cause problems because it creates condensation and then 'sweat.' Keep the temp stable and it's all good.

Remember that most military ammo has sealant on primer pocket and bullet crimp so it's far less affected by moisture. Commercial ammo generally doesn't have this so there's a higher possibility of having duds if poorly stored.

Edit: Reasonable areas for ammo storage depend on your environment. If you have high humidity then ammo cans inside your house would be best, if low humidity and moderate temperature (most of CA) then garage would be ok, if large temperature swings (AZ desert) inside is best.

[Mojave Desert]

Some of my ammo/powder/primers that must be stored in the garage due to space considerations, are in camping coolers (no ice of course) to moderate the large daily temperature swings.

[Virus55]

Ive had a box of 9mm sitting in my car for about a week, probably should grab it

[postal]

As others said, its the big temp swings to worry about, (for condensation) and also extended high temps.

A lot of powders can change burn rates from these extended high temp conditions. (short term doesnt seem to matter, but long term does.)

Indoors even with poor insulation is perfectly fine. The moderate temp swings inside a house in a typical 24 hour period arent that great.

Inside an uninsulated garage in socal... the temp swing is FAR greater in a 24hr period.

I do not store ammo in the uninsulated garage. Its inside the house in a closed closet which slows the temp change even more.

Though I expect to cycle through all my ammo in just a few years.... I store it for being viable for a lifetime.

[beerman]

I've stored all my ammo in my garage for 30 years. Granted I live 15 miles from the coast, but it does get hot in there. I dont see any efffect.I've got some WW2 ammo in there that shot fine last time i used any. I think super high temps and moisture could hurt it though.Just my experience.

[toby]

Temps come more into play when actually shooting ammuntion, extreme heat or cold will have Some effect on pressures.