Ammo Storage

[cebal101]

This may seem to be an elementary question but here it goes, nonetheless...

How do other calgunners prefer to store their ammo? Im expecting a shipment of 5000 rounds of .22lr and dont know whether to leave them in the cardboard boxes or just dump them all out into a small or medium sized ammo can.

It makes no difference as far as ease of loading my rifle but is there any benefit or drawback to doing either? What are all of your preferences?

Thanks!

[Low-Pressure]

Search button can be your best friend
BTW welcome to Calguns!

[sfonelson]

I have some stuff in spam cans, other stuff in the original boxes that it came in. Most of my ammo is stored in my safe. Other ammo is stored near my reloading bench. It's not really stored, just a work in progress...

[BayAreaShooter]

I personally would take them out of the shipping box and into the original box it comes in. Put those into ammo can's and get some desiccant packs to keep moister away.

[bumpo628]

I would keep it in the original boxes unless you can't fit it all in the container you're trying to use. You could dump the boxes into plastic bags and then put them in an ammo can or whatever you're using. That way you could grab a known quantity when you're heading to the range.

[Cowboy T]

Depends on type of ammo

If it's my reloads, and I'm doing a fairly large run, typically I will store them in ye olde classic ammo cans. They work, they were built for it, they're sturdy, and they're easily stackable.

If it's for .22LR, I just leave 'em in their boxes. The 550-round bulk packs from Wal-Mart also stack well.

Remember that ammo is remarkably resilient. Since the rounds are typically hermetically sealed (this is due to the process of making the ammo, it's an inherent characteristic even for reloads), moist air is not going to be able to get inside the case and wet the powder or primer. So, even if you live in the swamps of the Bayou during the height of the most humid summer, your ammo should be just fine. I recall reading several reports of 50-year-old ammo that sat outdoors in a shed or wherever, exposed to various temperatures and humidity conditions, and still fired perfectly.

[odysseus]

A wider segment of people must be buying a lot of ammo these days. It seems almost every week a new person coming in asking about how to store it, which indicates to me they are new to all this.

OP: That is not a criticism, welcome aboard and use the search function - you will see a wealth of info on this here.

[paul0660]

I would check the lot number, and if all the same, shoot some to make sure they work 100%..factories do put out bad lots, and you don't want to find out after you have mixed it up. Test fire every lot number. After that, whatever. In any conditioned space, ammo will last longer than you will. Desiccant never hurts, but you have to change it.

[bumpo628]

I would check the lot number, and if all the same, shoot some to make sure they work 100%..factories do put out bad lots, and you don't want to find out after you have mixed it up. Test fire every lot number. After that, whatever. In any conditioned space, ammo will last longer than you will. Desiccant never hurts, but you have to change it.

There's a point for leaving them in their boxes. When ammo companies issue recalls, the info you need is on the box. Unless you're prepared to clip that info off and throw it in a ziplock bag with ammo, them leave em in the box. If they're your reloads, then have at it. You can always tag the outside of the box with the reload specs for future reference.

[Scratch705]

i just keep it still taped up in the shipping box it came in, then place it into my closet along with all the rest of my gun gear. stable temps, no swings in humidity (if any) and if there are recalls, there is no expiration date on recalls (since they are usually a safety issue), so keep them in their original boxes.

[cebal101]

Great! Thanks for all of the advice. I am definitely new to the sport and appreciate all advice from experienced shooters. Ill definitely spend some serious time checking out the other threads as well. Lots of great advice in this forum.

As of now I think I will put the factory boxes in the ammo cans. Ill probably pick up a couple more but luckily found a place in another thread where I can do that much cheaper than at a local surplus store. I figure this will help incase I have to worry about a recall or bad batch. Is that as much of an issue to worry about with .22lr ammo? Ive put about 2500 rounds through my rifle so far and after I finding ammo that both my rifle and me liked, I havent had issues. I know many more people here probably have much more experience with 22 ammo though.

Thanks again everyone!

[Revoman]

I agree with the recall information too, but I also like to keep the ammo in it's factory packaging for identification purposes.

At some point in the future, maybe years from now, you may need/want to know what manufacturer made that ammo. Without the packaging you won't/can't know.

What if a certain firearm likes to eat a specific brand of ammo, or shoots much better with brand 'X'? Without the packaging there is no way of knowing.

The factory knows what they are doing when it comes to packaging too. It sometimes has to last a long time and they know it.