Small or big ammo cans?

[Cali-Shooter]

Like Bob7122 said,

Have large ammo cans for "bug-in" ammunition reserves, and have small loaded ammo cans GTG for "bug-out" purposes.

[ireload]

Since I have both but do have more larger cans than small one. I have a fold away hand truck you can get at Home Depot or Costco. My family can use that to move several ammo cans at once if need be from point A to point B.

[Uriah02]

The .30 cal cans typically used for 200 round of belted 7.62x51 are fine. You can always use the .50 cal cans for lighter supplies that may be worth their weight in gold in an emergency (medical supplies, especially antibiotics and pain killers even vitamins).

Ammo is light compared to the clean water you'll need to store and haul with you if you have to get out of dodge quickly and cannot rely on sources of water between point of origin and your choice of destinations. Practice lifting 15, 25 and 55 gallon drums of water into the back of a truck for an appreciation of the difficulty.

R

+1
Great idea!

[DasBoost]

Like Bob7122 and CaliShooter said, I have large cans for home storage and small cans for range/shtf. Even have a little chi-com shoulder bag for ammo too. Lol. Also, I use Master keyed-alike locks on the cans; they're MTM plastic ones so locking them is a little off because you can just break the plastic but for me the locks add one more deterrent along with their weight. Even if a burgular doesn't find my guns, I still don't want them having a chance at my ammo and use that in next crime.

Also, there's a company that makes a shoulder strap/cozy (not the right word, I know) setup for 30cal ammo cans. Might add a little more mobility and free up the hands for some.

[theduece]

If you are truly concerned with wife in an emergency situation trying to lift a can and carry it out to the truck, I wouldn't be concerned the added adrenaline will allow her to lift 35 lbs a short distance.

If your concern and preps are geared towards her hiking out of southern california over several days and bieng able to carry either of the cans, a gun, and medical supplies, food and water, forget it. She would be better off with food and water(IMHO).

This is all assuming average reasonably fit, average size, 20-something to 50-something year old wife.

[Ripon83]

I like the free plastic one's you get with some of the Cabellas' stuff. Great handles, easy to carry, and don't make a bunch of noise when moving them around.

[wjc]

I have both as I can't fit a lot of a certain type of ammo in the small cans.

You could build some type of carrier so they could carry the large cans with two hands...better weight distribution. Kind of like in the Raiders of the Lost Ark when they were moving the Ark of the Covenent.

[cannon]

Like many here I use the large cans and crates for home storage and I load up what I plan to shoot into the .30 cal cans. If there are leftovers after the shooting trip it goes back into the storage cans.

[chris]

i have both and a couple of larger cans for 40mm. they have their uses for what you may want put in them. i have put MRE's in a couple of mortar cans i have. i have a 40mm one i might do the same. but the .50 can works for shotgun ammo too. i use one for my steel shot i can leave in the back of my truck on the way and not worry about it. they have many uses other than ammo.