Ammo Storage Unit Idea

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

When I have an idea I make it happen. It may evolve along the way but I' not the type of poster that starts threads to theorize.

Ok Boba, pics and a materials list when it's done please. Edited May 12, 2012 by Dad2142Dad

[G O B 3,516]

For those in tornado country, a combo 'fraida' room and ammo locker. Pour a slab with rebar turned up into the first course of block. Use rewire between courses, and rebar vertically. Back fill the block with concrete, and pour a concrete top.

[haugpatr 972]

Recently, I saw locally, a pop machine that had been converted into a gun safe. Somewhat similar to the application here, it is actually somewhat stealthy because who looks in a refrigerator or pop machine if they are burglarizing a home?

[D.C.MORRISON 494]

i like the soda pop machine idea.

once again, in a fire. ammo does not shoot. it pops like popcorn. no danger to life and limb. especially to firemen in full gear.

the best storage for us poor folks is still military ammo cans. they can be left out in the elements if necessary. much more portable and user friendly than sealed tins.

if fire is the main concern. storage should be outside / away from the dwelling and garage. maybe a small shed. non-functioning freezer / refrigerator, gutted , filled with ammo. with good locks.

[MT Predator 2,294]

If there is a fire in my garage, the firemen will be more concerned about the gas tank in the Camaro lighting up instead of the lockers full of ammo. My ammo is in USGI ammo cans or good old spam cans stacked in metal school type lockers.

[devildogdakota 804]

Recently, I saw locally, a pop machine that had been converted into a gun safe. Somewhat similar to the application here, it is actually somewhat stealthy because who looks in a refrigerator or pop machine if they are burglarizing a home?

 

The only problem is (unless they incorporated anti-grab a can of soda devices, which I think they did), some scrawny armed little bastard like I was over 30 years ago, might stick his arm up there and pull out a couple of magazines. ( LOL!)

[XD45 7,124]

Fer krist sake. It's ammo, not hand grenades.

 

Ok, you stand in a room with 10K rounds cooking off

 

That was actually directed at the heroic fireman who pledges to watch your house burn from a safe distance if there is ammo in it. I suppose I should have made that clear.

 

But to answer your point: This may seem a bit obvious to some, but I wouldn't stand in a room that's on fire, whether there was ammo in it or not.

 

But I wouldn't hesitate to stand next to full ammo cans in a fire. Assuming the ammo cans were full of regular ammo and not hand grenades...

 

Yeah that's so much more silly than building a concrete bunker out of a freezer...

 

 

Now you're just being a dick. I said it would be silly to open a sealed can of ammo to make the ammo fit into an ammo can.

 

If you don't know me you should spend a few minutes looking at my posting history. When I have an idea I make it happen. It may evolve along the way but I' not the type of poster that starts threads to theorize.

 

I posts a thread to solicit info, then I collate the info and proceed with my project.

 

I have little tolerance for dip shits like you so go troll someone else.

 

 

 

OK I'm sorry I exceeded your little tolerance. Please feel free to go to my profile page and give me one star as punishment.

 

And please do proceed with your project. Build your ammo bunker out of a freezer lined with concrete or drywall or cotton balls if you like.

 

You're right. I don't know you. And you don't know me. I don't plan to spend any minutes reading your posting history. And I'm damn sure you won't waste any time reading mine. Hell I'd be surprised if you even read this whole post. So I guess we just have to go on not knowing each other. C'est la vie.

 

And one minor correction. I'm not being a dick "now". I'm "always" being a dick.

Edited May 13, 2012 by Darth Saigus

[Boba Debt 350]

I have decided to go with a chest freezer instead of an upright.

 

It eliminates a lot of issues such as

• the hinges holding the weight of the door
  
• it's smaller
  
• no need for shelves
  
• In a fire the lid will autmatical seal the box
  

 

 

I'm ready to go but I'm still having problems finding one.

[Tuna 2]

Use the upright and put it on its back... just an option that's free if u have one.

[preparehandbook 326]

Use the upright and put it on its back... just an option that's free if u have one.

 

Yeah, but looks about as ghetto as bed sheet curtains.

 

I have decided to go with a chest freezer instead of an upright.

 

It eliminates a lot of issues such as

• the hinges holding the weight of the door
  
• it's smaller
  
• no need for shelves
  
• In a fire the lid will autmatical seal the box
  

I'm ready to go but I'm still having problems finding one.

 

 

Once again Boba Debt has inspired me, strangely enough, this time a bullpup is not involved.

Edited May 16, 2012 by preparehandbook

[Tuna 2]

Yep free is usually ghetto but ghetto is free:)

[Boba Debt 350]

Use the upright and put it on its back... just an option that's free if u have one.

 

 

The point of this is to secure ammo in a way that protects it and people yet doesn't draw attention. A chest freezer in the corner of a garage with a bunch of tools and an 1" of dust should not be a target for any thief.

[Tuna 2]

Unless they are hungry.. but a broken down upright that's on its back who would look?? Plus if you gut the installation. And use the frame and the plastic inside it will make a good mold for the concrete... just make a hole and fill the space... could do the same with the doors. It would be heavy hard to move and if u put better hinges on it and locks(put the screws in before u pore concrete) it would be pretty stout. Just an idea I had in my head gl.

[BuffetDestroyer 969]

Craigslist and your local steel scrap yard would be the places I check out.

[DogMan 2,343]

What's the lid going to be made of, and how are you going to lift it? It seems like you would need to have a pad eye built into it and a hoist system to lift that much weight. That might not be a bad thing as far as theft protection if you don't have to access it very often.

[sowhat6565 20]

one layer of 1/2 inch drywall is about 18 minutes at 500 degree. one layer of 5/8 drywall is about 30 minutes. two layers of 5/8 is a 1 hour firewall. yes a 1 hour firewall is one layer on each side of wall with insulation and all penetrations sealed(just use sheetrock mud). 2 pieces of 1/2 inch sheetrock screwed inside the freezer on all sides should give you a very good chance for the ammo to survive unless its in a pool of jet fuel and you might be able to actully move it if it is on rollers. the outside of the freezer will go away before the drywall burns through

[kevin.rose0@gmail.com 62]

I have decided to go with a chest freezer instead of an upright.

Have you looked on Craig's list for a used contractor box? Like this?

http://www.knaack.com/jobsite_storage_equipment/tool_chests.php

 

These are actually pretty tough and are difficult to enter without power tools. If you can't find one used they can be bough found pretty cheap at HD or Lowes. The HD house brand was made by knaack last I saw, but they are all pretty decent. Just don't put it on wheels. Most can be bolted down, though it's not that hard to unbolt them.

[MT Predator 2,294]

Alright, I measured my chest freezer and beer fridge in the garage and crunched some numbers to see what they would weigh with 2" slabs inside them. At 150 lbs per cubic foot for reinforced concrete, my freezer would weigh 1149 lbs. The lid alone would be 200 lbs. My fridge would weigh 1514 lbs and the hinges would have to support 337 lbs.

[Boba Debt 350]

How big is your chest freezer? just the measurment of the lid and height will be fine.

 

Even at 200 pounds lifting the lid would not be an issue for me and the weight would help with security

 

This unit could hold close to a 1000 pounds of ammo so the cabinet would almost have to weigh a ton to support it.

[MT Predator 2,294]

Outside dimensions, 34" H x 43" L x 28" W

[Boba Debt 350]

I had an opportunity to examine a chest freezer and I researched the idea of using a light weight fire proof concrete to line it and I have concluded that this concept is not feasible

 

Here are a couple reasons:

• It would be cost prohibitive
  
• Due to the construction of the chest it would be very difficult to back fill the walls
  
• The walls are not air tight so the moisture from the concrete could affect the ammo
  

 

 

I started to rethink the design and I think I'm going to go with a layered approach.

 

I'm going to use a combination of 1/2 Durarock, fire board foam insulation, fire proof drywall and a very thin layer of metal, probably the metal that already lines the freezer.

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

Please do a detailed writeup

[sowhat6565 20]

the layer of durorck is just a waste of added weight. that stuff will crumble when you put it in high heat situations. two layers of 5/8 sheetrock will do better and weigh alot less. if you are doing the inside of the frezer, two layers of 1/2 sheetrock with the existing body of freezer will do everthing you want.the whole area of the house will burn down in 20 to 40 minutes, wont be exposed to super high temps but for maybe half that time. look up some picts of a regular freezer that has been thro a house fire. someone earlier suggested a job-box type toolbox. line that bitch with two layers of rock and some good combination locks and it is almost impossible to get into minuse a torch. the freezer lock can be pride open very easily. paint the job-box white so it looks like a freezer

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

Fer krist sake. It's ammo, not hand grenades.

 

Ok, you stand in a room with 10K rounds cooking off

 

That was actually directed at the heroic fireman who pledges to watch your house burn from a safe distance if there is ammo in it. I suppose I should have made that clear.

 

But to answer your point: This may seem a bit obvious to some, but I wouldn't stand in a room that's on fire, whether there was ammo in it or not.

 

But I wouldn't hesitate to stand next to full ammo cans in a fire. Assuming the ammo cans were full of regular ammo and not hand grenades...

 

Yeah that's so much more silly than building a concrete bunker out of a freezer...

 

 

Now you're just being a dick. I said it would be silly to open a sealed can of ammo to make the ammo fit into an ammo can.

 

If you don't know me you should spend a few minutes looking at my posting history. When I have an idea I make it happen. It may evolve along the way but I' not the type of poster that starts threads to theorize.

 

I posts a thread to solicit info, then I collate the info and proceed with my project.

 

I have little tolerance for dip shits like you so go troll someone else.

 

 

 

OK I'm sorry I exceeded your little tolerance. Please feel free to go to my profile page and give me one star as punishment.

 

And please do proceed with your project. Build your ammo bunker out of a freezer lined with concrete or drywall or cotton balls if you like.

 

You're right. I don't know you. And you don't know me. I don't plan to spend any minutes reading your posting history. And I'm damn sure you won't waste any time reading mine. Hell I'd be surprised if you even read this whole post. So I guess we just have to go on not knowing each other. C'est la vie.

 

And one minor correction. I'm not being a dick "now". I'm "always" being a dick.

 

In responce to being heroic and letting it burn. Firefighters operate on risk assesment. The rule of thumb is that we will risk alot to save alot or risk little to save little.

 

Meaning saving a life is worth me risking mine to save. An empty house with ammo cooking off is not worth risking my life over. Property can be replaced, people can't. If we know ammo is cooking off and there is no one to save in the structure we'll let it burn. Hrd to save future lives if we end up dead for foolishly risking our lives.

 

Call me pussy all you want, but while you're running out of the building on fire, I'm busting my ass to get into it to rescue the ones you left behind.

[Boba Debt 350]

I decided against using a Job Box for several reasons, here are a few:

• Cost.............They start at $300
  
• Size..............The smallest I can find is 36" wide, the max size I have in the area that this will go is 32"
  
• Design.........The handles and lock mechanism are inset into the box. This makes lining it difficult. Another issue is that the lid supports drop into the box and they re very close to the sides. Anything I line the box with will interfere with these so they would have to be removed
  
• Security.......A locked tool box would draw more attention then broken down chest freezer
  

 

IF I could find a cheap used box with external handles and lock I might go with it.

 

 

As for the Durarock, I would hope that it would provide more sound proofing and protection from rounds cooking off.

 

I thought about just lining the inside of the freezer but it isn’t an option, the inside box is barely big enough to hold the ammo I need to store (1000 round boxes of Wolf AK and Nato 308/Spam Cans of both and others), so I will have to remove the insulation that comes with the freezer and replace it with the fire proofing.

[kevin.rose0@gmail.com 62]

I decided against using a Job Box for several reasons, here are a few:

• Cost.............They start at $300
  
• Size..............The smallest I can find is 36" wide, the max size I have in the area that this will go is 32"
  
• Design.........The handles and lock mechanism are inset into the box. This makes lining it difficult. Another issue is that the lid supports drop into the box and they re very close to the sides. Anything I line the box with will interfere with these so they would have to be removed
  
• Security.......A locked tool box would draw more attention then broken down chest freezer
  

 

IF I could find a cheap used box with external handles and lock I might go with it.

They go down to 24" wide, but the here is one that is 32" wide for $199.

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Jobsite-Storage/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc27g/R-100189569/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

 

But craigs list is worth checking for "contractor box" or "job box" etc.

[DogMan 2,343]

I have my own hoses, pump, 2500 gallon holding tank, and bunker gear. Chances are I'll have put the fire out and saved my ammunition before the FD even arrives. And before anyone tries to lecture me, I'm trained extensively in marine firefighting and am well aware of the hazards and limitations of a one man fire team. Everything I do will be done defensively from the outside of any structure which in most cases should be successful in at least containing the fire and preventing spread until the big dogs arrive.

[Boba Debt 350]

I finally found a 7cuft chest freezer at a scrap yard and I ony paid $20 for it.

 

Now I have to gut it and build up the sides with either concrete or fire board.

[zenman223 460]

Please do a detailed writeup

^^^This,

I would love to see how you put this together, take some pics of the process!! Sounds very interesting.

[BpS12 512]

Here's a thought. How about just running a steel water line over your bolted down and secured "water proof" storage. If you don't use a fire sprinkler head than a thin plastic extension may work as well being that it should melt in most fires. Esp. if your locker is lined with fire resistant insulation.

 

The ATF just listed regs for, iiuc, explosives magazines. That may give you some thoughts.