tbryanh 11 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) What is the best way to store ammo? What special methods might be used for ammo that * does not have sealed cases such as silver bear? * has zinc coating such as silver bear * has polymer coating such as wolf? 7N6 came in spam cans. What container works as good as spam cans? Edited June 9, 2014 by tbryanh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shandlanos 1,470 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 Rub it in whale grease and store it in clay. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 I was thinking about a lead container to shield from radiation. I am not sure if gunpowder still works if it becomes radioactive. The grease/clay sounds interesting, but I think we might both be getting a little overboard on this. I am hoping for a simplier solution. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 I was thinking about making some 200 or 300 round battle packs similar to these: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunman1 1,753 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 I did a bunch of loose 762x39 in food saver vacuum sealed bags, but I still put them in military ammo cans. I think most of us use military ammo cans, but I do like those battle packs. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james lambert 3,059 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 Most people are unaware that you can actually store ammo in....ammo cans! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shandlanos 1,470 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) In all seriousness, for long term storage your chief enemy is moisture. If you really want it to last, buy a vacuum sealer and desiccant packs. Seal a few desiccant packs in with the ammo when you seal it, then put the sealed ammo in a sealed ammo can, with more desiccant.If you want it to last long enough to be dug up in the year 42,000,000 and immediately used to kill a marauding dinosaur Mk 2, pack it with four times its own weight in desiccant, vacuum seal it, repeat fifteen times - then seal it in an ammo can packed full of desiccant, put that can in a large can packed with desiccant, pour a concrete foundation lined with steel, finish a steel-lined concrete room 4 cubic meters in volume, fill it halfway with desiccant, drop your ammunition in the center, fill it the rest of the way with desiccant, then seal the room with more steel and concrete. Surround the structure in four more layers of steel and concrete, with at least 1 foot of desiccant between each layer, then bury the structure under at least 10.7 million tons of granite.To retrieve your ammunition, you will need a pocket knife. Edited June 10, 2014 by Shandlanos 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 As far as durability goes, lacquer coated ammo is the best; it will last far, far longer than silver bear. IIRC someone did a test at some point where they left golden bear, silver bear, polymer wolf and lacquer brown bear exposed to the elements. The polymer and silver bear both visibly rusted, the golden bear rusted a little, and the lacquer stuff was totally unaffected. Golden Tiger is probably about as durable as the AK you're shooting it from with sealer on both ends and a lacquer case. It's the only stuff I buy for FMJ ammo. Of course, none of this matters if you're just gonna take it straight out of the box and shoot it from a bench at the range. http://www.theakforum.net/forums/19-ammunition-reloading/164130-5-45-sealed-bullet-problem.html#post1507085 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SouthCarolinaSaiga 0 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 The cheap Plano ammo cans worked well for me. They have the rubber seals to keep moisture out. The handles on them are not built well, but as far as protecting ammo, I've had ammo stored for years in the garage with no corosion, and they work fine when I take them out to the range. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matthew Hopkins 1,065 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I'm kinda weird, I store my ammo in metal ammo cans. yeah, I know that sounds strange, but it works for me. 1,000 rounds of 5.56 in S.A.W. can 600 rounds of 5.45 in 30cal can 500 rounds of .308 in 50 cal can 1310 rounds of 7.62x39 in S.A.W. can Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimdigriz 580 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 What is the best way to store ammo? What special methods might be used for ammo that * does not have sealed cases such as silver bear? * has zinc coating such as silver bear * has polymer coating such as wolf? 7N6 came in spam cans. What container works as good as spam cans? Silver Bear is the only thing I've ever had trouble with. If you are going to buy it, just go ahead and use it soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
csspecs 1,987 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I put my ammo in ammo cans with the dry packs.. Seems to work well. The oxygen will continue to react with the ammo very slowly. So some VCI paper is a good idea for really long term storage. Surplus ammo normally has vci paper between the rounds. These will treat a large sealed box for a couple years, sadly they are about $3 each and only come in packs of 50. http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-15843/VCI-Products/VCI-Emitter-Disks-5-cubic-feet And here is some milspec paper that is pretty much the same stuff. http://www.uline.com/BL_266/VCI-Mil-Spec-Paper-Rolls And here is a type that is made for multi metals. http://www.uline.com/BL_267/VCI-Multi-Metal-Paper-Rolls 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 People who have used desiccant when storing ammo have found that it destroys the primers eventually drying them out to the point where they will not fire. http://www.gunsandammo.com/2013/12/22/how-to-store-ammo/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
m1key 7 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Radioactive ammo? You will have a lot more to worry about... M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mullet Man 2,114 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Rice works too. Throw some in your cans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
semper299 284 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I use rice as well. I just sprinkle some in the ammo can. I don't live in a very humid location so I am not real worried about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 What about the not-so-airtight storage containers such as those available through U.S. military surplus? Many of them have a rubber O-ring around the rim to lock out gas and moisture. You can improve the strength of this seal by applying a very light coat of . . . http://www.gunsandammo.com/2013/12/22/how-to-store-ammo/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) SUMMARY SO FAR (My opinions/conclusions) Looking at mil spec ammo, it appears ammo cans are typically used for brass-cased ammo, spam cans and VCI paper are typically used for steel-cased ammo, and desiccants are not used for either types of ammo. Ammo cans apparently are not completely airtight, but this apparently is not a big issue with brass-cased ammo. Steel-cased ammo must be stored in airtight containers such as spam cans, but vacuum-sealed bags (probably metalized film such as mylar), can probably be substituted for spam cans so long as the bags are placed in strong containers such as ammo cans. Of the 5.45 ammos, Golden Tiger, with its lacquer coating and sealed primers and cases probably stores the best. Others with polymer coatings, sealed primers, and unsealed cases will probably store well too. Silver Bear, with its zinc coating might not store well. It is not clear how mandatory VCI paper is. Edited June 10, 2014 by tbryanh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwelhse 1,285 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I use US military surplus ammo cans, desiccant (not boatloads and boatloads), and these: http://www.amazon.com/ShieldPro-Humidity-Indicator-10-Pack-10-60%25/dp/B004B7E022/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402434747&sr=8-2&keywords=humidity+indicator I pack my ammo in my basement during the winter if I can because with my electric heater running in the basement my humidity seldom goes over 45% even trying like crazy to get some moisture in the house. I check the cans once a year and I've yet to need to replace the desiccant and all of the humidity indicators are around 40%. I've been storing my ammo like that for 4 years and it all looks exactly like new. Steel or brass, doesn't matter. The stuff in spam cans I leave in the spam cans. In contrast, I have a few boxes of .45acp that are 10 years old and were stored only in a US military surplus can w/o anything else. It still looks perfect and fires fine when I dig a box out. I'm not trying to prep a DHS amount of ammo for a thousand years of storage either. I think the vacuum sealer is probably the best approach but ammo cans are hard to beat for the cost, ease of use, and durability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Just make sure the seals are ok Max. I use the same thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 18) Is VCI Powder similar to Silica gel? No, VCI Powder is a concentrated form of high tech VCI chemicals which vaporizes & forms a mono – molecular protective layer on the metal surface to be protected. Thereby it protects the metal from corrosion where as silica gel absorbs a certain amount of water vapor only & does not protect from corrosion. http://www.safepack.com/faq_general.asp Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 sgammo has 700 round case - 7.62x39 Brown Bear - Barnaul 123 grain FMJ Mil-Spec in spam cans. As far as I can tell Brown Bear in 5.45x39 exists but is rare. Not sure if it currently is available in spam cans or how well it compares to 7N6. Maybe in the future, it will be widely available in spam cans with a quality similar to 7N6. sgammo has 640 round Sealed can - 7.62x39 122 Grain Hollow Point Tula ammo in spam cans. Tula is probably not known for having the best quality ammo, but maybe in the future they will produce something decent in 5.45x39 in spam cans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted June 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 sgammo has 1080 round case - 7.62x39 - Copper Non-Magnetic FMJ - Brass Case - Red Army Standard Elite M67 Style Ammo made in Bosnia by Igman - AM1930BMaybe in the future, this ammo will be available in 5.45x39. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ParanoidVengeance 5 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I have most of mine in ammo cans. Then tins. With the amount I am reloading. I am to the point, I am using anything the seals. But, think about it. Anything that seals. Could be a jar, a jug, or a plastic bucket that paint came in. As long as it seals. You're good. I would suggest dry packs. Which reminds me. I need more. Don't laugh to hard. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwelhse 1,285 Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 Just make sure the seals are ok Max. I use the same thing. That's a good point to mention. When I get my cans I ALWAYS wipe them down really good with Windex (with ammonia... I don't need superherpegonnercoccus from Iraqiserbistan) and pay special attention to the seals when I do... I have no idea how old any of my cans are but I'm VERY impressed with the seals. They've all been very nice. Fear not, I let them air out for at least a week before I put anything in them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mullet Man 2,114 Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 Windex and rubber is not a good mix, it contains isopropyl alcohol, which can speed up dry rot. Just wipe them down with warm water and lube with Graphite powder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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