Is putting a thousand loose in ammo cans ok?
Interested to see how you guys are doing it. Post picks

I was going to offer up a smart ass reply until I noticed it was a tech thread. I use ammo cans and I have several cans where the rounds are packed loose.

Yep, thats what I do.

I used to store most ammo in the original packaging, tossed in cans.  After I had several hundred steel cased rounds rust from moisture in the packaging (they were sealed in a can for well over a year), everything goes out of the package and right in the can.  Top of with a few desiccant packs and you are good to go.

Link to rusty ammo

ditto

In the boxes it came in, inside ammo cans, in my safe.  Flame away but the stuff is expensive.

I store it at the UPS hub...  Well, for a little while.

Pretty much ammo cans, in or out of a lockable cabinet.

.30 Cal USGI cans ( lighter then the full .50 cal ) ....

typically loose....

desiccants...

one of the original boxes ( lot # in case ) and the price paid per round on the box....

labeled with contents, date, quantity....

Stored off the concrete floor on a pallet....

In magazines or on stripper clips in ammo cans with or without bandoleers or in boxes in ammo cans, some just loose in cans. most is either in mags or on strippers though and sorted by what exactly it is.

I decided to do an abusive ammo storage test a couple years ago and couldn't kill any.  I put many rounds in a big ziplock with a wet paper towel and put it outside on a steel table where it would get hot and cold along with some direct sunlight for almost two years with a couple trips through the freezer.  I occasionally re-wet the towel since ziplocks are permeable and several times the inside of the bag was sweating.  There was .22, .38, .30 carbine, 9mm, .223, 7.62X54R, 12ga., black powder, pyrodex, and probably some others I forgot about.  There was a mix of modern factory loads, reloads, and milsurp.  There were some that seemed a bit weak but not enough to say for sure.  I know this doesn't define what should be done for proper longterm storage, just a test to confirm that ammo isn't all that sensitive to storage conditions.

I store it pretty much just as I received it - like this:



Though normally the cases are kept stacked on a thick wooden shelf-type cabinet. Other than that I tend to keep the ammo in there original boxes, packed in a number of 30 cal ammo cans.
Suffice it to say that in central Florida things can get pretty humid, but I have found that if you store your ammo in a central location away from any outer walls & windows (& especially away from air conditioning vents), and you properly insulate the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room - you don't really need a bunch of desiccant to keep things dry.

Granted the military usually burns through their supply faster than civilians, while I was serving, the base I was at was stacking their cases on top of wooden palettes on bare concrete inside of small metal prefab storage buildings that only had rudimentary air vents for climate control, and we never had any issues with any of the ammo issued out of there. Of course, we never used steel-cased ammo back then either, so YMMV...

Still - Like the military, the best way to ensure your ammo stays usable is through the use of accurate logs, and regular inspection & rotation cycles (in effect: use it, or loose it).

Hope this helps...
FlDiveCop71

Storing it loose in ammo cans is fine, lots of people do it.

I suggest all the loose rounds should be from the same lot# and that you at least put that info in the can with the loose ammo.

For long term storage,
I pack ammo in their original boxes in ammo cans
-or-
Some 5.56 is also packed into ammo cans, on stripper clips and in cardboard's & bandoleers.

Desiccant is optional - over the long term I have never seen any difference when using it.

ok i was wondering if i should leave them in there little boxes and store them in ammo cans or store them loose. I guess people are doing both

The biggest problem with storing ammo loose is accountability. While you may easily fit 1000 rounds into an ammo can (depending on the size of the can), most people don't burn through 1000 rounds at a sitting & when they're done shooting they often don't know exactly how many rounds remain in the can. At that point, they starting measuring their stash in can percentages (half a can, almost a full can, ect.) & then when they buy more ammo they want to mix it with the half empty cans to save space, which can lead to mixing of lot numbers... You can see where this is going.

If you are going to keep the ammo loose:

Be sure to use the entire can's contents before replenishing it (keep the lots separated).

Only store it in amounts that you can readily use. (Far easier to use 200 round packs, than count out 200 rounds from a larger stash).

ALWAYS keep a record of the manufacturer's information (Brand, Caliber, Bullet type/weight, Lot #, & any other special info) stored directly in the can containing the ammo. (usually a flattened empty box or the end flap off a box will suffice)

Regardless of desiccant use - Never store ammo cans on bare concrete or next to A/C vents or windows (Even if the can's contents stay dry - the outside of the can may start to corrode from condensation which will eventually expose it's contents to the elements.)

Hope this helps.
FlDiveCop71

Personally, I prefer to keep them in the original boxes.

Much easier to identify it later.

+1 on in the safe. The first three feet from the bottom inside my safe is lined with ammo in the factory boxes in the factory cases.

 

I can't fit 37,500 rounds of 5.56 in my safe.  

I try to do a little of both. I keep mine in the ammo cans as well. But Lately, though I've been using the plastic paint buckets from Lowe's. You can buy those for a fraction of the price of a ammo can and its air tight when you seal it. It's also something a thief might not look at. I intentionally paint mine up to look like shit and stack them about in the garage etc. I've had friends walk right by and never even question the cans, and they litteraly just walked past 4000 rounds. Other than that, like a few have posted above, I think the original packaging for the stuff you will shoot up. For the stuff you intend to store indefinitely, I usually put it up loose as I can put more in a smaller space.

Thanks for the replies, some people complain about the boxes collectiing moisture. I've never experienced that,

Any issue storing in a garage?  I've thought about it, but concerned about the temperature fluctuations...

If the ammo started out loose, i.e. a bulk case of XM193, then it's stored loose in a .50 cal can.  Most everything else is stored in the original ammo boxes, also packed in cans, both .30 cal and .50 cal.  Oh, and a bunch of loaded magazines ready for range time, also stored in cans.

All cans are on a wooden pallet.  I should probably get some desiccant for the cans.

The recommendation to keep lot numbers with your loose ammo is a good one.  Of course if you load mags with the loose ammo and then mix them with other loaded mags, you sorta lose that benefit.

Mostly loose in cans and some in boxes in cans. I have 2 boxed cases of Wolf Gold unopened. Once I break open the wolf cases, i'll put them in ammo cans.

I have way too much OCD to store any of my little soldiers loose.

I keep them in their boxes and pack them into plastic ammo cans with some desiccant.

I unboxed my recent shipment of Privi M855 and saw they're in plastic which is really cool as I intend to keep them in storage for a long time.