Posted: 3/11/2010 11:28:53 AM EDT
| I don't know if this is the proper forum for this but here I go.... Due to having the new baby on the way, I have been forced to move my ammo to the garage. (I'm not complaining because she wasn't trying to have my safe relocated). I have all of my ammo in usgi ammo cans. All of the gaskets look to be in good condition. My fear is moisture getting to all of my ammo and turning it into nothing but a lead paper weight. Will the ammo cans do the trick or can some one offer a different suggestion..... I live in S. FL so humidity is a problem..... Thx!!! |
| lol luckilly for me this is our second and our last... lol So my safe is in the clear!! lol We agreed that since I have 2 children from my previous marriage that 2 as as far as we would go.... As long as she doesn't ruin my ammo in the garage I'll be happy. I was looking into the vacum sealer and reuseable silica, but both are expensive!!! |
| I keep ammo in the garage in USGI cans. You can get silica gel at craft stores pretty cheap. Staple it up in coffee filters. It's way cheaper than buying packs. Buy some humidity indicating cards and thrown in your cans so you won't worry. Just don't open them too often to check. I bake out the desicants every 12 months or so. It's all probably overkill, but it makes me feel good. |
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Quoted:
I keep ammo in the garage in USGI cans. You can get silica gel at craft stores pretty cheap. Staple it up in coffee filters. It's way cheaper than buying packs. Buy some humidity indicating cards and thrown in your cans so you won't worry. Just don't open them too often to check. I bake out the desicants every 12 months or so. It's all probably overkill, but it makes me feel good. Where can I get these cards?? |
| This seller on ebay has excellent customer servive and a wide selection. I don't know how his prices compare to other online vendors though, but I imagine he's close if not better. |
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I tried vac packing ammo ... unless you are really careful it will unseal in short order. the FMJ bullet points wind up poking holes all over the bag =(
I just cut a piece of cardboard to size and drop it in the bottom of my ammo cans then fill em up and latch them. I never leave anything on the ground tho. a good storage wrack for ammo and other gear could be built in short order with some framing studs and plywood for the task. |
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Quoted: The clear crystal type cat litter is silica gel. I can get a 20lbs bag at target for $15.00. It goes a loooong way, I'll never deal with those expensive little packs again. Brand name or pic of the stuff you're talking about? I've bought flower drying gel at Michael's before, but it's a little too fine grain to work easily with. I need to get some coffee filters - I've used tea bags before, but they're a bit fragile. |
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I am confused on this thing about not putting ammo cans on concrete. I stored a lot of mine in a basement and they sat on concrete and had no issues. Make sure the bottom of the can is painted and as far as condensation on the ammo from sitting the can on the concrete I would say this is more to do with moisture in the air condensing on the ammo since the sealed ammo can only has that moisture to deal with if the gaskets are in ok shape. Reminds me of folks telling me not to sit batteries on concrete or it will discharge the battery. I personally tend to leave out cardboard and other materials that can hold moisture in them. I pack ammo cans on a day when humidity is really low and I don't keep any dessicant around. Biggest thing I have learned from storing stuff is to make sure everything you handle a lot is wiped down to get the oils and grease from your hands off of it and to make sure it is packed well. Then just leave it alone. I guess if your garage floor sweats a lot then I would not want the ammo can on the concrete since you would puddle moisture right there against the can. But the garage I grew up with did not sweat moisture and I stored a lot of ammo on its floor for a few years back when south african surplus was available cheap. And those ammo cans had holes in the bottom and the ammo was in battle packs but I never had moisture issues in those cans and they literally had 4 holes from the factory in the bottom of them. |
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For concealment I put my ammo cans in a wooden crate marked "Christmas Lights". I inherited it from a job. I keep it buried under other low value items. No one will waste time on digging it out to see if it has any goodies in it. It is a heavy enough to be dollied out and loaded on the trailer as is. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The clear crystal type cat litter is silica gel. I can get a 20lbs bag at target for $15.00. It goes a loooong way, I'll never deal with those expensive little packs again. Brand name or pic of the stuff you're talking about? I've bought flower drying gel at Michael's before, but it's a little too fine grain to work easily with. I need to get some coffee filters - I've used tea bags before, but they're a bit fragile. This is the stuff right here... silica gel I use coffee filters and it works great, no recharge value but who cares at that price. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The clear crystal type cat litter is silica gel. I can get a 20lbs bag at target for $15.00. It goes a loooong way, I'll never deal with those expensive little packs again. Brand name or pic of the stuff you're talking about? I've bought flower drying gel at Michael's before, but it's a little too fine grain to work easily with. I need to get some coffee filters - I've used tea bags before, but they're a bit fragile. This is the stuff right here... silica gel I use coffee filters and it works great, no recharge value but who cares at that price. Also Kitty Crystals @ WM. Aquarium filter media bags from Petsmart or Petco work perfectly, and come in several sizes |
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Quoted: I tried vac packing ammo ... unless you are really careful it will unseal in short order. the FMJ bullet points wind up poking holes all over the bag =( I just cut a piece of cardboard to size and drop it in the bottom of my ammo cans then fill em up and latch them. I never leave anything on the ground tho. a good storage wrack for ammo and other gear could be built in short order with some framing studs and plywood for the task. Try making a small channel out of thin cardboard and using that as a protector for bullet tips. Also, try not to pull the vacuum too tight. Toss a small oxygen absorber packet in each package, and then you will be good to go. If the vacuum is so tight that you can't move the rounds easily in the package, then it's probably too tight and you will get punctures because the bag material is stretched too thin. Vacuum sealers are easy to pick up around here for a few bucks during garage sale season. You'll pay top dollar for brand name bags, but if you go though a meat processing supply company like Allied Kenco or Midwest Industrial Supply, you can get unbranded channel bags and bag material for Foodsaver type machines relatively cheaply. Remember this is long term storage, like >1 year. If you are going to use the ammo up before that, then it probably doesn't pay off to bag it. P. |
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I store ammo in several old sheet metal barrel key gun safes. I frame them up inside with 1/2 and make particle board shelves. You can stack a LOT of ammo in one of these inexpensive safes.
I also use USGI cans, and other containers, I throw desiccant packs in each container. Never had a problem. |
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Quoted:
I tried vac packing ammo ... unless you are really careful it will unseal in short order. the FMJ bullet points wind up poking holes all over the bag =( I just cut a piece of cardboard to size and drop it in the bottom of my ammo cans then fill em up and latch them. I never leave anything on the ground tho. a good storage wrack for ammo and other gear could be built in short order with some framing studs and plywood for the task. I vacuum sealed mine in the boxes |
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Cool and dry are the fundamentals. A garage in Florida would seem likely to be both hot and humid.
You can eliminate the humidity by storing in air-tight containers, along with some dessicant––which should be inspected and renewed on a regular basis. Here's the thing. Everyone ASSumes that good condition GI ammo cans are air-tight. NOT ALWAYS SO. I have heard my ammo cans thumping with changes in ambient air pressure, so some, at least, will self-vent. I have no idea if they were out-gassing, on in-gassing. Some cans, presumably with a good seal, require some force to open after sitting a while. In addition, the gaskets will take an indentation, over time, which indentation conforms with the lips of the body of the ammo container. If the lids are switched, at any point, the seal of the gasket to body/lips of can WILL be compromised. It is not uncommon to obtain a can whose lid/gasket was not original to the can. After all, these things are bought used, and the users had no interest in keeping the lid with a particular can. So, what to do? Well, the only thing I have come up with is to get a tube of black silicone goop––NOT adhesive––, drill a very small outlet hole in the dispensing tip, and lay in a thin bead of goop into the depression in the gasket that the lid made. You'll be using a caluking gun set-up to do this, BTW. Use a narrow blade to smooth out, and allow to set minimum 24 hrs. After that, the lid should seal well. I can't help much about ambient heat in the garage. It would help to install overhead vents, near the peaks, and lower intake vents so as to prevent the garage from becoming a real hotbox, as an unvented building will do most anywhere in the summer. Install insect barriers, of course, but even under the best of conditions, storing ammo in a non-air-conditioned garage in Florida would likely reduce the useful life of the ammo, perhaps a good deal. If I was faced with your problem, I think I'd put my ammo in good, airtight cans, with dessicant packs in each one, and figure out a way to air-condition that small enclosure. Such a small A/C unit should be inexpensive to buy, and to run, since it is responsible only for a small enclosure. Venting the garage, both top and bottom, is an improvement in itself, and will make the A/C unit's job that much easier, not to mention expense of running it. You might want to consider over-building the enclosure, to accomodate your safe(s), in the event such a move becomes necessary. Seal off the unused area until needed. Sounds like your wife will eventually want the safe(s) out from underfoot eventually, so I'd advise to plan ahead. Heat and humidity are definitely damaging to stored ammo, so I urge you to think about what I've said. |
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Quoted:
Cool and dry are the fundamentals. A garage in Florida would seem likely to be both hot and humid. You can eliminate the humidity by storing in air-tight containers, along with some dessicant––which should be inspected and renewed on a regular basis. Here's the thing. Everyone ASSumes that good condition GI ammo cans are air-tight. NOT ALWAYS SO. I have heard my ammo cans thumping with changes in ambient air pressure, so some, at least, will self-vent. I have no idea if they were out-gassing, on in-gassing. Some cans, presumably with a good seal, require some force to open after sitting a while. In addition, the gaskets will take an indentation, over time, which indentation conforms with the lips of the body of the ammo container. If the lids are switched, at any point, the seal of the gasket to body/lips of can WILL be compromised. It is not uncommon to obtain a can whose lid/gasket was not original to the can. After all, these things are bought used, and the users had no interest in keeping the lid with a particular can. So, what to do? Well, the only thing I have come up with is to get a tube of black silicone goop––NOT adhesive––, drill a very small outlet hole in the dispensing tip, and lay in a thin bead of goop into the depression in the gasket that the lid made. You'll be using a caluking gun set-up to do this, BTW. Use a narrow blade to smooth out, and allow to set minimum 24 hrs. After that, the lid should seal well. I can't help much about ambient heat in the garage. It would help to install overhead vents, near the peaks, and lower intake vents so as to prevent the garage from becoming a real hotbox, as an unvented building will do most anywhere in the summer. Install insect barriers, of course, but even under the best of conditions, storing ammo in a non-air-conditioned garage in Florida would likely reduce the useful life of the ammo, perhaps a good deal. If I was faced with your problem, I think I'd put my ammo in good, airtight cans, with dessicant packs in each one, and figure out a way to air-condition that small enclosure. Such a small A/C unit should be inexpensive to buy, and to run, since it is responsible only for a small enclosure. Venting the garage, both top and bottom, is an improvement in itself, and will make the A/C unit's job that much easier, not to mention expense of running it. You might want to consider over-building the enclosure, to accomodate your safe(s), in the event such a move becomes necessary. Seal off the unused area until needed. Sounds like your wife will eventually want the safe(s) out from underfoot eventually, so I'd advise to plan ahead. Heat and humidity are definitely damaging to stored ammo, so I urge you to think about what I've said. If an ammo can "thumps" from changes in heat, I would bet money that the seal is good- I have a couple of empty cans in the garage, which is semi-heated, and when I open the garage door in the winter for a little while they go whump-whump. The sound is from the sides of the can pushing in as the can is cooled, therefore no airleak. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Cool and dry are the fundamentals. A garage in Florida would seem likely to be both hot and humid. You can eliminate the humidity by storing in air-tight containers, along with some dessicant––which should be inspected and renewed on a regular basis. Here's the thing. Everyone ASSumes that good condition GI ammo cans are air-tight. NOT ALWAYS SO. I have heard my ammo cans thumping with changes in ambient air pressure, so some, at least, will self-vent. I have no idea if they were out-gassing, on in-gassing. Some cans, presumably with a good seal, require some force to open after sitting a while. In addition, the gaskets will take an indentation, over time, which indentation conforms with the lips of the body of the ammo container. If the lids are switched, at any point, the seal of the gasket to body/lips of can WILL be compromised. It is not uncommon to obtain a can whose lid/gasket was not original to the can. After all, these things are bought used, and the users had no interest in keeping the lid with a particular can. So, what to do? Well, the only thing I have come up with is to get a tube of black silicone goop––NOT adhesive––, drill a very small outlet hole in the dispensing tip, and lay in a thin bead of goop into the depression in the gasket that the lid made. You'll be using a caluking gun set-up to do this, BTW. Use a narrow blade to smooth out, and allow to set minimum 24 hrs. After that, the lid should seal well. I can't help much about ambient heat in the garage. It would help to install overhead vents, near the peaks, and lower intake vents so as to prevent the garage from becoming a real hotbox, as an unvented building will do most anywhere in the summer. Install insect barriers, of course, but even under the best of conditions, storing ammo in a non-air-conditioned garage in Florida would likely reduce the useful life of the ammo, perhaps a good deal. If I was faced with your problem, I think I'd put my ammo in good, airtight cans, with dessicant packs in each one, and figure out a way to air-condition that small enclosure. Such a small A/C unit should be inexpensive to buy, and to run, since it is responsible only for a small enclosure. Venting the garage, both top and bottom, is an improvement in itself, and will make the A/C unit's job that much easier, not to mention expense of running it. You might want to consider over-building the enclosure, to accomodate your safe(s), in the event such a move becomes necessary. Seal off the unused area until needed. Sounds like your wife will eventually want the safe(s) out from underfoot eventually, so I'd advise to plan ahead. Heat and humidity are definitely damaging to stored ammo, so I urge you to think about what I've said. If an ammo can "thumps" from changes in heat, I would bet money that the seal is good- I have a couple of empty cans in the garage, which is semi-heated, and when I open the garage door in the winter for a little while they go whump-whump. The sound is from the sides of the can pushing in as the can is cooled, therefore no airleak. As I said in my original post, the change was in ambient air pressure, not in ambient temp. Under the circumstances you describe, the cold could cause the cans to cool, and the sides of the cans to contract with reduction in temp. We agree on that. However, with the cans sitting in stable temps, and subject only to changes in ambient air pressure, there is only the conclusion that changes in air presure can cause some cans to self-vent. |