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Posted: 5/29/2011 6:20:40 PM EDT
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I recently picked up a few .50 cal ammo cans (unissued), and started putting some of my ammo stash into them. The question I have is, should I store the ammo in the cardboard boxes they came in (Federal XM193) or break them out of the boxes to fit more rounds per box.
Any input is greatly appreciated. Ron |
| I leave my ammo in the boxes, throw one of these in the can, and call it good. |
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The cardboard will have acids in them that will eventually tarnish the brass, like in 10-20 years. It really depneds on the amount of moisutre/humidity its packed with. If its for the short term few years, leave it. If its for the long haul, take out, inspect, re-pack and store. Pull off a couple tabs from the boxes to document lot/year. |
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I store in ammo cans, in the boxes, with these: http://www.sorbentsystems.com/desiccants_dri-box_appl.html They will need to be recharged once or twice initially as they remove the moisture from the boxes. Not the cheapest route, but I like them lots. Also I buy the color indicating stuff and fill a dress sock with it for the safe. |
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i have ammunition from various name-brand manufacturers that is up to 20+ years old. one type is some fiochi 9mm from a multi-thousand round purchase i made back in the late 80s which has always fed and fired with no issues in any pistol ive used it in. this ammo has seen storage conditions ranging from a hot florida summer to a cold virginia winter (blizzard of '96) in a public storage then back to sitting in a garage in florida. i have some shotgun shells that are slightly older and havent fired any in several years but the ones i fired had no issues.
i keep my 'good' ammo in 40mm ammo cans. some in MTM ammo boxes and some in their original cardboard or plastic or styrofoam packaging. my 'plinker' ammo is stored in its original packaging in a plastic tool box in my garage. ive never had any reliability issues with any name-brand (winchester...federal...remington...etc) ammunition no matter the conditions it was stored under so based on my experience i would say you have very little to worry about with long-term storage of quality ammo. last july i fired several dozen rounds of 7.62x39 norinco steel-cased FMJ and soft point that i purchased in about 1993 and had zero malfunctions of any sort. $1.99 per 20 rounds i didnt really expect much after almost 20 years of poor storage but had no issues. last weekend i fired 12 rounds of .45 230gr golden saber ($17.95/box) that has spent the last 12-ish years in its original packaging inside a 40mm ammo can inside the depths of my un-climate-controlled garage. zero issues and it was as accurate as any of the other .45 ammunition i fired from that pistol that day. |
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