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Posted: 4/22/2017 12:09:46 AM EDT
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I keep my ammo in a heap in the closet. Moderate humidity as it is climate controlled but central TX.
As far as 5.56 goes, I've finally been buying more after an 8 yr haitus so is it worth rotating? I'm not too worried about Fed m193 from lots about 15 years old but what about S.African in the sealed bags from the 80s? I got wolf gold and geco in plain boxes and more (newer production) 193 in ammo cans. Also, if the ammo is fine without rotating, would it be wise to replace shtf stash of SA with the gold or geco(setting one of these aside). The SA never gave me any problems. I shot a few k of steel case over the last several years while being stingy with the brass. |
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Ammunition stored properly should last an eternity.
For keeping humidity from corroding/tarnishing ammo, if you keep it in metal ammo boxes you can throw in some dessicant packs. They'll keep moisture out of the air in the container, but if the container isn't sealed they won't make a difference, hence needing to pack the ammo in ammo boxes. |
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Avoiding extreme temperatures is important, but fast swings are worse than extreme swings. I am in San Antonio, so I know the kind of temperature and humidity issues you're talking about. But keep in mind that a "real" ammo storage facility isn't going to be rigidly climate controlled, and may not even have any sort of climate control.
On the other hand, protecting the cases from exposure to anything that could cause them to corrode is very important. Dry is better, but most ammo is packaged in cardboard. Cardboard holds moisture if it is exposed. So if you leave your ammunition in cardboard boxes, store them in air tight containers, like GI ammo cans. I'm not a "throw in desiccant" guy, as long as you pack the ammo can indoors in controlled humidity. |
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