Guys,

I've finally packed up some 50cal ammo cans for long term storage and bought some desiccant packs to keep the contents dry.  They packages of desiccant says to put them in the oven for 12 hours, but after I started to bake them, I wondered if I'm supposed to throw them right into my ammo cans right out of the oven.  Can anybody give me any thoughts or point me to some good web reading?  It seems odd to throw them into the cans "hot" (250 deg), but I know that desiccants wills start to soak up moisture from the air as soon as they cool.

Any help would be appreciated!

Nick

I dont think that the time dissicant is left to cool will degrade its performance any. You should be fine.

Silica Gel will suck up a litte more moisture at elevated temps. Take it right out of the oven & toss it in the ammo can, it'll work great. Just make sure your container it air tight.

I used RICE

You might consider poking a couple tiny holes into the bags to let the steam escape.  I didn't, and my bags exploded all over the oven.