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Long-Term Ammunition Storage 101

 Chad Nabors  Weapons  14 Comments

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I
f you are anything like I was about a decade back, all you needed to know about
ammunition storage was ammo could survive the trip from your shopping cart to the
checkout, and from the checkout to the range.

Ammunition had a short life as far as I was concerned, destined to be bought and promptly
consumed in the chamber of a gun. I lived in Florida at the time, a very gun friendly state,
and with ranges and gun shops on every corner, ammo practically grew on trees. Yep,
planted right next to the oranges. You don’t need to stash what you can never run out of.
After all, you can just buy more.

The Great Ammunition Famine

Those days of plentiful supply came to an abrupt halt around 2007. As is customary,
political posturing on the topic of gun and ammo regulation leading up to the presidential
election led to rushes on purchasing, and rushes led to panicked hoarding.

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The subsequent election of the 44th President of the United States applied further pressure
to already straining industries, and all throughout the next 8 years in America there were
terrible scarcities of guns and ammunition.

The reserve of many popular cartridges dried up seemingly overnight. Some, like .380ACP
and .22LR, would take many years before they would consistently return to store shelves.
My care-free attitude and hubris cost me: I had signed up for a pistol class, and the date
was rapidly approaching.

I scoured my city, and surrounding counties, desperately trying to gather enough ammo to
attend. I did, barely, by begging off my better prepared friends, and finally assembling a
mish-mash of brands, bullet types and weights. They all had different POI’s, some were
more reliable in my pistol, others less.

I completed the class, and didn’t wind up looking like a stooge. I learned a lot on the range,
but my biggest lesson was one of preparedness: stock up on ammo, buy it cheap and stack
it deep. I started to imagine a scenario where the outcome was not merely wasted money,
or reduced training repetitions.

What if I needed that ammo for serious social purposes? What if I had a friend or relative
that needed a bunch of ammo in a hurry? Would I be able to endure a crisis with my
ammo on hand? Would I have enough to be the good friend one could count on? No, no I
would not.
Storage: For a Rainy Day
If you are preparing for any occurrence of widespread societal unrest, collapse or regional
disaster, you probably have a decent stash of ammo laid up all ready. Maybe, like me, you
are also dedicated to keeping a goodly amount on hand to ensure you can attend
scheduled or impromptu training opportunities. That’s good.

Considering you have a significant (or not so significant) quantity of ammo put away for
future use, your next consideration must be making sure it is stored in optimal conditions.
This is to prevent it from degrading, thus wasting your investment, and resulting in
malfunctions or, worse, an empty gun in the future.

The length of time you plan to store the ammo, the local humidity at the storage site and
the container you store the ammo in will all dictate how long you can expect your ammo to
stay fresh. Effective long term storage is safe, and completely achievable by anyone with a
small financial investment.

Typically, one will only need a quality metal or plastic ammo can that seals against air and
moisture, some desiccant packs, and perhaps heavy, plastic zipper or vacuum-seal bags.
Rain’s coming, read on for details!
Basics of Storage
Before you go squirreling ammo away in every Tupperware container you have plundered
from your significant other or neighbors, it is instructive to understand what we are trying
to protect our ammunition from. The single greatest harmful element to our ammunition is
moisture, which leads to corrosion. The other is high temperature; ammo kept cool will last
a very long time indeed. Keep both of these foremost in your mind when you are deciding
where to locate your stash.

Moisture degrades ammo by causing corrosion, and seeping inside cartridge cases to
degrade priming compound and render powder useless. If you have ever pulled a lone
round out from the bottom of a forgotten range bag, or out of an old box in your basement,
that green, musty stuff on the brass is a byproduct of corrosion. Cartridges so afflicted are
not to be trusted. The same thing can happen to a big batch of ammo if we do not take
steps to mitigate it.

Extreme heat, in excess of 150° F according to multiple manufacturers of commercial

ammo, will start to degrade both primer and powder over time. This can lead to reduced
performance or a complete failure to fire. Unless you are storing your ammo in an area
where temperatures climb above 150°, such as the interior or trunk of a car during
summer, this is not a concern in most locales.

Of the two, moisture is the factor we will pay the most attention to and work the hardest to
thwart. If we can beat back moisture, ammo will keep viable for at least a decade, and
often much longer. Lucky for you, even in humid climates, solutions are simple and only
require a bit of diligence in rotating your stock. This will ensure your ammo is as ready and
shiny as the day it rolled off the factory presses.
Gather Equipment
The only must-have pieces of storage equipment we require are suitable containers
(typically a military or commercial sealing ammo can), some type of desiccant packs (or
moisture absorption packs, typically made from silica), and good, sturdy sealable plastic
bags. All are widely available and inexpensive, and in the case of silica packs, found free
in all kinds of product packaging.

Start with your containers. I know a lot of people use heavy storage bags filled with loose
cartridges and place those inside large plastic food containers, thinking that in conjunction
they must surely be adequate. This is a bad play for a couple of reasons: 1.) containers of
that type offer only a paltry seal against moisture and air, and 2.) those containers filled
with ammo become very heavy, and quickly. I have seen more than few bust their bottoms
when being hoisted. Not ideal.

If you don’t already have some, spring for either military surplus metal ammo cans, or nice,
plastic commercial ones. Both feature high quality rubber gaskets to seal the contents
against both air and moisture, and are easily recognized by their rectangular, boxy shape,
hinged lids and collapsible handles. These are available in sizes approximating a lunchbox,
enough for a few magazines or boxes, all the way up to very large metal trunks which can
hold thousands of rounds.

When shopping for the military cans in particular, pay close attention to the gaskets
around the rim, on either the lid or the can itself. Ensure there are no tears, dry rot, rust or
major deformations that could compromise the integrity of the seal. For the commercial
plastic containers, make sure they do in fact have a seal, and are of sturdy quality to resist
breaking from rough handling, and the weight of their contents.

Have a look at the pics below for an example of a surplus military ammo can in great
shape. Pay particular attention to the seal around the lid shown and the interior. That one
will only need a little dressing on the seal before it is ready to go.
 

Buy enough, in the right sizes, to accomplish your storage objectives. This might mean a
few small cans for loaded magazines or keeping in vehicles, and a larger chest to keep bulk
ammo at home or office. This boils down to personal requirements, so give careful thought
to your own situation and needs.

For your silica packs, you can use the small bags you get in nearly everything you buy from
a store these days, or buy purpose-made ones at any hardware or big-box home
improvement store. These silica packs won’t work indefinitely: periodically, maybe twice a
year in a very humid environment, you will need to dry them out in an oven set on about
140-150° for about 30 minutes. Set the packs on a pan and pop them in the oven.

While you are at the store, grab a few of the flat, disposable moisture detection cards. A
couple of these will let you check not only the moisture level at the location you plan on
storing your ammo, but test your cans for moisture infiltration after you have them in
place.

Get To Packing
But before you do, a few rules: If you are handling bulk ammo for long-term storage, wear
latex or nitrile gloves. You may be thinking lead exposure, which is indeed a concern, but
the greater issue for our task will be oils from your skin lingering on the cartridges.

Depending on your individual body chemistry, this oil can either cause corrosion
eventually or immediately. No real way to know, but if you are the person that has to clean
rust off his carry pistol weekly, you need to take extra precaution. Don’t let your efforts go
to waste.

Place your moisture tester in the area where you want to locate your stash. Follow the
instructions on the tester, and then get a reading after the specified time. Shoot for a
moisture reading of 25% or less. Areas that are not well insulated or ventilated are bad
choices, typically.

Think sheds, garages and basements. Car trunks can vary. Once you have picked a suitable
site, place a small pallet or a platform on the ground if you aren’t using shelves. Try to
avoid having the cans rest directly on the floor, especially in a garage or basement as
condensation will be a risk.

For loaded magazines that you plan on storing for a comparatively shorter term, you can
place them directly in a can, ready to go, with a desiccant pack and close the can.

Quick note on this- not all magazines are created equal! USGI aluminum M16/AR-15
magazines and some older pattern 1911 magazines may degrade when stored long-term
fully loaded, specifically from the pressure of a fully compressed stack of rounds pushing
against the frail, easily deformed feed lips. Magpul’s ubiquitous Pmags feature a top cover
specifically designed to prevent such an occurrence, but I am uncertain if they are
necessary considering the Pmag’s tougher feed lips. It certainly will not hurt to utilize them.

For bulk ammo, it is a good idea to remove it from any cardboard or paper packaging and
place it into your plastic bags. Cardboard and paper both are bad about absorbing
moisture. I have, however, stored ammo in the factory boxes, in cans, with silica for some
years in a dry location and used it with no ill effects.

Whichever you decide, do not place your desiccant inside the bag with loose ammo: if, or
when, it absorbs enough moisture, it will be trapped against the loose cartridges, which will
start to corrode. The desired outcome is for the desiccant to intercept the moisture that
gets past the seal of our can before it can harm the ammunition. Label your bags with
manufacturer, caliber, type and date, squeeze out any air, and seal them.
Once all this is done, and your cans are full, close and latch the lid. Don’t forget to toss in a
moisture tester in at least one. Set a reminder to come back and check the moisture tester
according to the instructions it came with. If the level is too high inside the can, check your
seals. If that does not work, replace the can. If that still does not work, choose another
location.

Rotating Your Ammo

You can now be reasonably sure that your ammo supply will be safe from moisture, and
assuming you aren’t storing them in a blazing hot location, will keep for a very long time.
Note that even if you are keeping it in, say, your car or truck, most ammo will be fine over
the short term if you remember to rotate it out.

So, say I have a stash of loaded pistol mags in a small BOB in my car, after 3 months of
summer heat, I am going to pull them out, shoot them in practice or training, and then
replenish them with ammo from my stores. The ammo in my stores will be replenished by
new, store-bought ammo, and the cycle repeats itself.

I’ll do the same thing with my store at home: when it is time to train and I need a quantity
of ammo to use, I will pull from my oldest stock first. When I replenish later, the next
oldest batch will be “on deck” for consumption. This way I am always assured of having
fresh ammo on hand. Ammo, stored well, will typically keep a very long time with no ill
effects, but this is another small expenditure of effort to ensure you are keeping an
optimal stock.

Other Considerations
You can buy surplus military ammo that will sometimes come in a handy sealed package,
be it plastic or metal and ready to store as is. Russian surplus 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54mm and
5.45x39mm can all be had in the iconic metal “Spam” or “Sardine” can, which is welded
shut, and completely impenetrable against any mechanical attempts at breaching it, save a
grinder or the specialty can opener which they never come with in America. If you buy a
quantity of such ammo and can test a small batch to ensure function in your firearm, you
can store the rest unopened, confident that it will keep until you need it.

As far as quantity is concerned, that is highly dependent upon your individual wants and
needs. My attitude about ammo-on-hand is this: For my primary calibers, I want at least
twice as much of each as it would take for me to complete a 2 or 3 day class. Call it about
3,500 rounds each, minimum. That way I can use a large quantity of it for skill
development, and have a hard reserve of at least a case in each caliber. Be sure also to
take in to account the bulk and weight of ammo if you plan to flee a crisis. Ammo cans take
up a lot of room and weight in vehicles, and space is at a premium. You need to know how
much will fit where before it is time to hit the road.

Conclusion
You should ideally be buying ammo in bulk, for the cost savings as well as having a ready
supply on hand. Don’t simply leave it sitting around in boxes or baggies for years on end.
Keep your guns fed, and protect your investment of time and money by storing your
ammunition properly and you will have taken one more step to ensure you prosper in the
face of chaos, whatever form it takes.

How do you have your ammunition stored? How much is enough for your purposes? Have
you experimented with alternative methods of keeping your ammo in good condition? Let
me know in the comment section!
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About Chad Nabors

Chad Nabors specializes in firearms, with a strong focus on concealed carry and pistols. His background is in
commercial sales and training, and armor development and testing. He has trained many citizens on the pistol
 from basic to advanced skills. He is a vociferous proponent of the 2nd Amendment, and
believes that defense of self and family is a moral obligation. He can be reached at
grimgunner (AT) gmail.com.

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14 comments
grayfox114 April 16, 2018 at 5:38 am
True story: Why I think I’ll hunker down and stay in place: Back in the heyday f ammo
shortages, I was living in a very gun unfreindly place, I hit the reloading bench big time. On
hand I had lots of the required items for reloading pistol ammo in 38/357, 45 ACP and 41 mag,
and i made good use of things. Lacking suitable small containers, I used a couple of 20mm
ammo cans I had laying around. I was able to pretty much fill them. Note to self: A 20mm can
filled with 38 ammo requires a dolly to move more than a few feet. They are great for storage,
but are essentially immovable objects. I used desiccant packs and watched the temps, and I
have used ammo loaded many, many years ago with no noticeable degradation. Just
something to think about when storing big time!
Reply

Chad Nabors April 16, 2018 at 12:44 pm

Good thinking, Grayfox. A great many people underestimate the sheer weight and bulk
of containers densely loaded with ammo, especially folks who are planning to load up
and flee a disaster or crisis situation.
Thanks for reading!
Reply

Mic Roland April 16, 2018 at 9:02 am

I’ve had the weight thing in mind for my storage. The ammo is in a locked steel cabinet but
loaded into smaller plastic ammo cans. The goal was/is manageable portions should I need to
move a lot of it (all of it?) quickly. Need to watch for Harbor Freight’s next sale on ammo cans,
as some boxed purchases are starting to pile up.
Reply

Chad Nabors April 16, 2018 at 12:48 pm

Hey, Mic. That’s a smart play on keeping your ammo stashed in smaller cans to facilitate
transport.
One word of caution on cheap commercial ammo cans: if you are counting on them for
a good environmental seal, you will need to test them. I tried an ad hoc test some years
back with good condition, genuine US mil. surplus cans, and the lookalike knockoffs. The
knockoffs’ seals did not work at all.
They still worked just fine for toting the ammo and protecting it in transit, though, so
there is that. Thanks for reading, I hope you found it useful!
Reply

TPSnodgrass April 16, 2018 at 3:59 pm

I’ve had excellent success in long term storage of ammunition all through the last Ammo
Drought. For many years I stockpiled .22LR Ammunition so, that when the Ammo Drought
arrived, it wasn’t an issue for us at all. People thought we were nuts for buying so much .22 and
.22 Magnum Ammunition. I just don’t care what the crowd thinks says, or does. We use smaller
polycarbonate ammo type cans with goos success, so we are not giving ourselves hernias trying
to lift or move Uber heavy cases of loaded ammunition. We reload as well. We store in a
consistent temperature atmosphere, in a secure location.
Reply

Chad Nabors April 19, 2018 at 7:56 pm

No doubt you were one of the few who had any .22 back in those days, Snodgrass!
Thanks for reading!
Reply

George April 17, 2018 at 5:38 am

I don’t use desiccant pouches, never have.
I don’t put on small amounts of lacquer nail polish around the rim of the case or over the
primer as some people suggest.
I store in metal ammo cans for convenience, but mostly have ammo boxes on shelves in the
garage, and this has gone on for as long as I can remember, 60+ years. The garage is not
climate controlled.
I recently pulled out and shot some .45 ACP handloads that were loaded in August of 1997, and
they performed flawlessly.
I have some paper shotshells that came from my father in law and his father before him.
Originally purchased and kept in North Carolina and Florida. They shoot fine, as does the .30-
06 ammo that has been around just as long, and travelled just as far.
Reply

Chad Nabors April 19, 2018 at 8:01 pm

I am shocked to hear that the paper shotshells have lasted that long and produced no
hiccups, George.
That’s really cool to hear though. I am not surprised about the other ammo fairing well
in the garage, as out modern ammo (or ammo made with modern components) is
extremely forgiving of anything except extreme climates.
For my money, I prefer to control as many variables as I can, though it is a rarity for any
case of ammo to last more than a year with me.
Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope you enjoyed it!
Reply

Richard April 17, 2018 at 11:16 am

Have reloaded for better than 40 yrs. Obummer set me off and Walking Dead. Have ammo
hidden under ground in three locations. All stocked up on reloading supplies. All sealed up. Will
last longer than me.
Reply

Paul Fields Sr April 17, 2018 at 2:01 pm

I use military ammo cans and I put 30 rounds in a vacuum seal bag, suck out air and seal them.
I also seal the 30 round mags. Can get 450 to 500 223 rounds per can which does not make the
cans to heavy. Also do this for 38 and 45’s.
Reply
 Frank Staples April 17, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Living close to Ft. Bragg, N.C., I’ve always had an easy access to ammo cans but they can get
scarce depending on the government’s attitude towards re-cycling. I have used WW1
ammunition and had zero malfunctions and I keep mine in government ammo boxes in my
cool enclosed basement with a dehumidifier.
Reply

Bruce April 20, 2018 at 9:07 am

Another effective way to store (loose) ammo is in paint cans.
Pint and quart cans can be purchased at your local paint store.
They are great for .22 ammo.
Reply

Chad Nabors April 23, 2018 at 6:46 am

Hey, Bruce. Interesting idea! Never thought of that, but I think the concept is sound;
clean paint cans do seal up pretty tightly.
Good thinking.
Reply

Jere July 4, 2018 at 4:54 pm

When I buy ammo (in bulk) I typically leave it in the factory 50 rd boxes and vacuum seal a
couple boxes at a time then straight to a steel ammo can. Works great.
Reply

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