How to store & organize ammo? One of the most common questions for all gun owners. Well, the organization can keep your ammo long-lasting. There are various methods to keep the ammo safe & moisture-free. Military ammo cans are one of the best methods for dry storage.
A simple philosophy for ammo storage is to protect it from the standard threats — moisture, extreme temperatures, hoplophobia politicians, etc.- but also to keep it organized, portable, and ready to use.
Whether the Machines are rebelling, someone got stupid enough to try to invade northernIdaho, or I just want to go shooting for an afternoon; my ammo will not be very useful to me if it’s buried in the backyard or sitting loose in a 200-pound box in my closet.
Ammo Cans To Store & Organize Ammo
The three common, easy-to-find ammo can sizes that had a decent amount of internal space,but weren’t too awkward to carry around were the .30-cal, the 50-cal, and the SAWcans.
If I need to store and move more than 40 pounds of ammo, I’ll just buy another can. As I just demonstrated, a loaded-up SAW can will easily hit the 40-pound mark even with relatively lightweight ammo like shotgun shells. And while the little .30-cal cans offer a decent amount of internal volume for dense things like loose cartridges, their narrow interior limits things with more useful boxes or cases.
The midsized .50-cal cans seem to be just about ideal. Filled with loaded magazines, boxed shotshells, or pistol cartridges in these 100-round cases I’ll get to in a sec; these always seem to end up between 25 and 40 pounds with minimal wasted space. So the .50-cals are standard cans for all ammo storage. Sticking to one size keeps the cans easily stackable, and allows them to share lids.
When buying, I look for cans without any major damage. A little scratched paint or surface rust isn’t a big deal if there’s nothing better in the pile, but I don’t want something too beat-up to work properly. Most important is the top rim of the can and the rubber gasket in the lid. This is what makes the cans watertight, so I want a gasket that’s still flexible and intact. If it’s brittle or cracked, or the metal around it is dented, this won’t make a proper seal. This one looked pretty good, but before I put new ammo can into service, I always test it. I’m not living in my van next to a river anymore, but a bathtub makes for a decent place to weigh a can down and submerge it for several days. If the can’s in proper shape, it should stay completely dry inside.
The next step is to mark the can with what it’ll be holding — 9x19 mm in this case.I don’t get very fancy with this, I just stick on some cheap stencil cards, mask around them with a little tape and newspaper so it won’t look completely slapdash, and shoot it with whatever spray paint I happen to have to lie around. I don’t really care what color it is, so long as it’ll stand out. While the paint’s drying,
Guide To Organize Things Inside The Can
In theory, .50-cal ammo can fit over 2200 loose 9mm cartridges, but that would easily weigh 60 or 70 pounds, and in terms of organization and use-ability, it will be pretty much the opposite of what I’m trying to do. Factory boxes aren’t going to cut it for me either. Their dimensions and construction vary wildly between manufacturers, making it impossible to come up with a standardized can load.
I also have no idea how many cartridges are in any given box without opening it. And while some ammo is packed in trays like these and easy to count; the more economical value packs tend to be completely useless. And with real bulk or reloaded ammo, there’s often no box of any kind. So instead of that mess, all my handgun ammo gets placed into standard cases like theseMTM Case-Gard 100-round ammo boxes. Unlike factory boxes, these are quick and easy to operate even one-handed, but stay securely closed, and are surprisingly water-resistant for what they are. They’re not completely waterproof — and don’t need to be — but they’ll withstand light rain or collateral spray well enough.
The lids also make very convenient trays for holding loose cartridges or cases, and they can be easily detached if desired. Whether they’re open or closed, the translucent plastic makes it easy to see exactly what’s in there and count them at a glance using basic multiplication. In the same way, I can organize and keep track of different types of ammo in one case by arranging them into blocks. Each case comes with some handy labels, but for now, I just use different-colored cases to organize my ammo. I put 115-gr FMJs in the blue ones, and hollow points and specialty stuff in the red. There are other colors available, and the swappable lids make for a lot of possible combinations.
Overall, these are a darn sight more useful than factory packaging for my purposes — well worth the 2 or 3 dollar price tag. Now, I’m sure someone’s going to get on me for touching the ammo with my bare hands. First off, I’m not stockpiling this for the zombie apocalypse 40 years from now. This Is ammo that I’ll be shooting at my next practice session or loading into my carry gun the next time I leave the house. Second, ammo won’t melt if it gets a fingerprint on it. It might get tarnished and not be as shiny, but it’ll still shoot just fine.
Moisture and temperature extremes are the big dangers to ammo, not fingerprints. So, with the cartridges organized, and the paint dries, it’s time to fill up the can. There’s enough space inside a .50-cal can for two side-by-side stacks of up four of these, with room for one more on an end or in the middle.
That’s up to 900 rounds in a simple, accessible arrangement that utilizes the can well while staying below my weight limit. Other things I’ll include are flattened or cut-up ammo packaging with the information I may want to refer to, a magazine loader, and a homemade desiccant pack to absorb any moisture. But that’s not all. On top of the cases, there’s enough room left over for up to8 full-size Glock magazines, a standard-frame Glock and 5 magazines, or two Glocks with a magazine in each. Also, the odd case on the end can be replaced with up to 6 additional magazines or a short-barreled backup 9mm gun, and I’ll still have the same space on top.
With the 115-grain ammo I prefer, any of these arrangements stay comfortably below my 40-pound limit. Even with subsonic ammo — which I rarely use — they’re not over by much.
Well, that’s how I roll with my ammo. Simple, easy, and practical storage that’ll keep for years, but be ready to use at a moment’s notice. Until next time, enjoy the shooting sports responsibly, and keep your powder dry.
