Ammo storage for a BOB?

[JD Mandrell]

Knocking around the idea of adding a firearm to my vehicle BOB, but was curious about storing ammo.

Where I live, throughout the year, it could be subjected to a wide range of temperatures.

What do folks here do that keep guns in a kit?

Rotate it every few months?

 

[ROCK6]

Knocking around the idea of adding a firearm to my vehicle BOB, but was curious about storing ammo.

Where I live, throughout the year, it could be subjected to a wide range of temperatures.

What do folks here do that keep guns in a kit?

Rotate it every few months?

I was just thinking about this myself. Weather is okay now, but summers can have 100+ temps and extremely high humidity. I'm looking at an inexpensive Astra 75 9mm with a few mags. I plan to rotate ammo every few months...that's probably the best method. Ammo is pretty robust. I've seen ammo stored in very humid areas (South America) to very hot arid areas such as Iraq/Afghanistan. After several months of storage, we never had any issues on the range. I don't think it's much of a concern if you rotated on a 6 or even 12 month basis.

ROCK6

 

[wingslevel]

i swap out ammo from the car and also my carry about every 3 months and use up at the range and replace with new. not sure if really needed as it's always performed at the range but not much hassle and would rather load the new and shoot the old. has worked living from WY to MS and that temp and humidity range.

i do prefer to have sealed primers and all to be on the safe side.

 

[dextersp1]

Rotate - use BOB ammo for practice and replenish.

 

[Shoki]

If it's a military surplus rifle, you can sometimes find surplus ammo that's sealed in 'spam cans' and cheap! For instance, you can pick up sealed can with 340 rounds of 7.92x57 for a mere $81.

 

[InfidelShootist]

Ammo storage is not the problem,magazine spring fatigue is.
It's not a big problem with most police service type guns but a problem in others.
know your weapon.

Storing guns in hot cars a full synthetic oil is best.Less likely to evaporate.

 

[DWK2]

Some military ammo is available is factory-sealed "Battle Packs" made of extremely heavy plastic. They will hold up for many years.

For handgun ammo that comes in regular boxes, you could use a Ziploc with some desiccant bags inside a surplus ammo can.

Personally, I just put handgun ammo in a couple ziploc freezer bags and rotate the ammo out for practice periodically. I've never had a problem with properly-stored older ammo going "bang" and I've got some 30-06 that is pre-Vietnam War.

DancesWithKnives

 

[Old CW4]

Ammo kept in a car trunk or other area subject to temperature extremes is dependable for five or less years max regardless of being 'canned' or whatever. Ammo in the house kept at temps that don't change from freezing to 100 plus are good for fifty years or more. Same with primers used for reloading. Store in an area with a relatively consistent temp and they're good for a long time. I've used primers thirty plus years old stored in the house that were 100%. Others from the unheated garage were 'iffy' and resulted in many failures to fire.

 

[koyote]

I have a small Otterbox I keep .22Lr ammo in for the sportsman revolver.

for the single 12Ga I just keep ammo on the stock ammo carrier plus a regular canvas bag for the rest.

My .38 6 inch K frame and the .22 rifle aren't really set up for BOB carry, but the revolver has 2 speedloaders plus 24 looser rounds in a custom leather pouch and the stevens 87 (.22 rifle) has a box of 50 .22short, a bos of 50 .22LR, and 5 .22LR shotshells on the sling.

 

[Foilist]

I keep my .22 ammo in an Otter Box knock-off in the house. I imagine it would be fine stored like that in the car trunk too.

I have thought of keeping a firearm in the car trunk with the BOB, but I am unsure of the legal considerations about this. I have a polymer .22 pistol that would be a good BOB candidate (now that I've finally discovered ammo that it likes).

 

[mete]

Infidel , a properly made mag spring will NOT take a set or become soft !! An improperly made spring may do that .Don't buy cheap springs or mags !!
You can vacuum pack your ammo and you can put it in a styrofoam box to reduce temperature extremes and you should rotate.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Magazines left full will NOT weaken the springs. Cycling the springs weakens them.

Temperature extremes don't really harm anything. I've shot military ammo that is kept in crates in warehouses that aren't climate controlled and it shot fine.

Water damage, on the other hand can be a problem. I've had .303 ammo so messed up from water damage that it's not worth cycling throught he gun to see which rounds will fire and which won't.

Long term storage in your house or vehicle won't expose it to serious water damage unless you have bigger problems than worrying about where you keep your ammo. I.E. the ammo has to be sitting in water, mere humidity won't destroy it (it will corrode plain brass cases, though, over long periods of time).

BUT, you should fire off the ammo in your vehicle gun every few months or so. Reason is, the vibration of riding in the car has the powder particles rubbing against each other and grinding each other to finer powders, which can lead to faster burn time and much higher pressures.

Bottom line: carry your ammo to and from the car (you should do this to reduce the theft risk of leaving weapons and ammo in your car, anyway), and shoot it up every couple of months.

 

[Guyon]

Magazines left full will NOT weaken the springs. Cycling the springs weakens them.

Bingo. After seeing the scientists chime in over at TFL, I load mine up and leave 'em with no worries.

Is oxidation over a long period a concern with ammo? Should one try to reduce contact with air (sealed can, ziplock, etc.)?

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Considering how often you should fire off and rotate your vehicle ammo, it shouldn't have time to seriously corrode.

I live about 10 miles from the Atlantic ocean, and have never had ammo corrode on me. Only ammo I've had corrosion problems was the aforementioned .303 brit, which came in a wooden crate, packed in paper boxes that had taken significant water damage somewhere down the line (as in, half the crate had to have been submerged). other than that, never been a problem.

 

[InfidelShootist]

Magazines left full will NOT weaken the springs. Cycling the springs weakens them.

Believe what you want.I worked in a busy gun range for 4 years.Spring set is real and well known.Now a days with Glock,Wilson, Sig mags and others the problem is largely solved,that still leaves many others where it is a problem.
Try leaving a aftermarket Glock mag loaded for a year and see what happens.

 

[InfidelShootist]

Infidel , a properly made mag spring will NOT take a set or become soft !! An improperly made spring may do that .Don't buy cheap springs or mags !!
You can vacuum pack your ammo and you can put it in a styrofoam box to reduce temperature extremes and you should rotate.

Again,having worked in a range where part of my job was evaluating why a particular gun wasn't working, improperly made mags or springs were the first thing you look at.
Everyone doesn't have modern service grade guns even if they should.

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Magazines left full will NOT weaken the springs. Cycling the springs weakens them.

Temperature extremes don't really harm anything. I've shot military ammo that is kept in crates in warehouses that aren't climate controlled and it shot fine.

Bottom line: carry your ammo to and from the car (you should do this to reduce the theft risk of leaving weapons and ammo in your car, anyway), and shoot it up every couple of months.

High quality magazine springs aren't bothered appreciably either by being left loaded, or by being used normally.

Temperature extremes WILL effect powder over time, depending on the powder.

DO "...carry your ammo to and from the car (you should do this to reduce the theft risk of leaving weapons and ammo in your car, anyway), and shoot it up every couple of months." Good advice, right there. :thumbup:

Andy

 

[JD Mandrell]

Just curious, how many people that keep emergency guns and ammo in the vehicles, carry the ammo back and forth from house to car everyday?

 

[JD Mandrell]

I've got a dry box for the gun and ammo, so moisture wasn't really the concern. The temperature range was more what I was thinking about, but if I do rotate every few months, that would solve that.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Just curious, how many people that keep emergency guns and ammo in the vehicles, carry the ammo back and forth from house to car everyday?

I keep my car rifle in a bag made especially for it, and carry it in and out.

[Stepping On Toes]
If one is too lazy to do that, then maybe they ought not to put one in the car to begin with.
[/Stepping On Toes]