Storage of guns and ammo...

[Snaveba]

So my small gun safe is getting too small. I am looking at getting a larger one and that got me thinking about storage of ammo. 

Currently the guns are locked up and the ammo is in boxes in my closet (or in magazines on the shelf).  What are folks thoughts on storing it all in the same safe?  I keep my guns loaded because an unloaded gun is just a heavy thing to throw at somebody. As such, I don’t see a reason not to keep it all  locked in the same safe.

I hear all the time about keeping ammo separate from your guns, but I don’ t have littles in the house and only I know the combo to the safe. 

If I keep it together in one safe then I would get something larger than I currently need for hand gun storage. 

So, other than keeping the ammo away from the guns to keep them in-usable, is there some other reason I am not thinking of to keep them apart. 

[Garufa]

No reason at all not keep them in the same safe...but safes only get so big.

[Chucktshoes]

That. I have no ability to store my ammo in a safe with my guns without building a full vault room. 

[FUJIMO]

I keep ammo in with the guns as well as all over the property. Never know where you might be when you need it. However one thing to consider is a lockable storage box separate from the safe. 

[Jeb48]

I stage ammo. I keep enough ammo in each safe, either in magazines or in boxes for immediate use in the guns stored in each safe. Ammo that will be shot in the next month or so stay in my desk drawers where I load magazines. I have ammo that will be shot in the next year in plastic ammo cans from Harbor Freight in a file cabinet, they stack nicely side by side. I keep the rest of my ammo in large airtight storage boxes with dry packs in each. These last ones only get broken into a couple of times a year to refill supplies or restock with new ammo. Since we have no kids around I don't see a reason to keep all the ammo locked up. If I did feel a need to lock up ammo I would look into the inexpensive Stack-On or other non fireproof key lock storage. Much cheaper than a large gun safe. But a large gun safe is always nice to have, you can move the ammo out as you need the space for other things.

[TGO David]

4 hours ago, Chucktshoes said:

That. I have no ability to store my ammo in a safe with my guns without building a full vault room. 

Mmmm... vault room.

[No_0ne]

For ammo storage, this works quite well ...

Edited November 5, 2020 by No_0ne

[Snaveba]

Yea, but I don’t have anything shoots 7.62.......

[Ronald_55]

Quote

 

Shame on you...

[Snaveba]

37 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Shame on you...

 

why didn’t I buy an SKS (or 2) back in 92-92 for $99 when they were all over the fun shows  

stupid stupid stupid.

[Ronald_55]

1 hour ago, Snaveba said:

 

why didn’t I buy an SKS (or 2) back in 92-92 for $99 when they were all over the fun shows  

stupid stupid stupid.

Or a good AK back when they were just import surplus. 

[DaveTN]

On 11/4/2020 at 5:02 PM, Chucktshoes said:

I have no ability to store my ammo in a safe with my guns without building a full vault room. 

[CrosbyStills]

On 11/5/2020 at 3:56 PM, Snaveba said:

 

why didn’t I buy an SKS (or 2) back in 92-92 for $99 when they were all over the fun shows  

stupid stupid stupid.

I did that!! Bought two USSR made SKS's. Spent hours cleaning cosmoline out of them.  One I converted with a Choate Sporter Stock and detached mag (pre-ban and have the receipts to prove it :). The other I left completely stock and gave to my dad (with bayonet and cleaning kit).  Just sold that last year for $500!!

 

I store very little ammo in my gunsafe for two primary reasons: First, it's packed with guns. Second, the floor drywall is elevated off ground (nice Browning safe) so the weight would crush the drywall at some point.

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by CrosbyStills
add pix

[hipower]

50 minutes ago, CrosbyStills said:

I did that!! Bought two USSR made SKS's. Spent hours cleaning cosmoline out of them.  One I converted with a Choate Sporter Stock and detached mag (pre-ban and have the receipts to prove it :). The other I left completely stock and gave to my dad (with bayonet and cleaning kit).  Just sold that last year for $500!!

 

I store very little ammo in my gunsafe for two primary reasons: First, it's packed with guns. Second, the floor drywall is elevated off ground (nice Browning safe) so the weight would crush the drywall at some point.

 

NICE Clean Safe! And a nice collection of rifles.  Why the elevated rack?

[CrosbyStills]

4 hours ago, hipower said:

NICE Clean Safe! And a nice collection of rifles.  Why the elevated rack?

You mean the elevated rifle butts or the handguns?  The handgun rack is up high because underneath it there are barrel-hangers for quick-grab pistols.

The long guns are elevated for two reasons:  

One, to keep the weight of all the guns off the fire-resistant drywall bottom so it doesn't crack and lose efficacy, and;

Two, an extra layer of height in case of flooding or in the case of fire, from massive quantities of water pumped into the house by over-enthusiastic puddle-monkeys (fire-fighters).

Additionally, I keep a golden rod under there for humidity control and I occasionally slide Mrs. CrosbyStill's jewelry box under there when we are travelling.

The Benelli 12ga semi-auto with H&K action is on the safe floor in the corner because it is too long to fit on the elevated shelves.

Edited December 4, 2020 by CrosbyStills

[JunkiCosmonaut]

Best storage solution is to just bury everything in the woods. Just ask @The Big Guy , he knows my process.

[The Big Guy]

1 minute ago, JunkiCosmonaut said:

Best storage solution is to just bury everything in the woods. Just ask @The Big Guy , he knows my process.

I recommend boating accidents. 

[JunkiCosmonaut]

Just now, The Big Guy said:

I recommend boating accidents. 

I call that my "wet locker" 

[No_0ne]

If you can store all your ammo in a safe, you don't have nearly enough ammo ...

[pop pop]

I use Military Ammo Cans and store them in closets in my home. Have some in a safe, but the trick to making ammo last is storing ammo in air tight containers and keeping them in a controlled temperature area. Our home stays from 70 to 73 degrees year round. 

[hipower]

18 hours ago, CrosbyStills said:

You mean the elevated rifle butts or the handguns?  The handgun rack is up high because underneath it there are barrel-hangers for quick-grab pistols.

The long guns are elevated for two reasons:  

One, to keep the weight of all the guns off the fire-resistant drywall bottom so it doesn't crack and lose efficacy, and;

Two, an extra layer of height in case of flooding or in the case of fire, from massive quantities of water pumped into the house by over-enthusiastic puddle-monkeys (fire-fighters).

Additionally, I keep a golden rod under there for humidity control and I occasionally slide Mrs. CrosbyStill's jewelry box under there when we are travelling.

The Benelli 12ga semi-auto with H&K action is on the safe floor in the corner because it is too long to fit on the elevated shelves.

Makes perfect sense now. lol

I solved that problem after our garage was damaged in the flooding of 2010. 

Stacked a layer of foundation blocks underneath and gave the safe a solid base to rest on. So I can pretty much rule out any weight issues in my Browning.

[1gewehr]

If you can get your guns and your ammo in a safe, you don't have enough guns OR ammo!!!

[Ronald_55]

@CrosbyStills

After your safe pics... I now must hate you... 

[Darrell]

I use a big job box to store ammo inside military ammo cans. It'll accommodate a double or even triple depth, and I lock it with two keyed-alike padlocks. Since these things are designed to make it difficult to steal tools, I figure they're pretty good for ammo.  The only trick is deciding which ammo cans go on the bottom layer. I actually drew a map so I can find what I need quickly.

The loaded box weighs well over 500 pounds, so it's unlikely a crook will try to haul the whole thing away. 

Edited December 8, 2020 by Darrell