Storage, organization and stockpiling. How do you do it?

[Guest FIST]

Just curious as to how others do it.

I keep 99% of ammo stored in a tough box, locked. The box has a seal for moisture and then within the box I keep one of those damp rid buckets from Lowes. Never had any problems with that setup, but I have been looking at some other options.

The rounds are separated in two groups, "Range" and "SHTF"

Range is anything from ball, reloads, mixed brass (anything that is not still in a box, I'm sorta OCD like that) and steel cased ammo. I try and shoot the older ammo first and work my way through. The problem is that I always end up feeling like I never have enough but I suppose that's normal.

SHTF ammo is kept to newer ammo in the particular load and brand that I've found to provide the best value and performance. No real plan on when to use the rounds but will eventually rotate them out to be fired for general range use.

The dilemma I have is how much to keep on hand. I vividly remember looking at a 1,000 round case of 5.56 10 years ago and saying "I'll never pay 150 for that." If I only knew then what I know now. :surrender:With that being said I tend to limit how much I fire, partially due to the fact I can't afford to purchase a 1,000 rounds just because and partially because I don't tend to panic and rush to purchase either.

So like the title says, how do you store your ammo, do you rotate it, keep to a certain load, brand etc.. and how many rounds on hand gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling.

[Guest canebreaker]

I don't buy ammo unless I get a good deal. 95% of what I have is reloads. They are stored in ammo cans or plastic shoe boxes, with a few silica packs in the containers. I pick them up when I take the girlfriend shoe shopping.

Rotate? heck, I grab what I want to shoot and go with it.

[BigK]

As far as reloads go...I try to keep 500 rounds of 9mm Lugers ahead of my shooting pace. Likewise, I keep 200 9mm Makarovs on hand. I just keep these in 100 ct MTM boxes, since I rotate through this stock at least once per month.

When it comes to store bought...I panic when I open the last 550 round box of Federal 22's. There's always at least a box or 2 of .32 ACPs and .380s in my ammo cabinet along with a couple hundred 12 and 20 gauge shells.

My wife thinks this is too much...I wish she realized how much others keep on hand, so she'd get off my back about spending so much time in the garage reloading.

[nightrunner]

Ive never had the feeling that I had "enough" ammo on hand. YMMV

[Guest canebreaker]

To many noisey people. I won't tell what I have stored like some.

uses guys do that alot.

[Guest FIST]

To many noisey people. I won't tell what I have stored like some.

uses guys do that alot.

It's not really what or how much but more of "what's your technique"

[Guest canebreaker]

You're right, BUT don't tell everything/anything.

[Mike.357]

Ammo is seperated by caliber inside of surplus ammo cans. I store it in a basement closet

that touches no outside walls. Condensation is no issue really because of the location.

I try to rotate what i am shooting but i dunno if it really matters. Some of the centerfire ammo is fifty years old and still shoots fine. I do try harder to shoot the older rimfire first though.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I do like Mike.357. Ammo sorted by caliber and brand when appropriate, in 50 cal ammo cans. I have a few of those cabelas plastic equivalents, which are about the same size and shape of a 50 cal steel ammo can. Have seen the same plastic ones at sportsmans warehouse and academy sports. Sometimes cabelas has ammo specials where they ship the ammo in one of their plastic ammo cans, which is how I got mine.

The plastic ammo cans appear well-sealed against weather and most likely would float except if they were full of ammo. Probably as good as anything for keeping ammo from corroding, sitting on a shelf in the basement. But I don't think the plastic ones are strong enough to fill up with ammo and then tote around. I believe a plastic ammo can full of ammo is so heavy that it would break if you used it to tote ammo around, and I'm careful to pick em up by both the top and bottom when full. That much weight feels like it could snatch off the plastic lid or plastic handle pretty easy. The surplus 50 cal steel cans are lots better.

Something that really is worth the money to me-- A Brother P-touch electronic labeler. The one I got on sale didn't hardly cost anything. Staples is usually where I find replacement rolls of labels. They probably make better more expensive models but mine has worked great for years. My handwriting is so bad that I can't even read it. Those thin plastic labels generally stick real good and stay readable a long time. For many years I was penny wise and pound foolish. Rather than spend a few bucks on a labeler, I kept 8.5X11.5 crack'n'peel printer paper and would make labels in the laser printer then cut them out with the paper cutter or scissors. But that is really stupid for one-off labels, though good for mass-producing lots of the same kind of label. I didn't think a dedicated little battery powered labeler would be useful, but was wrong.

There are only a few hundred rounds of self-defense ammo, which stays in the safe but I don't have any particular reason for keeping it in the safe. Some ammo sits on shelves if I plan to use it sometime soon.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Lester Weevils

[Mike.357]

I use blue painters masking tape and a sharpie to mark my cans.

the tape is cheap and a roll lasts a long time. And it stays put until you want to peal it off.

all i write on the tape is the caliber. One can is marked range and that can has a variety of calibers in it.

[Glock30]

I prefer 30 caliber ammo cans. Have some 50 cals coming.

After I put whatever contents I wanted in the ammo cans, I used white electrical tape as the writing surface and noted the contents (caliber, headstamp, if any, manufacturer, etc). I'll probably use a different (and less frequently used) color, such as yellow, to note a different caliber or some noteworthy difference.

[hipower]

Storage--

Ammo cans for bulk storage, and a hazmat cabinet for range and short-term storage. Cabinet arranged by caliber and what I shoot most is the easiest to access.

Quantity--

Not enough.

[1gewehr]

Surplus ammo is in their original sealed cases.

Newer factory ammo is sorted by caliber and stored in USGI .50 steel ammo cans with a label on the front opening handle. The newer plastic 25mm cans are also nice.

Reloads are in boxes or inserts packed in 5-gallon hard plastic kitty litter buckets. Buckets are labelled.

The two biggest problems for ammo storage are heat and moisture. Don't store ammo in hot sheds or garages. If you have a cool, but damp place for storage, use sealed plastic containers.

A tip is to not to seal containers on a hot, humid day. The less air, the better as ALL air has moisture in it, even on a dry day. Using the silica packets is always a good idea as it draws moisture from the air.

[Jonnin]

I have a big box full of defense ammo for the grab & go calibers --- 9mm, 44, 223, 45, a few others.

My long term reloading supplies are just stowed around my press area, where they will be used. If I have to leave, I will have to take a moment to pack that stuff, so be it.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

If all the ammo was in one big storage trunk, to bug out one might need a fork lift to move it!

Edited April 20, 2012 by Lester Weevils

[gjohnsoniv]

I keep shot shells in fifty cal ammo cans, same goes for the other calibers as well. Though I do have a MK19 ammo can where I keep a decent assortment of the ammo for range/grab and go purposes. Those 40mm ammo cans really can hold a lot of ammo.

[Motasyco]

My ammo is in various places. Most of secured by lock and key. I guess all of it secured if you consider locking the house secured. Like my eggs, I don't put all my ammo in one basket. I figure that if the shtf, I can use it to barter. If you won't barter, I can give you some bullets for free.

[broylz]

i keep my brass in kitty litter buckets. SHTF good ammo is stored in .30cal ammo cans for each pistol, .50cal ammo cans for each rifle, except 22lr - 3500 in a .30cal can is heavy enough, shotgun gets a few different cans seperated by ammo type and bulk pack skeet loads are left in the factory box and stacked on a shelf. my good ammo in cans is stored in the bottom of my safe. other cans of reloads for training and competitions are stacked under my desk i use as a reloading table. components are stored in the upper shelves.

might seperate several types of ammo for each gun in a .50 can so if i have to grab and go quickly, i can have pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo if only in smaller amounts.

[Guest canebreaker]

I pick up the white shipping boxes at the post office for storing brass and other components. From an 6x6x6 to one large enough for a comforter set with pillows. Being white, they add light to the room. The plastic shoe boxes at wally's will hold 500 rounds in trays for 38s 357s and 9m. 2 of them will fit in my bag, makes for a couple of hours of fun at the range. They make good work trays for priming cases while watching tv. Finished rounds are stored in ammo cans, labeled and stacked in gun safes. Silica packs go in all containers of brass and rounds. Damp Rid cups are in the safes and in different places in the room. Since only 1 cup comes in the package of Damp Rid, I use containers like cottage cheese or dip for more.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I use a lot of those "semi disposable" rubbermaid tupperware containers for brass in various stages of storage, tumbled, deprimed, primed, etc. And anything else recycled and durable, coffee cans, plastic peanut butter jars and instant coffee jars that seem the exact same thing, the "jumbo" screw-top clear plastic containers that peanuts and cashews come in, the big cylindrical wet wipe plastic containers. Am about to get all my dillon 100 rd plastic ammo boxes filled up and ought to save old cardboard-and-plastic commercial ammo boxes but that is on the verge of being a pack rat even in my estimation, and I'm a pretty bad pack-rat. Am thinking that the plastic peanut butter jars might be a good place for excess practice ammo reloads rather than buy more dillon ammo boxes. Coffee can would work fine, but the lid stays on a peanut butter jar better.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Lester Weevils

[gregintenn]

I brought home this old cabinet from the office. They were going to throw it away, as we got a new office with new furniture. It makes a pretty good ammo magazine.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

:bow:

Greg! Dude! Zombies best not darken your door!

[Sheepdog]

Steel ammo cans, sorted by caliber (and as much as possible, by brand). Color coded with duct tape (.45 orange, .40 yellow, 9mm green, etc), with specifics written in Sharpie on the tape (i.e., 3000-rds, Federal .22LR 36gr HP).

Alternatively, ammo is dumped into mylar bags with a silica gel packet, heat sealed, and stuffed into sections of 4"-diameter PVC pipe, capped and cemented on both ends, and stored...elsewhere. For the record, a field-stripped Glock 19 will fit perfectly into a 4"-diameter PVC pipe.

[Guest canebreaker]

I know a guy that goes by sheepdog from another website. Fishing