Cold weather ammo storage

[yellowknifedave]

Howdy.

I remember the fall of 1996 when we blasted off my great grandparents' shotgun shell stash that had been stored in the cottage for 60 years without heat. We did not notice any ill effects of the non-climate controlled storage.

I have always made a point of storing my ammo inside the house. I always had the thought that perhaps condensation with all the below zero temperature fluctuations would affect the way the ammo shot.......

This year, I think that I might be forced to store my ammo in the garage for the winter. I have several hundred rounds of different caliber/gauge ammo for my various firearms, with just the right loads for my scopes etc.

Will outdoor storage of ammo affect its firing properties? I would be interested in your opinions.

Thanks.

YKD

 

[Ganderite]

It will not bother the powder or primers, but it can have a bad effect on brass case neck tension.

I once had a quantity of match ammo left in the unheated part of our Bisley club house go bad over one winter. And it was not all that cold, either.

I have stored match ammo here in Canada in my garage, with no problem. I now prefer to use a unheated room with glass that lets in heat during the day and does not drop below freezing at night.