Storing Ammo in a Humid Environment
- Thread starter Guerre
- Start date
Yes ammo will be damaged if stored in damp/humid conditions unless it is in sealed cans. The fluctuations in temperature in an unheated garage are not good either.
Optimal conditions are cool dry and constant temperature.
fwiw, 44Bore
Optimal conditions are cool dry and constant temperature.
fwiw, 44Bore
Agree on the damp/ humid part however I did at one time have to store quite a bit of ammo and powder in a unheated garage for 7 years.
It was not damp however and had great air circulation. In the end the powder and shotguns shells were like new ,some of the rifle brass tarnished but was still very usable,
gushulak
CGN frequent flyer
Store them in USGI ammo cans, I like the .50cal sized cans the best. Add some dessicant and store it in the basement, probably too much temperature variation in the garage. Cool and dry, ammo stored like this will last a hundred years.
Tsk Tsk... The CFSC says no metal ammo storage containers... LOL Just kidding.. thought we'd all get a chuckle from my sarcasm today!
I know its important to store ammo in "ideal" or as close to as we can conditions. But as an aside, I just fired 350+rds of factory 9mm 147gr fmj WW ammo that had been more or less submerged for as long as 1 year. When i obtained it, it was infactory boxes, in a metal open topped box that had been in a flooded basement. The basement water went down but the water remained in the metal box. I emptied the water out, POURED water out of the styrofoam trays, dried the ammo spread on a towel and fired it off 2 month later. It was black and tarnished. More of an "experiment" than anything. Take good care of your ammo of course, but dont get too carried away.
- Location
- Golden Lake
Some years ago I dropped a hand loaded .270 cartridge in November during the deer hunt. In the early spring, after the snow had melted, walking down the same trail I found that cartridge. I wiped it off, chambered it in my Ruger No 1 and fired it. Bang!
I vacuum pack my "storage" ammo with a Foodsaver and keep it in Fat Max tool boxes that have a water seal and I also put a bag of dessicant in there that I recharge every 4th or 5th time I recharge my safe dessicant packs. Probably way overkill, but it keeps my OCD in check.
Surplus military ammo cans is the way to go.
Not to long ago I found an ammo can from 1998 submerged in a creek/swamp at work. The ammo inside 100%. I don't know how long it was there but it was long enough that the markings on the outside of the can were gone.
Shawn
Not to long ago I found an ammo can from 1998 submerged in a creek/swamp at work. The ammo inside 100%. I don't know how long it was there but it was long enough that the markings on the outside of the can were gone.
Shawn
Chargerguy
CGN frequent flyer
Will Canadian tempurature fluctuations shorten the life of ammunition if stored in an sealed ammo can with desiccant? If so how much?
Cannot answer the question but can honestly say in over 40 years of pulling a trigger and shooting some real old stuff I have never ran into a box of shells that didnot go bang due to long term storage.
I am shooting 16ga today that were bought in the 50's. Also like I said earlier in this post I had a ton of ammo out in a barn for 7 years and it all worked fine.
I know it is important but has anyone honestly ever had to toss old ammo due to storage. I have never heard of anyone but maybe a member has and will chime in.
