what are some reliable tips to store ammo for years?

humantorch

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I have read some things on the internet keeping it dry, (using silica packs) and stay away from rapid temp fluctuations. are there any other factors to be aware of?

is there a certain type of silica that works best?

how often do you change the silica?

how much silica do you need?

is it ok to have the safe in the basement as long as there is silica in the safe?

is it better to put the safe upstairs where there is less moisture?
 
Any kind of media that keeps the moisture out works fine. Moisture is the bottom line with long term storage. I know a guy who uses kitty litter and everything stays dry. A dehumidifier going in the hot humid months would be a good idea too.
 
I use two products for my storage. One is the battenfield silica tins. They change color when saturated and when they do you can put them in the oven for a couple hours to reconstitute the absorption capabilities.

They other product I use is pure silica kitty litter. I got this from several youtube users that swear by it. It's much cheaper than buying those smaller packs of silica. All you need to do is create your own packs with dollar store coffee filters and some tape.
 
There's also a type of silica gel sold by amazon. When it turns to a certain color, you can remove and plug it in the wall to try it out, unplug and reuse. It is about $22.00 - will qualify for free shipping if the order is $25 or more.

I also bought an MTM plastic ammo can with a rubber seal - works great.
 
Just keep it cool and dry. No chemicals or machines are required.
Silica in a safe gets expensive and a huge nuisance to replace every 3 or 4 months. Put in a low wattage light bulb(25 watts is fine) and for get about it.
 
You could always just buy an ammo can from Princess Auto. The ammo cans have a rubber gasket and if kept in a cool dark corner should easily keep your ammo fresh for a long long time.
 
Perhaps somebody can weigh in on whether manufacturers package under controlled conditions but of the hundreds of issue SA ammo cans I've opened (from different countries), none had any kind of desicant.

Temp changes could be an issue. Particularily high temps or rapid changes. But I have no idea how soon such factors could cause an issue.
 
Mil stuff has sealed primer pockets. I believe you can do it yourself with nail polish.

Some is also sealed at the neck around the bullet. And yeah some clear nail polish (Or not clear if you wanna easily tell if its been done?) could work to seal things up. That said I have no idea if it would make any difference on primer reliability or pressure due to the bullet being sorta glued in place.

As has been stated, avoiding moisture is the biggest concern, and keeping temperature swings to a minimum is second. Any relatively airtight container, with some form of desiccant (I personally use Dri-Z-Air) will do you well. If you can keep it somewhere like a basement that doesn't change temperature a bunch that would be good too, but if you happen to live in an apartment or something having it sitting in a closet wont hurt it either.

Hell, Im sure Im not the only one whos shooting 1970's 7.62x39... And I pull apart 1970s 7.62x54r to reload 303 as well - over 100 pulled apart, not one has looked funny.
 
Old socks stuffed with rice. Love it. Lol

They sell silica cat litter? I have a cat. I have the wheat cat litter. Wonder if the wheat cat litter would work. It works great for my cat
 
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