Ammo in Vietnam set out for long periods, some even for years. It was very hot and very humid.

Prescription drugs have expiration dates. The USAF did a study that indicated most drugs were still potent beyond their expiration dates, so they changed their guidelines.
I am certain studies were done on the ammo used by the military. Knowing how things go, a random date in the future was chosen and strict guidelines followed by the troops except when command said otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
How did we store ammo for 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan?

It was cycled through. Meaning, ammo was sent there, then stored, and used in country. As it is consumed more is brought in.

Usually it’s put into magazines, which are dug under ground or a concrete or steel box is made and dirt is pushed over it to protect it from the elements.

Some ammo that is forward positioned is out in the open under netting or stored under shade like at FOBs, but that ammo gets used first.

And any that might be brought back from front line area is slated to be used for training first, due to the exposure to the increased heat.

It’s a giant steaming ball of shit trying to keep up with lot numbers, units that are assigned that ammo, units that transfer ammo to other units, etc

And it can be even more convoluted when a large caliber round is taken out of the ammo cask p/tank it lives in and is stenciled with the lot number, then out into a gun with a buncha other rounds and for some reason doesn’t get shot. The gun system gets downloaded and the round is put back into the cask/tank that may or may not have the same lot number stenciled on the outside….good times


There’s a whole office assigned to it in the Navy, and the CGs ammo falls under them for ammo admin. The MC also reports to NAVORD. Army has their own bureaucracy WRT ammo.

Just for fun, how much ammo are we talking about? Its a fair question to ask. I remember in the ancient past when my father had what I thought was a huge quantity of shotgun shells in his closet. You know like 5 or 7 boxes/partial boxes. And my anti gun mother even said on many occasions "why would anyone need that much!" Yeah, she'd go into cardiac arrest if she saw my basement safe room.

I threw that in because there are probably other reasons the OP is asking. One being an anti gun wife and the other being that he just doesn't know the terrible danger a box of ammo presents. Like none at all.
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So I'll contribute that ammo cans are great. I store my ammo in them, in a concrete room. It even suprised me how little an underground basement room varies. But that matters little because I stored it in the house we tore down for decades. Its not just the current conditions, its the total time spent in bad ones.

Keep in mind that no one I know has ever produced
a gauge that tracks those total hours. Hot, cold, it doesn't much matter. I've read, and believe the crap I hear that American commercial ammo will be good forever. But then I don't live in Hell (or Texas) in the summer.

So can anyone point to a study of how long commercial components, like powder or primers last?

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
So can anyone point to a study of how long commercial components, like powder or primers last?

I know of no studies of this, but I can tell you that I'm still occasionally using powder and primers I bought around 1970 and they all work just fine. They once spent 2-1/2 months outside in Alaska in -40 degree weather and they also spent years in my garage in 125~140 degree temps.

I’ve got WWI .303 British ammo. I don’t believe it was stored indoors for 100 years, but it goes bang with every pull. I also have some 1950s era 8mm Mauser, Romanian I think. It was terrible with misfires, so I pulled some apart and found terrible corrosion on the inside of the brass. The powder was perfect, but the brass scared me it was so bad. I actually pulled down a bunch and ended up reusing the powder and bullets in reformed 30-06 brass.

I don’t think it had anything to do with storage, but with some contaminate during manufacturing, like sizing lube or something. Therefore, like rburg, I believe it has more to do now the ammo was made than anything. Modern ammo is pretty good.

I think storing the ammo in the house would give it the most stable environment over the long term. Good containers like USGI ammo cans is a plus.

SELOGIC, I never said it had to be kept in a safe. I said I keep mine in safes. I do so for security reasons.

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
SELOGIC, I never said it had to be kept in a safe. I said I keep mine in safes. I do so for security reasons.

Well , that's kinda what I'm talking about . I don't understand the logic of wasting valuable space in your safe by using it to store ammo . But , if that's your thing ..ok .

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
US Military ammo cans is what I use

That's my vote too.. I have most of my ammo (14,000+ rounds) stored in them... I also stored a Sig P365 CO pistol in one with a cartridge in it and forgot about it for about 6 months.... when I went to open the container it seems the cartridge had leaked and the lid flew open like a cherry bomb had gone off in it.... those things seal tight even the old WWII ones.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
SELOGIC, I never said it had to be kept in a safe. I said I keep mine in safes. I do so for security reasons.

Well , that's kinda what I'm talking about . I don't understand the logic of wasting valuable space in your safe by using it to store ammo . But , if that's your thing ..ok .

I have multiple safes! So….