I found some older brass ammo that had started to show almost like rust (assuming corrosion) spots on the casings. Been stored in a basement in original boxes in a wooden cabinet for probably a decade. Anyway, im looking to mitigate this going forward... I remember a prior thread on ammo storage, someone mentioned they use a plastic moisture barrier bag inside a metal ammo can. Unfortunately I can't remember the specifics of the bag or find the old thread... Anybody remember. Best I've been able to find are VCI bags cut for ammo cans, but they're $12 each right now. That's a little out of my current budget.
Not sure about the plastic barrier, but you can get those little bags of desiccant and toss a couple into each ammo can. Of course they don't last forever.
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All my long term storage ammo gets unboxed and placed in vacuum sealer plastic bags, vacuum sealed, and then housed in ammo cans. I write the ammo amount on each bag.
Posts: 5256 | Location: Chicago, IL, USA: | Registered: November 17, 2002
Sorry, I have no experience storing ammo long term. I normally shoot the majority of what I have and then load more when I need it. With the exception of 50 BMG, I do not currently load that.
I would be inclined to vacuum seal it a couple times. I think anything that keeps oxygen out will prohibit corrosion.
Paper boxes will absorb moisture from the air and lead to corrosion over time, more so in a higher humidity environment. Humidity will almost always be lower indoors than in someplace like a garage or shed. Of course I have no idea what the humidity might be in Wolfe's basement.
Vacuum sealing should help, especially if you include a couple of desiccant packets. With rifle ammo especially though (pointy bullets), I'd worry about the ammo poking holes in the bags.
A better solution, IMO, would be to get some ammo cans with known good O-rings and dump the ammo into them along with the desiccant packets. Label the outside of the cans so you know what's in them a year later without having to open them to see.
ETA: I recommend using the .30 cal cans. The .50's get really heavy when you fill them up with bullets.
^^^ This is what I do. Surplus or new ammo cans. Desiccant packs are cheap at Amazon; toss a couple in there. I use a stencil to spray the caliber on front top and sides with yellow paint. I use a white wax pencil to mark the count and type on the front of the can (example: 147 gr. FMJ or 124 gr. LRN). It can be wiped off with your hand or a cloth and rewritten if you change anything. It is stored indoors but no corrosion. Outdoor might be a different issue but the military has used cans forever.
Posts: 2715 | Location: Illinois | Registered: July 14, 2010