Storing lubed bullets in boxes...

[FN in MT]

I am an OCD sort of guy...like all my soldiers in a neat row, stored away proeprly for when they are called to duty.

For my larger, heavier revolver slugs that I tend to store longer I started using cigar boxes to stack the slugs in rows. Some boxes can go two deep, others you can only stand up one deep.

Noticed something the other day with some year old slugs...they were not shiny anymore. Instead coated with a light grey finish...Lead Oxide I assume. Some of it fairly deep almost like the slugs had corroded.

Is this a component of being in an unventilated, mostly closed box? Or a reaction to the Spansih Cedar the boxes are made from?

I've noticed that a few other casters have made trays/boxes and store their slugs the way I do...but these trays are uncovered. Is THAT the key?

Sorry for the long way around to the punchline.

FN in MT

[VHoward]

I just dump my bullets in a small cardboard box and forget about them. Never had that problem. You really stack them neatly? Wow! Talk about OCD.

[ReloaderFred]

Bullets lubed with a soft lube, like 50/50 Alox, are going to have to be stacked neatly in rows, or they become a mess after awhile. That's why most of my bullets are lubed with a hard lube, for storing in bulk.

To keep them from oxidizing, you can spray them with case lube, such as Hornady One Shot. It coats them with a light coating of wax and protects them from the atmosphere.

I've also noticed that bullets stored in plastic boxes don't seem to oxidize at the same rate as those stored in cardboard boxes.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Oreo]

Spanish cedar is meant to help buffer the humidity for the cigars. Its possible the cedar is contributing to your oxidation problem by raising the humidity inside the box.

[runfiverun]

wetness will contribute to the white oxide coating.
stuff i know is gonna sit for a long time i give a spritz of rubbing alcohol and lanolin mixed.

[Lead Fred]

Everyone of mine are dress right dress, in plastic boxes, upside down.

The lube is crimped in thee, and I keep them all in a cool dry place.

Ive got some that are five years old, and no sign of seepage

[8mm]

I use the 50 round plastic trays from commercial ammo boxes discarded at the range. It is less messy with soft lubed boolits sticking together.

[Leslie Sapp]

Storing bullets? I've got two teenagers - most of my bullets are still warm from the mold when they get sent downrange to be "stored" in the berm. I'm gonna start hiding them in mason jars in the backyard.:-)

[dbarnhart]

I'm starting to ramp up production here and the plan is to store the boolits firmly seated in their brass casings with the appropriate amount of powder behind them.

[FN in MT]

Bullets lubed with a soft lube, like 50/50 Alox, are going to have to be stacked neatly in rows, or they become a mess after awhile. That's why most of my bullets are lubed with a hard lube, for storing in bulk.

To keep them from oxidizing, you can spray them with case lube, such as Hornady One Shot. It coats them with a light coating of wax and protects them from the atmosphere.

I've also noticed that bullets stored in plastic boxes don't seem to oxidize at the same rate as those stored in cardboard boxes.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Thanks Fred . I'll try the One shot.

[Dale53]

I have been casting for a very long time (over sixty years). I don't worry about the "dulling" of the bullets.

My bullets are boxed in a combination of cardboard and plastic boxes. I get excellent accuracy, even from bullets that have been boxed for several years. My current lubricant is Lars White Label Carnauba Red.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/BulletBoxes-3722.jpg

Dale53

[WVHunter129]

Dale53 those are some inpressive looking bullets. Can you share what kind of container you have that those stored in?? That is a good storage container. I am using salad dressing and peanut butter plastic jars to store my bullets. I don't lube and size until I am ready to load. But after looking at your storage container, I may just start lubing and stacking! :)

[sliphammer]

Cedar carries tannic acid. It is used to repel bugs . Perhaps the acid might have something to do with increased oxidation?

[LUBEDUDE]

I have been casting for a very long time (over sixty years). I don't worry about the "dulling" of the bullets.

My bullets are boxed in a combination of cardboard and plastic boxes. I get excellent accuracy, even from bullets that have been boxed for several years. My current lubricant is Lars White Label Carnauba Red.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/BulletBoxes-3722.jpg

Dale53

Wow the size of those holes remind me of the ol' "Flying Ashtrays". The Lawman brand of 230 Hp from CCI in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

Awesome

[Dale53]

I have a number of Mihec Cramer Style hollow point moulds. The copy of the RCBS 45-270-SAA is one of them. They are EXTREMELY effective if cast of the right alloy for the task. These are cast of 20/1 lead/tin for velocities that do not exceed 1000 fps. They'll punch an .80 caliber hole through a deer end for end.

The boxes came from my local super market. Unfortunately, they were only available for a short time. I also found a few at the local dollar stores. We have a number of the various "Dollar Stores" in the area. They handle mostly overruns so you have to check them from time to time.

These are, by far, the best bullet boxes I have ever seen. They'll hold about 150 .45 caliber bullets per layer, as I remember. They'll hold three layers of .45 caliber 200 gr SWC's (the H&G #68's). They are very durable and easily handled.


The price was quite reasonable ($2.00-$3.00 a piece).

FWIW
Dale53

[bobthenailer]

I used to stack them all neat in trays when i used soft lubes and did not shoot as much , but since switching to hard lubes about 30 years ago and shooting alot more ! i store them in any size container with a lid that i can get alot of , in plastic or cardboard, i even use alot of 2 1/2 gallon plastic buckets . with hard lubes the lube doesent come off and you can store in bulk
Sometimes in warmer weather i woud put my bullets in the beer fridge for awhile to stiffen up the soft lube to aid in handling when loading the bullets into cases

[LAH]

While you're at it Dale might as well show your mold storage system.

Sometimes I stack bullets till the soft lube hardens a bit.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Loading%20Room%20101/Bullets/41-230-K/DSC02801.jpg

[dbarnhart]

Can you share what kind of container you have that those stored in??

It looks like a Lock & Lock container:

http://www.locknlockplace.com/food-containers/plastic-series-airtight/classic/lock-lock-rectangular-food-container-short-3-3-cup-27-fluid-ounces.html

[Trail Finder]

If my castings looked like those I would frame them. Those hollowpoints look awesome!!! That is why I order colored lube. Just looks sweet.

Would desiccant be a good idea to help with moisture?

[captaint]

I store my boolits similar to Dale's. Never had moisture create any problems. Sometimes, they stay stored for more than a year. As long as the lube stays nice and soft, we're good to go..... enjoy Mike

[W.R.Buchanan]

I use Hillshire Farms lunch meat containers. We go thru 2-3 a week so there is a steady supply.

They are the same general type container as the Glad Plastic containers you can buy at the grocery store.

They are free and the meat is good quality to.

I also store batches of brass in these containers.

I also use the new Kentucky Fried Chicken side order containers, for smaller boolits or smaller quantities.

No need to buy this type of stuff there is plenty of it just laying around. Todays plastic containers are some of the best made containers ever made on this planet, and they come in practically every size and shape imaginable.

Randy

[remshooter]

i just use my empty red plastic folgers coffee cans , already paid for them when bought the coffee , it even has a stay fresh lid, so says the advertizment,... lol. it works good ,even has a hand grip built into it

[1bluehorse]

i just use my empty red plastic folgers coffee cans , already paid for them when bought the coffee , it even has a stay fresh lid, so says the advertizment,... lol. it works good ,even has a hand grip built into it

Yep, me too, I use a 50/50 soft mix and my bullets are all neatly dumped in from the bullet catcher under the lube press, close lid and store under bench. Yes I occasionally get a little lube on my fingers when I pick them out of the container to load, but I've found that a little soap and water takes care of that problem. :p

[sleeper1428]

I've been storing sized and lubed boolits for over 25 years and early on I learned that if you tumble your lubed boolits, 50 or so at a time, with a small amount of micro fine powdered mica (the dry lube that is used to lube rifle case necks prior to resizing) you'll pretty much eliminate the problem of lube becoming 'sticky' and clumping the boolits together. Right now I'm reloading some 357 mag cases with boolits that I cast in the late 1980's, lubed and sized, powdered as described above and have kept stored in 4" square cardboard boxes, 500 per box, since that time. I've found virtually no 'stickiness' between the loose boolits and the lube, 50/50 Alox/Beeswax, appears to be intact and still filling the grooves completely.

This dry lube used to be sold by Midway under their own brand name but it appears that now they carry only the Frankford Arsenal Fine Powdered Mica which is probably the same stuff. To give you an idea of how little it takes, back when I started using it I bought two cans of the stuff and I still haven't used up the first can! And I do a fair amount of casting and I use the stuff on ALL my cast boolits. So a little goes a long, long way.

As the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat and this is just the way I do it. It saves me the time of stacking all those boolits and the cost of purchasing containers to hold the stacks of boolits but that doesn't mean that it's any better than the way others take care of the same job.

sleeper1428

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A good source of boxes for bullet storage is the rectangular plastic boxes sold for elementary school students to keep their pencils and pens in. They are 5" x 8" x 2"D approximately, usually will hold two layers of pistol bullets (sometimes three), neatly aligned and stacked & have a hinged lid. Come in various colors and are very low in price. Also stack well and are air tight. LLS

[dragon813gt]

It appears that I'm the only one that stores bullets in ammo cans. I don't have a lot sitting around. I prefer to load them as soon as possible since bullets are worthless by themselves.


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[TJF1]

Dollar store in okla. Carries the same box.
Terry

[6bg6ga]

I use empty coffee cans clean of course.

[Inkman]

I store my boolits in the leftover boxes from bullet manufacturers such as Bear Creek and Berrys. I just have my friends who don't cast, save em for me. Seems to work fine and they are FREE lol.

Al

[quasi]

I use empty coffee cans clean of course.

me too.

[geargnasher]

I use cigar boxes and layer them between heavy, waxed cardstock used for automotive gasket package backers. To prevent corrosion, each layer gets a spritz with "wet" silicone spray lube.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28901&d=1296091775

Gear

[beex215]

my 9mm boolits are just thrown in a shoe box. i have 12g slugs in another box. 40sw are just lying on top of a bag in the open.

[JASON50CAL]

I use whatever i have available like coffe cans, those lunch meat containers, cool whip containers, and some in cardboard boxes, but my bullets don't usually get lubed till im ready to load them.