How Do You Store Your Ammo

[MDC]

For you volume shooters, if you load 500, 1k, 2k rounds all the same boolit, powder charge etc. Do you buy the flip top plastic boxes, just toss them in an ammo can, peanut butter jars, zip loc bags?
I use the 100 round flip tops for most but they can get spendy. My 556 goes in quart zip locs and in an ammo can.
Let's see what you have

[Rcmaveric]

Lided plastic containers from dollar store when i run oit of plano boxes. Like those little disposable glad containers.

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[D Crockett]

30 cal and 50cal ammo US gov. cans I got a good deal 20 years ago at $3 each and bought a mess of them got a lot of full ones and a lot of empty ones I don't think I will run out any time soon D Crockett

[country gent]

I stacked the rifle ammo in ammo cans with a divider between layers. This worked well for me loading large batches for High Power. My hand gun ammo is stacked in cardboard boxes with dividers between layers. Each divider is numbered as to layer and the load written on it. I have used 8" X 11" X 4" deep boxes for handgun ammo.

[JimB..]

I’ve got a few dozen of the plastic boxes, use them mostly for load development. Bulk stuff goes in 30 and 50 cal ammo cans.

[tazman]

I mostly use 30 and 50 cal ammo cans. I love the seals on the lids. They saved me a lot of ammo a few years go. My basement got 4 feet of water in it that lasted 3 days before I could get to anything and it took longer than that to clear the path to the ammo. My basement had never flooded before in the 40 years I lived there.
When I finally got to the ammo cans all the seals held and the ammo was in great shape.
I have since moved and there is no chance of that happening again so now I use totes and storage bags as well as large cardboard boxes to hold the large runs.

[DSRichert]

Peanut butter jars

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[brewer12345]

30 and 50 cal ammo cans until I run out, then lidded plastic containers that originally held over a hundred dishwasher tabs.

[sigep1764]

Cast projectiles get stored in Gladware containers. Loaded ammo gets thrown in ammo cans, a 1000 to a can. This is for 9mm and 380ACP.

[JBinMN]

Just about anything I can scrounge up.

I use old cardboard ammo boxes, dedicated plastic ammo boxes, tupperware, PB & mayonnaise jars, cookie tins, ziplok style bags, chip dip/sour cream/cottage cheese containers, vacuum packed freezer bags, small cardboard boxes, and ammo cans. All get marked in some way or another with the pertinent data so I know what the rounds are, but I am not picky about what I store them in.
I would love to have more dedicated ammo boxes but they are expensive, IMO, and I use them for load development mostly, like another poster mentioned before.

An "ammo box snob", I am not.
LOL
;)

[Jack Stanley]

Steel ammo cans work the best for me .

Jack

[15meter]

Used the commercial ammo boxes until I decided I had spent the equivalent of a couple of 8 pound kegs of powder on stuff that doesn't go bang. I recycle other peoples ammo boxes now. Not as pretty but the price is right.

[Petrol & Powder]

I went through the normal progression of reloaders [Also known as the five stages of grief :razz:]

First I re-used the factory cardboard boxes (Denial - I don't need to buy any new stuff)

Then I started taping the factory cardboard boxes as they fell apart (Anger - FINE, I'll just use some tape, I'm not buying new boxes !)

Then I purchased those neat little plastic boxes with the flip top lids (Bargaining - OK, if I buy good quality boxes I'll only need to buy them once)

Then I started re-using metal coffee cans (Depression - there's no need to put cartridges in neat little trays, I might as well just dump them in a big cheap container. I'm just going to shoot them all up anyway)


Finally I just gave up and used 30 cal and 50 cal ammo cans ! (Acceptance - No two ways about it, I'm a reloader and I'm just going to use ammo cans !)

[wolf3006]

I use anything I can get my hands on.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I went through the normal progression of reloaders [Also known as the five stages of grief :razz:]

First I re-used the factory cardboard boxes (Denial - I don't need to buy any new stuff)

Then I started taping the factory cardboard boxes as they fell apart (Anger - FINE, I'll just use some tape, I'm not buying new boxes !)

Then I purchased those neat little plastic boxes with the flip top lids (Bargaining - OK, if I buy good quality boxes I'll only need to buy them once)

Then I started re-using metal coffee cans (Depression - there's no need to put cartridges in neat little trays, I might as well just dump them in a big cheap container. I'm just going to shoot them all up anyway)


Finally I just gave up and used 30 cal and 50 cal ammo cans ! (Acceptance - No two ways about it, I'm a reloader and I'm just going to use ammo cans !)

LOL this

[wizofwas]

I went through the normal progression of reloaders [Also known as the five stages of grief :razz:]

First I re-used the factory cardboard boxes (Denial - I don't need to buy any new stuff)

Then I started taping the factory cardboard boxes as they fell apart (Anger - FINE, I'll just use some tape, I'm not buying new boxes !)

Then I purchased those neat little plastic boxes with the flip top lids (Bargaining - OK, if I buy good quality boxes I'll only need to buy them once)

Then I started re-using metal coffee cans (Depression - there's no need to put cartridges in neat little trays, I might as well just dump them in a big cheap container. I'm just going to shoot them all up anyway)


Finally I just gave up and used 30 cal and 50 cal ammo cans ! (Acceptance - No two ways about it, I'm a reloader and I'm just going to use ammo cans !)

You can tell I'm new to reloading, I just entered the depression stage. LOL

[40sand9s]

Like many others when I started I would use scrounged boxes but they started falling apart. I just couldn't justify the cost of buying containers when I was also stockpiling components and getting new equipment. Now I use a combination of ammo cans, and buckets. I have 4-6 hinged containers for each caliber as well but those are used to transport from my buckets to the range, I can't see how it would be cost effective to have all stored in all of these. For shotshells I have a Harbor Freight tool chest and I store them in the large bottom compartment. The drawers are split between each caliber for magazines and the larger ones keep my 3 gun equipment. At Kroger they use white buckets in the bakery for icing which fill up nicely and aren't too heavy to carry just make sure to hold by the bottom not the handle.

[MDC]

I went through the normal progression of reloaders [Also known as the five stages of grief :razz:]

First I re-used the factory cardboard boxes (Denial - I don't need to buy any new stuff)

Then I started taping the factory cardboard boxes as they fell apart (Anger - FINE, I'll just use some tape, I'm not buying new boxes !)

Then I purchased those neat little plastic boxes with the flip top lids (Bargaining - OK, if I buy good quality boxes I'll only need to buy them once)

Then I started re-using metal coffee cans (Depression - there's no need to put cartridges in neat little trays, I might as well just dump them in a big cheap container. I'm just going to shoot them all up anyway)


Finally I just gave up and used 30 cal and 50 cal ammo cans ! (Acceptance - No two ways about it, I'm a reloader and I'm just going to use ammo cans !)

Nailed it!

I'm trying to get organized, my stuff is a mess. I'll probably get a couple of more ammo cans.

[Petrol & Powder]

You can tell I'm new to reloading, I just entered the depression stage. LOL

The Depression stage is thankfully short and cheap.

[Petrol & Powder]

So what eventually happens is you end up with some standard loads that you shoot more than anything else.
Those standard loads will be your high volume stuff. This is generally handgun practice ammo, tactical rifle ammo (if you're into that) and maybe some shotgun shells. The bulk of your reloading and shooting will be centered on these "standard" loads. Therefore the containers for those loads will get recycled more often and trashed sooner than the low volume stuff. (Reloading is REALLY addictive ! )

For example, I have a total of 1 target load for 20 gauge shotgun. It is the same shot size, same shot payload, the same wad, the same powder, etc., that I've used for more than 20 years. I'm NOT changing that load.
I have exactly 2 standard 9mm loads and one of those has been uncharged for 25 years!
That doesn't mean I'm totally dogmatic about reloading, I'm not. It means the BULK of what I reload falls into some long established standard. Typically the progressive press is set for standard loads and the single stages are for small batches or experimentation.

When you have shot and reloaded for years, you will settle on a few standard loads and "Lock Down" the components: powder, OAL, charge weights, etc. You will crank out those "standard loads" to the same formula every time.
BTW; There's some real advantage in that mass consistency.
That doesn't mean you stop loading specific cartridges for some specific guns. Nor does it mean you stop experimenting, within reason.
It does mean that the VAST majority of what you reload will fall into a well defined category.

If you maintain 1000+ rounds of a particular cartridge on hand; there's no need to put each one of those cartridges into a neat little Styrofoam or plastic tray in boxes of 50. They are all loaded with the same powder, the same amount of powder, the same bullet, seated to the same depth, blah, blah, blah.....Just dump them into the SAME ammo can.

There's a fantastic thread this forum that deals with "75,000 wadcutters in a Model 27". That is a prime example of a standard load. In that particular case it happens to be a H&G #50 bullet, 3.5 grains of Bullseye, a W-W wadcutter casing and a WSP primer.

As Pink Floyd would comment, "....just another brick in the wall"

Even if you don't reload and shoot much, having a 30 cal. ammo can full, or nearly full, of your preferred "standard load"; isn't a bad way to store your most commonly used ammo.

[Hairy Dawg]

30 & 50 cal ammo cans here as well. I have accumulated about 50 over the years. I have some 9mm rounds that I loaded 25 years ago that have been stored in ammo cans that look like they were loaded yesterday. I no longer use factory boxes or flip top boxes. Been there, done that. Takes up way too much room & time. I will put rounds in ziplock bags, label them, then store them in the ammo boxes. It also makes it easier when going to the range to just grab a quart size bag to throw in the range bag.

[RED BEAR]

I use 4x4x4 cardboard boxes that way I can put uniform amounts of specific loads so many per box and a stay dry pack. They are pretty cheap from eBay or amazon. Just bought 100 for $23 . they stack great being nice and uniform.

[bangerjim]

50 CAL steel ammo cans only for bulk storage. Water tight! Easy to store. I leave the food / storage containers for the chef.

I take custom hot foil-printed (with my logo) white boxes from Midway to the range. Save boxes and refill for next trip. That way I know how many 50’s I went thru vs the brass casings I come home with. Usually 2-3X more cases than I went with!!!!!!!! Free is good.

[fatelk]

For pistol ammo I've scrounged so many empty commercial boxes out of the dumpster at the range that I have trash bags full of them in the attic. They're also the perfect size, as they fit precisely in a 50 cal size ammo can: 5 rows of 4 boxes for 1000 rounds per can. They fit so perfectly I'd have to say they were made that way.

[Stephen Cohen]

I use the flip top boxes for all my loaded ammo and prepped shells, all boxes are marked with contents using sticky tags. The smallest number of loaded rounds I have is 500 for my 357 Maximum Martini, Have over 2000 loaded for 223. It means a lot of shelves for over a hundred flip tops but I find it the only way to store ammo, each box has a small bag of those silica crystals in it and I suffer no corrosion problems. I Hi-Tek all my cast and store them in the empty plastic powder bottles, that is a lot of bottles when you consider I have 17 moulds I cast from. It is the best way I have found to store ammo and cast bullets. Use clip lock shelving screwed to wall and a few shelves cut from MDF and life is good. I keep a dead lock on the spare room I use and I meet all legal and safety regulation, and of cause a few HAZMAT stickers and I need not worry about big brother. Regard Stephen

[Walter Laich]

my mass reloads are .45 Colt rifle and pistol rounds (they differ in powder charges--can't take recoil like I once could)

I use the 'living hinge' plastic boxes. Lets me know the amount, convenient to transport, a bit weatherproof and once I load the boxes, bullet down, I can do a find check for high and reversed primers (I'm very big on this step)

at any one time probably have 15 50-round boxes loaded. this works well as I can go a couple of months (3 matches per month) if need be without loading and can allow me to process the empty shells through my wet tumbler cleaning process.

I do tire after about 45 minutes of reloading and have learned not to be stupid and 'push' the reloading process

[Grmps]

I eat a lot of Planters honey roasted peanuts that come in square 2-pound plastic bottles. I use them for almost everything 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 6 1/2

https://i.imgur.com/9raUIeN.png

https://i.imgur.com/siyMQdS.png


The repack paper boxes are inexpensive
https://i.imgur.com/dmthSUT.png

https://i.imgur.com/5vgBQXN.png

[trails4u]

Ammo cans for bulk.....mostly .40 and 5.56. Quite a bit stored in magazines as well.

Factory 20-rd boxes, relabeled with load data, for hunting rounds. 30-06, 7mm-08, mostly.

20Rd plastic boxes, with slip on lids for BPCR hunting loads. (43 Spanish/45-70)
50Rd plastic boxes with hinged lids for BPCR target/plinking loads.

I like the 20-rd boxes for hunting....they're easy to pack, and don't rattle.

[Eddie Southgate]

Flip top boxes and ammo cans stacked everywhere .

[TXGunNut]

I use ammo cans for bulk or boxed ammo. I use coffee "cans" for bulk components like brass and boolits. I use flip top boxes for cartridges that I only load 50-100 at a time.

[KrakenFan69]

I did this very same process. lol I'm into stage 6 now where you start all over but rather than projectiles, its how/where to store all the ammo cans!

Kraken Fan #69


I went through the normal progression of reloaders [Also known as the five stages of grief :razz:]

First I re-used the factory cardboard boxes (Denial - I don't need to buy any new stuff)

Then I started taping the factory cardboard boxes as they fell apart (Anger - FINE, I'll just use some tape, I'm not buying new boxes !)

Then I purchased those neat little plastic boxes with the flip top lids (Bargaining - OK, if I buy good quality boxes I'll only need to buy them once)

Then I started re-using metal coffee cans (Depression - there's no need to put cartridges in neat little trays, I might as well just dump them in a big cheap container. I'm just going to shoot them all up anyway)


Finally I just gave up and used 30 cal and 50 cal ammo cans ! (Acceptance - No two ways about it, I'm a reloader and I'm just going to use ammo cans !)

[dverna]

Have to agree with P&P. Most of my loads are "standard" KISS - one load for 9mm, one for .38 but soon to be two, etc Getting rid of calibers I did not shoot very much helped simplify things.

When storing a lot of ammo of one type, the containers should be the same to aid in making the best use of space.

Almost all of my 12 ga shells are stored in 5 gal pails. I will sometimes box the shells before a shoot and put the boxes in dairy crates...but sometimes I just take the pails and box as I need them between events.

Those cardboard boxes that LaserCast sells bullets in are good for bulk pistol ammo. I have the .30 and .50 cal boxes as well but the .50 can get heavy. For matches, I use 100 round plastic boxes for two reasons...one, for a final inspection and two, to keep track of round count.

I do not load more than 40 rounds of .308 hunting ammunition a year so 1-2 50 rd plastic boxes is all I use.

Most serious shooters will shoot a lot of a few loads. Their needs will be different than a serious reloader who may have 20+ molds and calibers. Even though both may shoot the same number of rounds.

[marlin39a]

My bulk 5.56, 9mm, 45ACP, go loose into a 50 cal can. I print out labels, and tape to the cans.

[15meter]

I load for 40-50 different rifle/pistol/shotgun calibers/gauges with multiple different loads in over half of them. Surplus ammo cans would probably bankrupt me��

Recycled ammo boxes from the gun club trash for me. I'm usually the one emptying the waste baskets any way. I suspect that 90+% that shoot @ my club think their mother shoots there and will clean up for them.

When they wear out, I recycle some more.

Think Green!

[HATCH]

I purchased thick zip lock bags from ULINE.
I put 50 rounds per bag and label the outside of the bag with the the weight of the bullet, the powder, the charge, and the date loaded.
I then put them in 30 cal ammo cans
On the outside of the can I put a label with the cal, weight, and quantity.

[Cheeto303]

I pick up all the commercial boxes on the range and separate them by caliber and manufacturer and put reloads in the appropriate boxes and label them. These are then stored in military ammo cans or wooden ammo crates. I live outside Ft. Campbell, Ky and ammo cans are cheap or free if you know the right people.Wink,wink. I have a bahjillion Combloc wood crates (7.62X39,7.62X54r,7.63X25 & 9mm Mak) a local not so bright gunshop just tossed them in the trash. I politely asked if they would set them to the side and I'd pick them up once a week. They were even nice enough to leave the spam can openers and empty spam cans in them also. I sold the openers on ebay for $7.95 ea + $2.00 S&H. The empty spam cans get used for sorting the range brass I pick up in preparation for de-priming and cleaning. I have them in a bookcase I added shelves to that are spaced 6 inches apart and they are labeled by caliber & brass/nickel as appropriate. I also use the empty spam cans for parts cleaning mini solvent tanks. They even set out empty Mosin Nagant and SKS rifle crates that I was more than happy to haul away for them. I stood them up on end and screwed them to the wall and put hasps and padlocks on them. I store the ammo cans in them. I also made a coffee table out of one. If you are wondering,yes I have an awesome wife. She has her own loading bench and I am teaching her how to cast boolits.

[lightman]

I use 50 caliber ammo cans and MTM plastic boxes. Bulk brass gets stored in plastic coffee cans.

[Cheeto303]

Wow Grmps, that sure is purty.

[David2011]

Regardless of the container there will be a note with load info in it. Even standard loads can change over time

[MDC]

Grmps, I've seen those pics before and still wonder, what are the Orange pieces in the 2nd pic? Looks like someone squarshed your circus peanuts.

I went out this evening to clear off a shelf to make room for a couple more ammo cans, but got distracted PCing some boolits trying to find a copper color. Put a pic in the coating section if anyone is interested.

[6bg6ga]

I use zip lock bags to store 300 blk out and 5.56 and I note the quantity on the outside of the bag along with the load used. These re generlly stored in a ammo can either plastic or metal. The 308 go into plastic also and into open top tote pans. The 9mm go into re-purposed coffee cans and into the bullet boxes the raw bullets came in. Generally about anything that is clean and can be marked and stored.

[Beagle333]

Ziplock bags, in big plastic bins.

[lightman]

Wow Grmps, that sure is purty.

Yeah, I think Grmps likes his peanuts! That looks kind of like my brass storage closet except I use plastic coffee cans. Reloaders tend to reuse whatever they have a source for.

[Apocalypse]

Scrounged retail cartons - into 30/50 cal ammo cans with padlocks on them - into derelict chest/bar freezers with padlocks on them - in rooms with deadbolted doors - guns in a safe in a separate room, just to be sure I'm within the law. Living in nanny state Canada is so great, sometimes.