how do you store your boolits?

[par0thead151]

i just made my first batch of boolits. and MAN AM I ADDICTED!
i have enough lead to make many ammo cans worth f 9mm, so i am wondering, is it possible to cast a bunch of boolits and store them for the long term?
eventually i will load them all, but until i have the brass to do so, i would like to store them in 50 cal cans. will i deform the leads over the course of a few years. how about 10, 20? 30?
thanks

[cabezaverde]

Now you are in trouble. You will start collecting containers like coffee cans etc. If you have caster's OCD, they will all have to be similar.

No need to use good 50 cans, use those for loaded ammo. For long term storage, I would give them a dip in strong soapy water to prevent oxidation. If you use LLA, just apply a coat and it will do the same thing.

[454PB]

Sure, you can store them in ammo cans, coffee cans, or even ziplok bags. Just be gentle when moving them and they won't get dinged up.

I'm more particular how they are stored after sizing and lubing. I stack them side by side nose up in a container that both protects them and shields them from dust and dirt. I use the plastic food storage containers for this.

[Tom W.]

I use the boxes that my brass came in... and zip lok bags and plastic boxes and old coffee containers and whatever I can stuff some in.....

[jdgabbard]

Check out the link to the thread in my signature.

[docone31]

I pan lube them, then put them in Chinese Food Containers. I always get large soups and those containers will hold everything I make. I just fill them with my lubed castings, and size when I need to.
I haven't found any detremental anything with storing them that way, except our Bengals fur gets into them. Well, that and everything else. Doesn't seem to hurt. Once that gets into the lube, it stays there.
We do love those anti-social rascals. I guess, not only do they help us cast, lube, etc., they come to the range. At least in stray hairs.
It has been a couple of years for some now, and the lube does not seem to have migrated.

[Paladin 56]

I go all out and pay $1 at the local dollar store for bread pans. They're even made in the USA.

[par0thead151]

so im worrying too much that they will dent with the weight of one on top of another over time?

[crabo]

Whatever I have handy, and I put the loaded 45s in ammo cans. I'm not doing rifles yet, but my pistol stuff goes in ziplock bags with a post-it note which tells me what load. I write the load on the target with the particulars when I change targets.

If I shoot a bunch of loads on the same target, I write the loads on a piece of paper, then transfer it to the target when I bring it back.

[jdgabbard]

so im worrying too much that they will dent with the weight of one on top of another over time?

If you use the patterns that I posted about, they won't dent. The weight is distributed. I use this method so that I have a precise knowledge of how many of what I have. That way I know when I should cast some more. That and I rotate them. That way they age.

[supv26]

All my loaded stuff goes into those green army cans. Right now I have saved some of the boxes that my store bought cast boolits came in so I am using them. Next well be the coffee cans and powdered coffee creamer cans. They even have a handle built in too!

The new plastic paint cans would work great too!

[Jbar4Ranch]

Coffee cans, peanut butter jars (the BIG ones), etc. When I'm getting ready to load a bunch, I lubrisize 'em and stack 'em in electric range burner covers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/jbar4ranch/BulletTrays.jpg

Get the heavy duty ones, or they'll fold on ya when ya pick 'em up.

[looseprojectile]

every imiganable kind of container. You don't want to see a picture of the mess I have on two seven foot long tables in my shop. Mostly steel coffee cans with the lids that snap on. Yuban coffee still comes in a steel can. Label with a felt tip marker. I like to keep out the dirt. Yes, I use zip lock bags also.
Some of you guys are disgustingly neat. I wish I had that kind of ambition.

Life is good

[Dean D.]

I use my old cigar boxes for un-lubed boolits, they stack well and I can label the ends so I know what is in each box. Weight does not seem to cause any deformity but rough handling will cause dings.

I use empty J-word boxes or any smaller stiff cardboard or plastic type box for my lubed and sized boolits. I never seem to keep enough around to fill a cigar box with lubed boolits!!! ROFL

[Dale53]

For years I have used empty cigar boxes and they did well. However, my source dried up and I went "High Tech":mrgreen:. I now go to the Dollar Store and buy appropriately sized plastic kitchen ware. The tight lids are important to keep dust and grit off the lubed bullets. They seem to keep very well. This past year I "liberated" several thousand bullets (sized and lubed) that I had on shelves in the garage for several years. The worked perfectly well. The NRA Alox/Beeswax bullet lube had shrunk just a bit but had NOT dried out. Match accuracy and no leading. That was a pretty good test, I think!

Keep them clean and away from moisture. Plastic kitchen ware with tight lids do this quite well and they only cost about $1.00 each when you buy them in bunches. They will last for many cycles.

I use a label maker to put nice, easy to read labels on the containers. That sure helps when looking for a particular bullet.

Before the winter is over, I'll have 10-15 thousand bullets in storage.

Dale53

[snaggdit]

I agree with looseprojectile. Some of those work areas are WAYYYY to neat. Jbar4Ranch, pretty boolits! I use empty Mr Beer malt extract cans. They come with lids and hold about 200 .40 S&W boolits. More 9mm, less .45. I seem to have an unlimited supply of cans.....Hmmm

[Gunslinger]

When bullets are sized and lubes should you then place them neatly besides each other standing up, or is it okay to just put them in some sort of jar like you do before they are lubed?

[jswaff]

I put my unlubed boolits in plastic coffee cans. The lubed ones go in gallon freezer bags. Never had a problem storing them this way.

[NuJudge]

Acro bins:
http://www.akro-mils.com/industrial/

[Trader Vic]

I store mine in Kraft miracle whip mayo jars, the big ones, clear plastic w/large lids. You can get a pile of boolits in these. Some I lube w/LLA & coat w/powdered mica, easy to handle, put a paper inside w/all the needed info, date, grain wgt, cal, mold #, WW or PB etc. They are nice & neat & store well. Never had a problem w/ the length of time for storage. My wife think I'm a little odd because I save any kind of plastic container w/a tight lid, but it solves the storage problem.

[Tom Herman]

I store mine in plastic cottage cheese containers. Each one holds about 200-250 or so 40+ cal revolver/pistol bullets. Put the lid on, and forget about them. They stack fairly well.
I take care to pour them slowly, which results in a minimum of dings. Once in a while, I get one that has too big a ding on a driving band, and I just remelt those.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[HABCAN]

Ready-use GC'd sized and lubed go in Campbell's soup cans or larger stew cans stored in cubbyholes on the bench. Raw as-cast are kept in stacked plastic bulk tobacco canisters with lids which hold ~1,000 each, all I care to lift at one heave. Everything gets labelled with a Sharpie.

Back in the day I stored finished boolits stacked neatly, base down in containers, but of late the volumes and multiplicity have taken over (thanks to this site!) so I've switched to bulk storage. Most are WD'd therefore pretty hard, but none show dings using this method. Consider how much firing will deform a boolit and stop worrying. Casting of itself certainly CAN be (IS) an addictive pursuit, but this game is about the SHOOTING!

[GabbyM]

One gallon plastic jars from pickles or peppers.
Store my heat treated unsized rifle bullets in these. They'll hold a couple thousand 30 caliber rifle bullets. I place a couple of coffee filters inside to absorb moisture. Don't know if it does any good but it makes me feel swell.

[Shuz]

I use plastic jars and lids that used to hold smokehouse almonds and other treats I get at COSTCO. The plastic jars enable one to see at a glance what boolit style is in the jar as well as whether they are lubed yet etc. Another source of plastic see thru container is the squarish style Tones brand spice jars that used to hold copious quantities of cajun spices and Italian seasonings and such. These are also from COSTCO or World Market.

[Russel Nash]

.30 cal ammo cans from the surplus store or gunshow.

The handles fold flat to the lid. The bottom of the ammo cans have a recess stamped into them so that when they are stacked, they almost lock together like lego blocks.

I kinda splurged and bought some black chalkboard paint. I coated the ends and the tops with the paint. That way I can use a piece of chalk to label what's inside the cans and NOT have to go through the hassle of opening the cans just to peek inside.

I think next time though, that plain ol' flat black spray paint would work just as easily, dry faster and I don't have to worry about washing out a brush.

[Dale53]

I MUCH prefer having the bullets, after lubing, standing in rows in the various rectangular containers with lids (to keep out dust and keep insects from eating the lube, etc if they are stored in the garage).

This way they seem to have less lube going where it is not needed or wanted.

It does take more time but that doesn't bother me. Long term, I believe that I am ahead of the game.

Dale53

[putteral]

Plastic coffee cans and clear plastic containers from Sam's Club. I do like their potatoe salad!

[leadeye]

I use the clear wide mouth PET jars that everything comes in these days.

[Kraschenbirn]

Unsized, unlubed boolits are stored in 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 4" cardboard boxes originally used for shipping small electronic components (resistors, capacitors, diodes, etc)...a friend who worked for an instrument manufacturer gave me fifty or sixty of these several years ago and I've still got most of them.

For finished boolits, I use 5 1/2" x 11" wooden trays which are kept on reinforced shelves in the cabinet where I store my casting equipment/supplies. Trays each hold from 200 to 350 boolits, depending upon caliber.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr217/kraschenbirn/20081220_01.jpg

Stock was down a bit when this picture was taken but full trays are now stacked two or three deep on both shelves.

Bill

[mtgrs737]

I use metal cookie tins that I get at the second hand stores for a quarter for my general shooting boolits or those that I don't care if the lube gets tracked around a bit. I line them with paper towel and fill them up! For my match quality pistol boolits and all rifle boolits I like to use 16mm film reel cans for the pistol boolits and 35mm cans for the rifle boolits. I stand them up so the noses stay clean and perfect the lids keep them clean. I have some that have been stored over 20 years that are still in perfect condition and ready to load, the 50/50 lube is still fine too. I have also bought round cake pans at Wally Mart and Dollar General for double layer storage but you need to make a lid or cover to keep the dust out of the boolits. If you go the film reel can route, don't go too big or they get unstable due to the metal flexing, 400 foot reals in 16mm and 200' to 400' in 35mm, the larger 35mm cans are too flimsy and will dump your pride and joy on the floor. When looking for film cans try to get the flat bottom ones and not the embossed ones, the boolits will sit better in them. Use stick on lables from an office supply store for all the data like caliber, size, alloy, lube, mould and date. Good luck!

[ept000]

I use the Glad plastic food containers from Wal Mart. They stack nice when they are full or empty.

[ciPeterF]

All I can say is "wow".. don't any of you guys store them in brass cases?? :-)

[ept000]

All I can say is "wow".. don't any of you guys store them in brass cases?? :-)

9 hours and 33 minutes. Took longer that I thought! :mrgreen: