Ammo storage...contained or loose?? [emoji848][emoji848]

[bigdlebowski22]

I started reloading several years back (had to call it quits for a while till now) and I stored my reloaded bullets in containers (mostly MTM boxes) for safekeeping. Now that I'm getting back into it and expanding further than I used to do I need more storage. I dunno what the prices were before for ammo boxes & cases alike and whether or not some of the prices are good now. My curiosity is not just getting some more boxes or cases but if it worth doing so or are there better options? For instance, I have never loose stored unless it was fired brass & all that, and I was always storing loaded ammo in my MTM cases in the past. I know ppl who reload do a lot of loose storage but I dunno if it's good or not and the internet is giving me a lot of mixed feelers so that's why I'm here today. What do ya'll think? Keep on the boxes/cases path, is loose storage the way to go, or maybe there's other options I don't know about. I wanna hear ya'lls two cents on the matter to add to my own research. Thanks in advance for any info, suggestions, tips, or etc!!

-Big D

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[bradbn4]

For reloads I go with the MTM boxes; and often store those within ammo cans with intact seals.
I have in the past stored bulk 22lr in old mason jars to keep them dry.

If I ever want to sell my old ammo, only ones in factory fresh boxes will hit the market. I find it best to re-pack this ammo in nice ammo cans as the best way for long term storage.

Sometimes I will load up my MTM boxes with fresh ammo, but I rip off the tag from the box and put it inside the case. I mostly do this when I am going out shooting at the range.

[bigdlebowski22]

For reloads I go with the MTM boxes; and often store those within ammo cans with intact seals.
I have in the past stored bulk 22lr in old mason jars to keep them dry.

If I ever want to sell my old ammo, only ones in factory fresh boxes will hit the market. I find it best to re-pack this ammo in nice ammo cans as the best way for long term storage.

Sometimes I will load up my MTM boxes with fresh ammo, but I rip off the tag from the box and put it inside the case. I mostly do this when I am going out shooting at the range.So it's a better idea not to loose store reloads then?

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[brutal]

Based on your typing style, I'd say you're a good candidate for bulk storage.

[bradbn4]

So it's a better idea not to loose store reloads then?

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I would not store lose rounds; but that just might be habit speaking. If they are in a MTM box; you put a label on said box so you know that you are shooting 9mm 115 grain versus 9mm 124 - or the ammo is defense rounds and should not be used for just blasting at the range. The MTM boxes stack well; easy to carry in a range bag and when you want to shoot 100 rounds it is easy to count out.

If you shoot lead ammo, not jacketed, the box will keep the bullet from getting beat up.
If I am shooting at the range, storing spent brass back into the box lets me double check that I policed my area and sorted the brass by caliber.

I do have some ammo stored in heavy sealed bags that I picked up years ago. By heavy bags, stuff you will not be able to tear open with just your teeth.
And for grins and giggles; I have a few 100 round boxes of ammo tins that are sealed up. I bought sealed ammo to be stored in an out building / un-heated cabin.
The only thing I had to make sure to have near the ammo was a can opener.

Now for the real ammo hound; they will have 200 round battle packs, maybe crates with spam cans full of corrosive ammo. After opening those containers I would still one to keep the ammo sorted or re-boxed.

[bigdlebowski22]

Based on your typing style, I'd say you're a good candidate for bulk storage.I am working on some bulk yes. I just wanna make sure I'm covering my bases while remaining safe especially in storage. Even though loose storage allows larger amounts to be stored closely together, container storage is safer. Much more accurate on counts too haha [emoji38] but I digress. I know factory loaded is loose packed all the time but I am concerned about precautions due to a larger bulk of reloads. I SERIOUSLY doubt I'm doing any different in quality (besides reused brass) over the manufacturers make as I tend to over-perfect my own setup & methods even going as far to double check my powder loads every 10th fill. Over the top? Ya prob but it's just personal safety habits as well as never being personally taught. In the beginning it was definitely touch and go but the data I got from my testing closely matched data I used from trusted sources in reloading including Hornady, Lyman, and Nosler. I personally prefer Richard Lee's Modern Reloading as I feel it compiles a very accurate data that also checks closely on other's data. Now, I could be wrong about that but thus far from what I've self-learned and experienced definitely swayed my preferences as such. But that's a big reason I'm here trying to dig up a few gems that could help sway my preferences a little further as well as adding a bit of knowledge in the mix. I also get new ppl to talk to on here and hopefully I'll make a few friends here after a while. [emoji41] haha but ya any thoughts on this thread are greatly appreciated.

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[bigdlebowski22]

I would not store lose rounds; but that just might be habit speaking. If they are in a MTM box; you put a label on said box so you know that you are shooting 9mm 115 grain versus 9mm 124 - or the ammo is defense rounds and should not be used for just blasting at the range. The MTM boxes stack well; easy to carry in a range bag and when you want to shoot 100 rounds it is easy to count out.

If you shoot lead ammo, not jacketed, the box will keep the bullet from getting beat up.
If I am shooting at the range, storing spent brass back into the box lets me double check that I policed my area and sorted the brass by caliber.

I do have some ammo stored in heavy sealed bags that I picked up years ago. By heavy bags, stuff you will not be able to tear open with just your teeth.
And for grins and giggles; I have a few 100 round boxes of ammo tins that are sealed up. I bought sealed ammo to be stored in an out building / un-heated cabin.
The only thing I had to make sure to have near the ammo was a can opener.

Now for the real ammo hound; they will have 200 round battle packs, maybe crates with spam cans full of corrosive ammo. After opening those containers I would still one to keep the ammo sorted or re-boxed.See, this right here is FANTASTIC info!! You literally confirm the way I have preferred it since I started but looking at prices, products, and the million other choices I got a little flustered today looking at it all so I figured I'll stop the car, ask around for directions, absorb all the info, mull it all around, then get back in the car and take off again. So thank you much for that input!

I do have a follow-up for ya...why do you prefer not to store reloads loosely? What about it rubs ya the wrong way so to speak? I'm curious as to personal reasoning as well so I can compile that info together for a better personal SOP. Great stuff sir and thanks again for the input! [emoji106][emoji106]

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[rondog]

IMO, there's not really a "right" or "wrong" way, just whatever way works best for YOU! I have a big shelf rack full of ammo cans, .30/.50/fat .50/20mm. Some have loose rounds (.22lr, by mfg.), most full of boxed rounds, some full of loaded stripper clips, some full of loaded magazines, some full of stacked M1 enbloc clips, some full of cotton bandoliers loaded w/M1 enblocs.

Bottom line - whatever's easiest to store and move around for you. I wouldn't recommend filling a 20mm can with 9mm rounds though.....

[bigdlebowski22]

IMO, there's not really a "right" or "wrong" way, just whatever way works best for YOU! I have a big shelf rack full of ammo cans, .30/.50/fat .50/20mm. Some have loose rounds (.22lr, by mfg.), most full of boxed rounds, some full of loaded stripper clips, some full of loaded magazines, some full of stacked M1 enbloc clips, some full of cotton bandoliers loaded w/M1 enblocs.

Bottom line - whatever's easiest to store and move around for you. I wouldn't recommend filling a 20mm can with 9mm rounds though.....

That's generally how I feel about. That's another reason I'm asking about it and compiling the info I get to make the best decision for myself. I figured I would keep the .22lr loose like it already is but my other cals I wanted to see if it's best to pack it loose considering the bulkiness or rather be safe and get good ammo boxes and cases all the way around for safety precautions.

May I ask "why not?" on filling up a can with 9mm?

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[sampson]

I'm guessing because it'd be too heavy.
20mm looks very big.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211008/8226fa4e3f3efc715e1a300509034589.jpg

[Irving]

I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't want to dump loose ammo into a can, but that's just because I've never had an issue with doing that for 9mm and .40.

[bigdlebowski22]

I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't want to dump loose ammo into a can, but that's just because I've never had an issue with doing that for 9mm and .40.What about .223, .300, .308, 7.62, and so on?

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[rondog]

If you're cranking out hundreds/thousands of the same load for range or SHTF use, shouldn't be any harm in filling up steel USGI ammo cans with loose rounds of any kind. Would be the best way to store the largest amount in the smallest space. Just remember, the bigger the can, the heavier that sumbitch will be! Yes, a 20mm can full of 9mm - would take 2 men and 1 boy to move it.

I have a dozen .30 cal cans full of 1lb lead ingots, those pigs are 70lbs apiece! Yeah, bottom shelf items, they are.....

[bradbn4]

See, this right here is FANTASTIC info!! You literally confirm the way I have preferred it since I started but looking at prices, products, and the million other choices I got a little flustered today looking at it all so I figured I'll stop the car, ask around for directions, absorb all the info, mull it all around, then get back in the car and take off again. So thank you much for that input!

I do have a follow-up for ya...why do you prefer not to store reloads loosely? What about it rubs ya the wrong way so to speak? I'm curious as to personal reasoning as well so I can compile that info together for a better personal SOP. Great stuff sir and thanks again for the input! [emoji106][emoji106]

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Simple answer: It keeps things organized, easy to transport, and store & organize at home. Sometimes the crimp might be as good as factory and every so often one round would decide to drop the bullet and I would have a mess. My solution to that was to stop reloading 9mm without annealing the brass. Also an additional issue might be the confusion between 380, 9mm, and 9mm mak. While I don't reload 380 or 9mm mak, those are real easy rounds to mistake at a glance with normal 9mm.

For competition, I would have specific loads with different bullet weights, different powders. So it is real hard to tell the difference between lets say a 185 grain SWC with 3 grains of bullseye versus 200 SWC with 4.2. Well; you can tell, but only after lighting one off. My reloads were used for training, and my goal was always to run no less than 100 rounds out of the 45. And depending on the range, I would make sure I only took my brass home... So I needed this load for shooting holes in paper, that one to qualify for major caliber for combat class and that other one to hit bowling pins when shooting in that group.

For transportation impacts...I did have some 223 lead bullets that I picked up when I first starting shooting that round. I found out fast if those rounds were not secure in a good box they got beat up bad to the point I would not want to shoot them. I picked up the bullets as varmint style for shooting out of a single shot pistol. Once I shot a few from said pistol; I figure I had a better chance at burning the critters alive due to the flames of said pistol.

Now if I shot real long distance stuff, I would be capturing all the brass in the container I shot from. I would do this so I could also keep track of the number of times I fired that brass. Clean a batch, weigh the brass, sort the brass into groups (boxes) then when I hand load the ammo in the single stage I would use the box as a loading tray.

When reloading, OCD is your friend on keeping yourself safe.




If you go bulk ammo, do it right, don't go small...

87864


[ROFL1]

[Great-Kazoo]

Reloaded rounds, meet a 30 cal ammo can. For my own needs, storing ammo in mtm, or other ammo "boxes" is too space consuming.

However when i do load testing, those rounds are in a mtm style box. This lets me keep track of what's what. I also write on the brass what the powder weight is. Once an accurate load is worked up. In to the ammo cans they go.


Other reason i don't use those ammo boxes to store ammo is......................................too organized for me.

[powerstroke79]

Some things I do it alway date my reloads. Even know the data is all the same I Date all my reloads. This way if I have a problem, I can identify that lot of rounds. So I will load 250-500 then through them in a ziplock bag with a data tag with a date on it. Then they go into a .50 can. This save the time of having to pull alot of rounds if I run into a problem.

[bigdlebowski22]

^^^^^GREAT IDEA!!!

Thank you all for your input so far. Most of what ya'll said has been common practice for myself but I learned a bunch of cool little nuggets too..thank all ya'll for that!

-Big D

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[Hoser]

Shotgun ammo goes in 5 gallon buckets or 20mm ammo cans for storage. Range trip are 30 or 50 cal ammo cans.

Bulk blasting ammo goes in 40mm or 50 cal cans.

Long range precision or hunting ammo goes in MTM boxes.

https://i.imgur.com/G38YUcP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pLDPwRT.jpg

[bigdlebowski22]

Simple answer: It keeps things organized, easy to transport, and store & organize at home. Sometimes the crimp might be as good as factory and every so often one round would decide to drop the bullet and I would have a mess. My solution to that was to stop reloading 9mm without annealing the brass. Also an additional issue might be the confusion between 380, 9mm, and 9mm mak. While I don't reload 380 or 9mm mak, those are real easy rounds to mistake at a glance with normal 9mm.

For competition, I would have specific loads with different bullet weights, different powders. So it is real hard to tell the difference between lets say a 185 grain SWC with 3 grains of bullseye versus 200 SWC with 4.2. Well; you can tell, but only after lighting one off. My reloads were used for training, and my goal was always to run no less than 100 rounds out of the 45. And depending on the range, I would make sure I only took my brass home... So I needed this load for shooting holes in paper, that one to qualify for major caliber for combat class and that other one to hit bowling pins when shooting in that group.

For transportation impacts...I did have some 223 lead bullets that I picked up when I first starting shooting that round. I found out fast if those rounds were not secure in a good box they got beat up bad to the point I would not want to shoot them. I picked up the bullets as varmint style for shooting out of a single shot pistol. Once I shot a few from said pistol; I figure I had a better chance at burning the critters alive due to the flames of said pistol.

Now if I shot real long distance stuff, I would be capturing all the brass in the container I shot from. I would do this so I could also keep track of the number of times I fired that brass. Clean a batch, weigh the brass, sort the brass into groups (boxes) then when I hand load the ammo in the single stage I would use the box as a loading tray.

When reloading, OCD is your friend on keeping yourself safe.




If you go bulk ammo, do it right, don't go small...

87864


[ROFL1]Can I ask ..what is your personal annealing process sir? I don't think I have heated my brass before.

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[whitewalrus]

Shotgun ammo goes in 5 gallon buckets or 20mm ammo cans for storage. Range trip are 30 or 50 cal ammo cans.

Bulk blasting ammo goes in 40mm or 50 cal cans.

Long range precision or hunting ammo goes in MTM boxes.

https://i.imgur.com/G38YUcP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pLDPwRT.jpg

I do similar except I use more plastic ammo bins. Harbor freight ones are cheap and good as long as you don?t put too much weight in them.

MTM ammo boxes are my go to for hunting loads or anything special. Also use them when working up loads. If your brass is expensive, having it in boxes you can make sure you got every one you shot before leaving.


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[bigdlebowski22]

I do similar except I use more plastic ammo bins. Harbor freight ones are cheap and good as long as you don?t put too much weight in them.

MTM ammo boxes are my go to for hunting loads or anything special. Also use them when working up loads. If your brass is expensive, having it in boxes you can make sure you got every one you shot before leaving.


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Duct tape reinforcement on the outside can increase your load cap. I actually use bridge engineering techniques to maximize the surface load of containers I use. I appreciate you saying you get containers from Harbor Freight though haha I never thought about using theirs and I have a members card with em so win win haha thanks!

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