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Looking for advice on the best way to store large quantities of ammunition. I am considering buying in bulk and having it delivered (probably looking at about 3,000 rounds).

The thing is, it seems like it would be irresponsible to just have that much ammo sitting in my closet. What if the place catches on fire?

Any ideas on ways to safely store a large quantity of ammo without spending a fortune?

Gun safe

A sturdy metal container should do the trick should the gun safe not be available. Last I checked places like Northern Tool and supply sold surplus Army Ammo Boxes. The rounds don't cook off like you see in the movies. They will feel a lot like Nolan Ryan chucking rocks at you. I have this information on the word of a good buddy of mine who is a fire department captain and has been in lots of fires.

I have about 7k stored in the closet. If the house is burning it is the least of my worries. Although with prices going up.....save the plasma or the ammo.....

Don't store large quantities of ammunition in strongly constructed metal containers you've just made one heck of a bomb. Ammo, like smokeless powder, should be stored in a container that has weak walls so in case of a fire it will "pop" rather than explode.

Loose ammo in a fire is not nearly as dangerous in real life as in the movies.

Thanks for all the responses.

Makes sense that it isn't quite as dangerous as it would seem at first glance. After all, when fired, the casing stays stationary and all the force propels the bullet. And the barrel also ensures that all of the gas is used for propulsion where a cookoff would result in a lot of the gas doing very little work towards pushing the projectiles (case and bullet in opposite directions).

The only safe I have is a small one mounted by my bed. I guess I could get a large one - but I would have to promise the wife to fill it with ammo and not more guns!


I might also just go with some surplus .50 cal ammo cans. Any flaws with that idea?

Ammo cans are ok providing you don't pput too many of them in one area.

Sangiovese wrote:Thanks for all the responses.


I might also just go with some surplus .50 cal ammo cans. Any flaws with that idea?

Arent we back to the bomb mentioned before? I have most of mine in the cardboard box it shipped in.

rx9790 wrote:

Sangiovese wrote:Thanks for all the responses.


I might also just go with some surplus .50 cal ammo cans. Any flaws with that idea?

Arent we back to the bomb mentioned before? I have most of mine in the cardboard box it shipped in.

Thats good...

Buying a smaller, UL rated safe, and putting "it" somewhere where you believe the temperatures in any event would not push the rating envelope of that safe to critical mass would be a good lick...Just for this purpose...

Buying, and storing about 3 cases of pretty much any caliber (minus the .50 cal stuff ) doesn't take up that much room...

I would also point out that the discussions on gunsafes (our sticky thread up there) is a great, ongoing discussion on ideas about what type of safe to get, where to put it, and experiences by some very knowledgable people...

Related less to storage safety than storing ammo for maximum longevity (still germane, eh?), here's a link to fairly informative post:
http://survival.com/IVB/index.php?s=0e1 ... entry60663.

BTW, the source URL at the bottom of the post has been moved. The correct link to it is http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscelle.htm.

So I'm confused!! I've got about 4000 rounds (2000 .22LR, 2000 centerfire, mostly pistol / shotgun).

Is this a safety concern in my safe. It's fire rated to 1200 deg for 45 min. How is this a bomb? I figured if it go too hot in the safe, the ammo would possibly start going off, but absent close containment (barrel), it would simply ping the interior of the safe, no harm outside. What is the bomb aspect???

Absence a fire, I can't imagine any danger from ammo in a safe. They stack far more at even Walmart.

What am I missing????

Thanks.

GrillKing wrote:So I'm confused!! I've got about 4000 rounds (2000 .22LR, 2000 centerfire, mostly pistol / shotgun).

Is this a safety concern in my safe. It's fire rated to 1200 deg for 45 min. How is this a bomb? I figured if it go too hot in the safe, the ammo would possibly start going off, but absent close containment (barrel), it would simply ping the interior of the safe, no harm outside. What is the bomb aspect???

Absence a fire, I can't imagine any danger from ammo in a safe. They stack far more at even Walmart.

What am I missing????

Thanks.

Without some way to vent off the pressure that would build up, eventually the safe will blow up.

I store my ammo in the cardboard cases it came packed in or in some plastic ammo cans I buy at Wal Mart or Academy.