You have finally acquired a new gun and stocked up enough ammo.
Considering that your ammo is as important and valuable as your gun, you need to find a good storage space.
Whether you spend a few dollars on a single or several boxes of ammo, you cannot risk wasting the ammo through poor storage means.
Poor ammo storage can render it useless, which translates to wasted money.
While contemplating where to store ammo, you may want to know;
So, Can You Store Ammo In The Garage?
A garage is almost the only storage place in most homesteads, and it can seem ideal for ammo storage. A garage can be a perfect storage space for ammo, but it should be in a cool environment. Additionally, the internal garage space should be dark, dry, and cool. Storing the ammo in a safe or a well-closed cabinet in the garage can be better. Having a dehumidifier in the garage where you keep ammo can help regulate humidity that can otherwise damage the precious ammo.
If you don’t have a garage, you need to ensure you keep ammunition in a dark, dry, and cool place. The conditions are ideal for storing ammo for a long time. Even if you rarely use these ammunitions, you can stock up, keep them in good condition, and still use it years later.
Three Reasons For Storing Ammo In A Dark, Cool, Dry Place
It is good to look at the effects of the opposite conditions to understand why these three conditions are basic for keeping ammo in a pristine state, even after a long time.
These reverse conditions are light, hotness, and wetness.
1. Light
Too much light affects more than just paint, eyes, and skin.
Typically, too much light can damage the surface of ammo and degrade its quality. To mitigate such effects, keep ammo in the dark place.
Ammunition storage boxes can serve you better before moving them to larger storage spaces. UV light speeds up the breaking of seals.
2. Hotness
Extreme temperatures can degrade stored ammo.
Extreme heat interacts with cold; if it manages to enter your storage case, an inevitable and invisible chemical reaction will occur on the ammo.
This reaction can either form an inconsistent layer or corrode the top layer of stored ammo.
Such chemical reactions can easily damage your stored ammo if you live in a coastal region with extreme salinity.
The ideal temperature for storing ammo is 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Wetness
Most ammo is waterproof, but there is a limit for waterproof items.
When ammunitions get to this point, they no longer resist the effects of water. After repeated exposure, the seal is likely to get loose and can fail.
When you keep ammo in a garage, regulate the heat and light and prevent any form of wetness.
When on a mission with extra ammo, try to ensure they are not consistently exposed to conditions that can damage their standard nature.
Six Ammo Storing Tips
The storage conditions contribute to the maintenance or degrading of the ammo shell life. Here are the tips for storing ammo for a long time.
1. Choose The Best Ammo Storage Box
Before deciding on the special room to store ammo, you can purchase an ammo storage box first.
These storage cases must seal properly to prevent elements that might damage your ammo.
You can also use water-resistant heavy-duty plastic ammo bins that can safely keep ammunition for many years.
2. Use A Vacuum Pack To Enhance Freshness
Having a vacuum sealer can help enhance the best conditions for your stored ammo.
You can add silica gel sachets to absorb moisture nearby, or that manages to get into the storage case.
3. Stay Away From Solvents, Oils And Chemicals.
Ammunition is made of metallic covers, and most metals are reactive. Keeping the ammunition near chemicals is risking their integrity.
The chemical solvents can diffuse into the cartridge and cause corrosion. Do not store chemicals and ammunition in general locations to prevent predetermined chemical reactions.
4. Do Not Store In Unsteady Containers
Avoid keeping ammo in areas that experience continuous movements. Areas like a car trunk can be the worst storage space for ammunition.
When the ammunition keeps knocking on each other, they will eventually degrade.
5. Keep Ammo Where You Can Easily Access It
It is important to ensure that your stored ammo does not get into the wrong hands.
To prevent your firearms and ammunition from getting into the wrong hands, you should first store them in a case, then put them in a cabinet, drawer, or safe.
Try to ensure they are secure and can’t be easily identified by privacy Intruders.
However, while keeping the ammunition out of bounds by others, you should ensure that you can easily access them when needed.
This way, you will have prevented accidents that may occur when the ammunition gets in contact with people with bad intentions.
6. Tag And Rotate stored Ammo
When you purchase ammo, start by marking the exact purchase date. It is this date that you will tag on your storage bins.
Knowing the purchase time helps you track the age of the ammunition.
This way, you will know which to use first and which to keep storing.
When storing ammo in the safe, remember to put new ammo at the back and the old ones in front. This way, you will use the old ammo before they get damaged.
Where Else Can You Store Ammo?
Apart from the garage, other places in your home can safely hold your ammo during the storage period. All you need is to provide conducive storage conditions.
How you store ammunition is the greatest determinant of its safety.
If you don’t have a garage or are not comfortable keeping ammo inside the garage, you can try other places, like your bedroom or the basement.
All you need is to keep the ammo in a well-sealed container and keep it inside a closet.
The closet should remain dark and free from any form of moisture. You will also have to regulate the temperatures, so they do not get too extreme.
Adding humid absorbing elements near the storage space can also help maintain the recommended dryness.
If your basement experiences regular flooding, you should control the flooding problem first before you settle for storing ammo in it.
Remember, you did not buy ammo just to destroy it through poor storage.
The arctic may seem conducive for keeping ammo, but the truth is that controlling and maintaining conditions in the arctic can be very challenging.
While it may be very dark, its temperature fluctuates so frequently. Maintaining the expected heat will be quite very hard.
Conclusion
Whether you stock up on ammo for hunting or other safety missions, you will want to keep them safe for the longest time possible.
Provide an ideal storage space and consider the tips above to ensure you still use your ammo even after a long storage period.
