Long-Term Ammo Storage |
Posted: June 19, 2018 |
Heres the thing about ammunition, it’s slightly fragile. By fragile, I don’t mean it will break when dropped, but it can expire when stored incorrectly. It's not going to go sour like milk, but it can become ineffective. To keep ammo from becoming ineffective, you have to store it properly. If it's not stored properly your ammo’s shelf life will take a serious dive. Any serious shooter keeps a good stockpile of ammunition on hand. I doubt most us buy ammo by the 50 round box. Buying in bulk, from stores like BulkAmmunitionStore.com, has become the norm. It’s just a cheaper route to take. That being said if you don’t take proper care of your ammunition what’s the point of buying bulk? It doesn’t matter if its defensive, hunting, or target ammunition, it needs to be cared for.
The Enemies Ammunition shelf life has three main enemies, the temperature, the sun, and of course moisture. If your target ammunition is exposed to these three elements, you can go ahead and assume it's not going to last very long.
You generally want to store your ammunition in a cool location. Heat itself isn't the threat you need to worry about. Ammo isn't going to explode from daytime even in the hottest of environments. No, the issue comes from extreme temperature changes. If you store ammo in a garage, a shed, or in a vehicle, you can count on it going through some radical changes throughout the day in most locations. From the cool of the morning to the heat of the midday, back to a chilly evening. This happening every day for weeks or months is just asking for trouble. You see, without temperature regulation, you are going to get humidity issues.
Humidity is the real ammunition killer. Moisture, in general, is terrible for ammo. It degrades powder, can create rust and kills ammo. Temperature swings are a great way to introduce moisture to your ammo. It shouldn't be a surprise our next enemy is moisture and you need to store ammo in a dry place.
The last enemy is sunlight or UV light in general. UV rays are quite powerful and over time can degrade your ammo. This takes years but is an issue that should be recognized, so your ammo should be stored in a dark place as well.
How to Beat Them The first thing you need to do is to choose a location that has temperature regulation and stays cool or at least a constant temperature. That will help with moisture, but so will storing ammo in a sealed box. A box with a rubber seal will keep external moisture out. For large cans, some silica gel dehumidifiers are a beautiful thing to have. These things will suck the moisture out of the box and are a cheap investment to protect your ammo. If you are storing your ammo in a sealed case then keeping the ammo in the dark is already covered.
These simple steps will keep your defensive, hunting, and target ammunition alive and useful for years! If you properly store your ammo, it can last for decades. It may never need to last that long, but it's nice knowing it will. Of course, the first step is having ammunition to store. So for all your bulk ammo needs check us out at BulkAmmoStore.com.
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