Thought I would use this thread to get some input on ammo storage.
I have (or will have shortly) several K of 9mm, and some few .38.
For me, I would prefer to leave the 9mm in the original 50 round boxes. I tried several of the plastic Plano boxes, stored loose. The problem I found with them is that the weight tended to stress the simple latch mechanism. Swinging one mostly full Plano box out of the truck once, it was so heavy, the bottom case broke loose from the top/handle, spilling the contents all over. I had to play 800 round pickup out of a patch of ivy ground cover. Yech.
In terms of length of storage, at my consumption rate, it will be several years before I get to shooting most of it, so I need a system good for 3-5 years.
I will have clean dry space that I plan to use (garage). It is not subject to flooding. I am mulling over options to "lock" it up, but this would be more like a steel upright shelf unit with simple key lock, and not an actual Gun Safe or Residential Security Container. I have appropriate indoor storage for the guns, just not enough room for the ammo (and a larger RSC/Safe is not an affordable option.)
Several questions:
Are sealed containers, even the plastic Plano boxes with the O-ring, necessary and up to the job? I live in Florida, with high humidity virtually year round. I'm assuming even storing in a container (i.e. steel cabinet) a passive desiccant would be a waste of time, due to constant air exchange. Since I plan to leave the ammo in the boxes, I can see "maybe" getting a bunch of the Plano boxes again, but if I don't need to, I can save some money. I would need several dozen of these for what I have in mind.
Are there
any issues in leaving ammo long term (years) in the 50 round storage boxes? This is all new brass-cased ammo from Federal or Speer/CCI.
Would you
wrap the 50 round boxes in plastic saran wrap, maybe in 4 or 5 box units? I notice that ammo from TargetSports USA arrives inside the box that way. I'm guessing they do that to limit motion inside the outer cardboard shipping box during shipment, but I've always wondered if doing that for stored ammo in boxes would help lessen air exchange.
Where I'm currently heading is to source an upright, heavy duty lockable steel two-door cabinet, and stack the ammo within by type/purchase date, on marked shelves, bottom to top, in the garage. I'd place the cabinet on a plinth of some kind to raise it off the deck a bit, and lessen the risk of rust due to accidental water on the floor from e.g. wet car runoff. Or option 1B is to use the same container, just put it in the MBR closet, but The Boss would have to clear this option. I'm generally allowed to do what I want in the garage.
Something like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/30-in-...net-64403.html
Another option is a simple, heavy-duty wire frame roll around four shelf unit; the kind you see associated with food-service, but available at Costco. I could also put this in the garage, or indoors, but there'd not be a "lock" per se, which I'm not real happy about. I would really prefer it be under some kind of lock, even if to keep the honest people out. And potentially visiting grandkids who don't need to be messing with the ammo.
Thanks. I may be overthinking this, but if there's anything I'm missing, or you would suggest, as to options for long term ammo storage, I'd appreciate it.