When I was still in the Marines I found four cans of belted M-60 ammo submerged in a muddy creek while hiking around the base on my own time. They had been there for a long time too. Unfortunately troops in the field have a habit of jettisoning extra ammo after the exercise is over to avoid having to hump it back then wait in a long line to turn it back in. The cans were rusted all the way around but after I got them open all the ammo was still dry. I just stashed them in the bushes then came back later with a shooting buddy in his 4X4, picked them up, smuggled them out to town to the garage I was renting and we had some .308 pop off the next trip to the desert.
@@mr.noneyabidness Lots of stuff isn’t made to last anymore, so what’s wrong with being relieved that these cans hold up? Pretty sure that’s the point of this video. Your channel says “support of the second amendment isn’t a crime”, so why you coming at me?
My dad usually puts his reloads in lots of 50 or 100 in the food saver vacuum bags before he puts them in cans. Seems to work well. Looks like those old fellas worked as intended.
I vacuume seal any and all ammo that I know I won't be using for 3 months or more.....then stuff it all in cans stacked up in my gun room/mancave....I live in northern New york on a lake so we have alot of moisture In the humidity in the summers and alot of hot 80 to100 degrees days all summer and Temps as low as 40ish below in the winter....and I've never had a n issue
Those ammo cans rust a lot less when they aren't packed in cardboard which hold water. They normally rust very little even with water present. I have been putting all my ammo into cans, mostly to keep the 80%+ humidity from getting to it.
Dry the can. Use a shop wire brush and remove all the rust visible. Repaint can with Rust-Oleum or something like it. After paint dries, one may reuse the can.
I tried this with several ammo cans including old military surplus as well as new and polymer cans and what I found is that they can all handle being under water basically indefinitely BUT as long as you don't flip the can upside down, once the can is upside down the weight of the ammo and the buoyancy of the air inside create gaps and water gets in.
paper and cardboard ammo boxes inside of a can sometimes soak up water from condensation in extreme temp climate changes, i prefer dbl zip loc bags and silica dry packs inside the can
For what its worth. I take the cheapest white rice I can find, sprinkle about a 1/4" in the bottom of the can, place the ammo, etc, then cardboard and silica packs on top. Works pretty well.
@@darrellhampton5057 might be a bit overkill there mate, one little silica packet dehydrates like a pound of jearky I think your ammo will be fine. Also it's dry af where I live and if I was really worried about moisture I'd just vacuum seal everything. And if a little moisture ruins your bullets you have bigger problems than just how you store your ammo.
@@whatsmolly5741 no such thing as overkill when it comes to ammo storage here in the Southeastern US. We have enough moisture to cause every kind of mold spore there is to thrive, from the mountains to the coast of NC. From May until October, we run our dehumidifiers in basements, attics, garages, etc. Lowes Hardware and Home Depot cant keep them in stock.
I work for a large ammo manufacturer and I have on occasion had to work at our Materials reclaim facility, a few nights I spent there was unpacking ammo hundreds of ammo cans filled with 300 win mag sniper rounds, & thousands of rounds of 5.56 on stripper clips that had been shipped back to us from the gulf war, they has been sitting out side uncovered in wooden crates that had all but rotted away. they had been sitting in the weather since the 1990s and every round of ammo was in like brand new condition. the only ones that showed damage or water intrusion were crates that had been severely damaged and had been punctured and then only the outer most boxes of ammo in the cans appeared to have gotten wet. what the cans didn't protect the cardboard inside did. I have since always stored my ammo in old military ammo cans, I don't store my rounds loose, I keep them in the box till ready to use, In my opinion after seeing the old military surplus ammo in the well preserved condition. I will never store my ammo any other way. wont even think twice about storing in non-climate controlled areas they would be perfectly fine sitting outside if it weren't for thieves. I wont trust them to plastic containers, they might be fine but I've seen what the real steel cans will do.
Good to know, I buy a box of ammo and put the box in a steel ammo can. Once I've filled up my ammo can with as many boxes it'll hold I throw a few silica packets and close the lid.
@@geico1975 the silica will be a little insurance. When they pack military cans they line the sides with cardboard I’m sure this helps in 2 ways. Keeps the ammo from moving around and adds a layer of insulation that will also absorb any moisture if it should sweat in
Once, when I lost my boat anchor, I used one of the same type of ammo boxes filled with lead bars as a temporary anchor, and after about six months in brackish water the outside of the can showed rust but the inside was dry.
Not long ago there was a Vietnamese story covering the discovery of a damaged and sunk PBR river patrol boat from the Vietnam war. They were recovering and opening ammo cans that had been submerged and buried in mud since the 1960's. It was surprising to see the ammo inside looked as if it had just been packed, very little tarnish or discoloration- corrosion. No doubt that all of it would have fired off.
I was given a couple cans like that full of primed .38spl. From a old gentleman down the road. They were being stored in a Very damp stone pantry type room. I was concerned about the exposed primers drawing moisture but tested a few cases without powder and all went bang. Reloaded a bunch and no duds yet! Very tight sealing cans apparently.
Yeah, same thing happen to a dozen plus cans recently when we has a busted water line for 3 months and did not catch it...Set in eight inchs for 90 plus days...Ammo ok!
I wouldn't discard the can. I buy Mil-spec cans from a local pawn shop and some of them are rusted, some worse than this. Brass wire brush, maybe sandblasting then a coat of Rustoleum Underbody Coating or Truck Bed paint (I give two coats. Lastly, ALWAYS check the rubber gasket. A none Milspec can will often not have the seal. If the seal is defective, remove it and use steel wool to clean the channel , clean it with acetone or alcohol and and apply a bead of silicon that is even with the channel. Viola! A nice can that may even seal better than Milspec.
Ammo cans were made to protect ammunition in storage as well as transport. A lot of transport is by sea, so they were designed to keep water out. Whether sea water or rain. However with time the the rubber seal gets worn. It is a good idea especially with surplus cans to brush them down and apply another coat of paint. Make sure the rubber seal is in good shape with no cracks. If any cracks replace the seal. Then pack the ammo in plastic bags and then in the ammo cans. It should be good for many years in all types of storage conditions.
I had a flood come through my house. Had some metal cans and some plastic ones. The contents of the plastic cans were a little wet. The contents of the metal cans were bone dry.
My uncle was NYPD and said to NEVER store ammo in the basement or leave on the floor. ALWAYS store ammo up in the air on a shelf so in the event of a flood, the ammo is UP IN THE AIR.
Im glad I bought a shit load of these over the years. Im very fortunate. Now they are priced through the fing roof ! I remember 20 years ago you could buy 30 cal cans for .50 cents and $1 for 50 cal.
My local Army surplus store closed a couple of years ago, and they sold Korea and Vietnam-era .30cal cans for $10 each. I picked up a few, and regret not buying more.
@@dbmail545 Nope, liquidation sale in 2017 or 2018 as they were closing. I was surprised they had any left, thought they'd be the first things to go. The ones I bought weren't pristine (some minor dents and rust) but they still seal just fine.
.Real ammo cans should seal pretty well as they were designed for our military...I do own one plastic box..my first purchase..but all metal cans from now on I get at A Military supply store.. Much love from We The People.
I had 12 inches of water in my basement last summer. I had 8 ammo cans on the floor...submerged. Every can did what it was supposed to do and none leaked. I don't know if it made a difference, but I had wiped all of the rubber seals with a silicon product a few years ago.
I bush hogged my Grandsons pasture full of Dog Fennel and lost a part of my tractor, while walking the field looking I came across the top edge of an old ammo can rusted and stuck in the ground. Upon opening it I found plastic bags and debris that appeared to be dried leaves, an old pot stash it seems forgotten years after the people who lived there before moved.
I was nearly killed by a 50 cal can of 5.56 thrown from a helicopter for reasons never made clear, it was so close to hitting me I had to jump to avoid being struck by it after it bounced
@@GoogleDoesEvil ,,, I really did want to believe that all ammo cans where made the same. USGI cans are by far superior at blocking out moisture. I’m really pissed at myself for going cheap and now I learned an expensive lesson.
You did not think these were made to keep water out????? German WW2 can are found all the time with perfectly perserved ammo inside. If the rubber seal is good you have little to worry about. If you ever buy ammo cans, always replace any worn or damaged seals. Its just that easy.
@@floydhawk2169 Errmmm mate Vaseline is petroleum based so has a high chance of actually dissolving the rubber seal,,a silicon based lubricant would keep them soft
That ammo can has been wet a long time, that rust is old, those can will not rust that bad in a few days. You know they have been wet a long time so don't try and tell us it just happened in a few day, I call you out on this, yes the cans did what they were suppose to do but don't blow smoke and tell me it is just a few days.
The can did its job. I've heard of ammo cans being swept out to sea by a hurricane to be found months later on a beach and all the contents perfectly preserved.
Cans were designed for rough shipment/ storage in saltwater environment-slow damp military freighter at sea for weeks/months to be stored on a beach for weeks/months to be shipped into the jungle and combat unloaded (cut the straps,back up/turn hard and slam on brakes-watch it all slide off into the mud). Also designed to not explode but vent in a fire,plenty of pops but no BOOM.
I've come across plenty of M cans that looked Rough but as long as the seals were not kinked or dry rotted the inside was good to go. wire brush the rust spots lightly slap some gun oil on it and the seal and Lookout years to come this Son of a Gun is ready to Run.. with God as my leader my Guide and My Keeper I will not I shall not no I won't turn back.. my bad I got carried away haha