Storage and Safety: How Long Does Ammo Last 

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Back in 1972, when I was 16, my friend worked at a box store called Gibsons. They were closing out firearms and ammo and had dropped the price to clear quickly. He said boxes of 22 lr federal dropped from 50 cents to a 25 cents. I bought 10 bricks. I still have about 6 boxes and shoot a few every year to see how they do. My grandson shot 10 last Sunday, still working perfectly

Back in 1990 my wife's uncle gave me 250 rds , of 30-06 from ww1 , it was improperly stored so I had to clean the green crud off it , but it all shot through my m1 with no problem.

You can write on your metal cans using a permanent marker. Isopropyl alcohol will easily remove marker if you decide to relabel your cans.

I prefer the steel ammo cans but plastic is better than nothing. I also leave my ammo in the boxes and date them so i rotate accordingly. Right now I dont rotate ... because Im not shooting anything until things calm down. I also now am putting my ammo in a safe due to what its worth and availability....its like gold at the moment. Its good to communicate with your kids about perceptions. Sounds like your doing the right things. Thanks for the video!

Great video. That bulging is a major issue, not to mention if you drop a full plastic can. They will likely crack. I think metal 50cal cans are the best. Use dielectric grease on seals.

if ammo is stored in a proper cool and dry location it will last well over a hundred years. keep it in a room temp location and away from a damp environment. if you can add silica packs.

Very god advice. The best hidden treasure is the one nobody knows about.

Metal 50 cal. cans all day

Norma sells 62gr steel core but they are not painted green but if you hold it to a magnet you know it has steel core because it sticks to the magnet.

When all of these safe storage laws that are being tossed around on the federal level go into effect for every state, some teachers will poke and prod Kids to tell on their parents!

Need silica gel packs

I'm still using my grandfather's Remington .22 LR and .22 short ammo purchased in the 1950s and stored in my grandmother's closet (in the original cardboard boxes) until she passed away in 2005. I just shot 100 rounds at the range this past weekend and only had 1 misfire which is actually good for 70 year old ammo... it's much dirtier and more smokey than modern ammo but it does work.

Personally I would stay away from WD40 as a lubricant for ammo cans, silicone is a much better choice. Silicone is thicker and and does not break down and will not negatively effect the gasket! Keep up the great videos!

I've got some 50's, but I LOVE the 20mm (M548) ammo cans. More storage, clasps on both ends so the lid can remove completely and a tighter more uniform seal. Also have fold down handles on both ends so your not using a single handle on the lid. Only down fall is they are HEAVY when loaded, but for primarily storage, they are great!

I've shot a good bit of 5.45x39 out of mil-surp Soviet spam cans dated back to 1977. Some of the best ammo I've shot. Key things to avoid: moisture/humidity, oxygen, heat, extreme cold. I like to toss in desiccant packs into ammo cans when I can. If I was gonna bury or hide somewhere that'd be moist, and for a long time, I think maybe I'd spray the ammo down with PTFE Dry Lube spray, then vacuum seal it before placing in sealed buckets or whatever. But haven't tried it yet. Has anyone tested such things long term? How do you guys do it?

Good point ,But another worry is word goes around and eventually some one gets their home broken in or even worse a home invasion. As the prices keep rising the threat gets worse.

I have shot, 1960s & 70s, paper shotgun shells. Kept dry and clean. We got rid of them, (shooting skeet) simply because I didn't trust the paper shells, and the primers & some brass cases were beginning to corrode & rust. So we just wanted to dump them, for home safety sake! Ammo doesn't come with a freshness date!

Good topic needs to be discussed with both children and family... fixing to start my tomato’s hoping for an early spring thanks for the video

The metal ammo cans from the military will stop ammunition from flying everywhere if it's subjected to a house fire , I had that happen to me once.

Food will be the next shortage look into backyard bunnies imo

If you have a Harbor Freight in your area, you can really clean up with their ammo cans. They have both plastic and metal but if you catch the right sale, you can get them for 3 to 4 bucks per can

I can tell you as a teacher that nobody, no teachers anyway, are trying to get information out of your children about guns and/or ammunition. The only way that would happen is in response to some other serious concern about what’s going on in the home. If you live in a gun-friendly/hunting/outdoors enthusiast state, like I do, we more or less assume the majority of families have guns in the home. We don’t have time to go prying into your personal life UNLESS, like I said, there’s some other serious concern about the child’s well-being.

I started coin collecting when I was 10. I'm retired now. I bought my first Marlin 22lr when I was 18. I got into collecting guns/ammo in 1980. I will test some of my 40+ years old ammo this summer.

Call your guns bb guns that's what they will repeat to others.if your ammo can won't hold water it's not going to be airtight.put in air tight ammo can with one of the humidity absorbers packs that come in everything.the plastic ammo cans are junk for long term storage.great video.you can also vaccum seal ammo.

I use Plano cans to store my extra pistol mags. As far as ammo storage goes, as long as you keep it in a temperature controlled part of your home & not in a damp basement, the ammo will store just fine. You can vacuum seal it & use desiccant packs or you can just leave it in the original box. Ammo isn't nearly as fragile as some might lead you to believe. I use large plastic jars with lids for a lot of my most commonly used calibers. I can dump like 500 rounds of 9mm Blazer Brass in one of those jars & use it to load my mags or just carry it out with me if I don't know how much I will need for the session.

Those Planos are cheap, in every sense. I have several to knock around and take to the range, but hard to beat the 30-cals for integrity and portability. 50-cals for more long-term storage. I love the volume of my fat 50s, but they stay where I stow them.

Use only silicone based o ring lubes, don't use any thing petroleum based.

Good stuff. Thanks for the video.

Those seed starter cups work good, until they stay really wet. Then they start to fall apart.

I just keep the ammo in the original packaging and never had an issue. Shot a couple of boxes of 38 specials bought in the 1970's and every round fired just like new. Just keep it indoors at room temp with low to normal humidity and it will last for many, many decades. I have a can of Winchester 231 that I opened in 1994 and I have been using it to test old powder every few years. Shot a box of reloads with that 26 year old powder and it fired like new rounds. Stop worrying about ammo lifespan, for it will outlast yours and your children's lifespans if stored indoors.

WW2 7.62x54r API ammo just fired out of the ol mosin! Only sent 1 round cuz they were like 5 bucks a piece. But pretty old and still working! ShKas for the win baby!

I’m a step-father so maybe my outlook on certain things may not be as serious as people who have brought life into the world but, I don’t see a negative to the fact that my children know what’s going on in the house. Now I understand certain things being on a need to know basis and opsec but most of the times, the guys with guns and ammo stand out like a sore thumb and you don’t have to have your business being exposed by a kid. Hell most men I see who are gun enthusiasts and preppers stand out. They dress typically the same, from shoes to tshirts to cargo pants and plaid lol I mean, I can’t grey man because of certain reason but I get stereotyped. The gun guys aren’t stereotyped, they literally do and dress in ways that tell on them without having to guess 🤷🏾‍♂️ just my 2 cents tho Great video tho! Love the fact that you even payed attention to that and made some changes

I have the same ammo cans. Only thing I do different is I vacuumed pack the ammo with desiccant packs . Reason I started doing that is because I bought some military ammo that was vacuumed pack from 1951 . When I opened it it looked and shot just like new ammo . This was last year . As for my child she knows the deal and when asked she changes the subject .

I use the painter tape to mark my cans also I mark my boxes of ammo with a sharpie month and year on every side of the box I also inspect every round in the Box when I buy it I also buy the Cabela brand plastic ammo cans which is really nice to for 1499 each

The metal cans are the best for long-term ammo storage. Never, repeat, never use oil (WD-40) on the rubber seal due to it will disintegrate the rubber - only use 100% silicon (spray) to lube the seal.

I have 36 year's old Winchester super x 22LR ammo, I paid .99 cents for 100 rounds plastic box, still shoot good.

I used to use .50 boxes and at age 63, I have switched to .30 boxes. They are lighter when loaded and I can carry two, one on each side so I'm evenly loaded. I only use mil spec steel boxes and will heat them, usually setting beside the wood stove, before sealing. This seems to both dry things out and give a vacuum seal.

Not all 855 is marked with green tip.use magnet it will stick with steel core.properly stored ammo will look new and shoot like new 100 years

Why not use regular steel ammo cans?

Just here to like and comment. Since I can’t find any ammo past the filled magazines I have, I don’t currently need metal ammo cans. Like so many others.

I use 50 cal cans with P100 MTM cases for my 9 mm. Holds about 1,000 rounds in a can and I can label and organize my bullets so I know what's 'old' and what's not.

This is a great video. audio is just a bit low. Hey brother, I definitely recommend you put silica packets in there.

What area of Texas are yall out of. We are in central Texas

Fun story, couple years ago I was walking out to the car with one of these plastic .30 cal cans.. it had like idk 800 rounds of 9mm in it.. and it broke and rounds went everywhere because they were loose. Ya.. metal ammo cans, all the way.

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I have 8mm Mauser ammo dated 1939. Store ammo where you are comfortable. Temp and humidity levels you like ammo will be happy in too. Mostly we all have more ammo than really needed. Unless the population is wiped out .... 99% dead and somehow YOU survived....a thousand rounds is reasonable. Maybe more of .22. I'm no guru....just thinking on the keyboard.... fun video and it did make me think about some stuff.

Ammo.can stay for ages as long as it is kept well and protected from moisture or extreme temperatures

Haters are going to hate! Keep on!

6 minutes in now. Thought this was about ammo...

You don't put Silica packs in there?

What part of Texas are you in? We are in east Texas.

Howdy from east texas

Welll. I'm shooting 30-30 rounds in a Savage 1899 that are over a century old.

Wd-40 dries out rubber. Its a petroleum-based product. Silicone Lubrican is better for rubber. As a duck hunter I want my $300 waders to last as long as possible. The boots tend to crack if not treated properly.

Yeah, dude. Gardening videos fo sho

Ok, let’s say they’re in a closet in Michigan in the summer time. It’s hard to believe that ammo can’t take even basic heat and humidity. That’s a disgrace!

Fearful? Nah. Aware would be better. Teach awareness and response. Remain calm and collected. Guns don't have to be feared but fear is more driven by an idiot who doesn't know what they are doing with one. Sadly we have these situations but it takes the better people to respond to them when they happen.

You live in fear lol

👍🏻🇺🇸

There are 855 ammo produced without the painted green tip...Your doing fine... those other comments are misinformed.

Who cares if your kids tell other kids you have that stuff.

way too much time on your hands lol

What area of Texas are yall out of. We are in north Texas