Ever since my time as a white water raft guide, military ammo cans have been my go-to method
for dry storage. I saw plenty of other dryboxes during my stint, but never came across anything
that offered the security, durability, and simplicity of ammo cans for anywhere near
the same price. I recently picked up a new container for my
9mm ammo. While I was getting it set up for use, I figured I’d put together a video
going over how I store my ammo, and the methods and products I use.
My philosophy for ammo storage is to protect it from the standard threats - moisture, extreme
temperatures, hoplophobic politicians, etc. - but also to keep it organized, portable,
and ready to use whenever I might need it. Whether the Machines are rebelling, someone
got stupid enough to try to invade northern Idaho, or I just want to go shooting for an
afternoon; my ammo will not be very useful to me if it’s buried in the backyard or
sitting loose in a 200-pound box in my closet. The three common, easy-to-find ammo can sizes
that had a decent amount of internal space, but weren’t too awkward to carry around
were the .30-cal, the 50-cal, and the SAW cans.
Over the years, I’d acquired at least one of each size.
Loaded weight was my primary consideration when deciding which of these would best suit
my needs. I wanted to fill my ammo cans, but still be able to carry them over a moderate
distance if needed. For an uninterrupted quarter-mile lap around
my block, I found about 40 pounds to be my practical one-handed weight limit. I could
manage more if I had to, but not without significant metabolic muscle fatigue in my hand. Carrying
additional ammo is pointless if it means my hand and arm will be too worn out to operate
a gun effectively when I get to where the ammo is needed. If I need to store and move
more than 40 pounds of ammo, I’ll just buy another can.
As I just demonstrated, a loaded-up SAW can will easily hit the 40-pound mark even with
relatively lightweight ammo like shotgun shells. And while the little .30-cal cans offer a
decent amount of internal volume for dense things like loose cartridges, their narrow
interior limits things with more useful boxes or cases.
For me and my needs, the midsized .50-cal cans seem to be just about ideal. Filled with
loaded magazines, boxed shotshells, or pistol cartridges in these 100-round cases I’ll
get to in a sec; these always seem to end up between 25 and 40 pounds with minimal wasted
space. So the .50-cals are my standard cans for all
ammo storage. Sticking to one size keeps the cans easily stackable, and allows them to
share lids. When buying, I look for cans without any major
damage. A little scratched paint or surface rust isn’t a big deal if there’s nothing
better in the pile, but I don’t want something too beat-up to work properly.
Most important is the top rim of the can and the rubber gasket in the lid. This is what
makes the cans watertight, so I want a gasket that’s still flexible and intact. If it’s
brittle or cracked, or the metal around it is dented, this won’t make a proper seal.
This one looked pretty good, but before I put a new ammo can into service, I always
test it. I’m not living in my van next to a river
anymore, but a bathtub makes for a decent place to weigh a can down and submerge it
for several days. If the can’s in proper shape, it should
stay completely dry inside. The next step is to mark the can with what
it’ll be holding - 9x19 mm in this case. I don’t get very fancy with this, I just
stick on some cheap stencil cards, mask around them with a little tape and newspaper so it
won’t look completely slapdash, and shoot it with whatever spray paint I happen to have
lying around. I don’t really care what color it is, so long as it’ll stand out.
While the paint’s drying, I’ll show how I organize things inside the can.
In theory, a .50-cal ammo can could fit over 2200 loose 9mm cartridges, but that would
easily weigh 60 or 70 pounds, and in terms of organization and use-ability, it’d be
pretty much the opposite of what I’m trying to do.
Factory boxes aren’t going to cut it for me either. Their dimensions and construction
vary wildly between manufacturers, making it impossible to come up with a standardized
can load. I also have no idea how many cartridges are in any given box without opening it. And
while some ammo is packed in trays like these and easy to count; the more economical value
packs tend to be completely useless. And with real bulk or reloaded ammo, there’s often
no box of any kind. So instead of that mess, all my handgun ammo
gets placed into standard cases like these MTM Case-Gard 100-round ammo boxes.
Unlike factory boxes, these are quick and easy to operate even one-handed, but stay
securely closed, and are surprisingly water-resistant for what they are. They’re not completely
waterproof - and don’t need to be - but they’ll withstand light rain or collateral
spray well enough. The lids also make very convenient trays for holding loose cartridges
or cases, and they can be easily detached if desired.
Whether they’re open or closed, the translucent plastic makes it easy to see exactly what’s
in there, and count them at a glance using basic multiplication. In the same way, I can
organize and keep track of different types of ammo in one case by arranging them into
blocks. Each case comes with some handy labels, but
for now, I just use different-colored cases to organize my ammo. I put 115-gr FMJs in
the blue ones, and hollowpoints and specialty stuff in the red. There are other colors available,
and the swappable lids make for a lot of possible combinations.
Overall, these are a darn sight more useful than factory packaging for my purposes - well
worth the 2 or 3 dollar price tag. Now, I’m sure someone’s going to get on
me for touching the ammo with my bare hands. First off, I’m not stockpiling this for
the zombie apocalypse 40 years from now. This is ammo that I’ll be shooting at my next
practice session, or loading into my carry gun the next time I leave the house.
Second, ammo won’t melt if it gets a fingerprint on it. It might get tarnished and not be as
shiny, but it’ll still shoot just fine. Moisture and temperature extremes are the
big dangers to ammo, not fingerprints. So, with the cartridges organized, and the
paint dry, it’s time to fill up the can. There’s enough space inside a .50-cal can
for two side-by-side stacks of up four of these, with room for one more on an end or
in the middle. That’s up to 900 rounds in a simple, accessible arrangement that utilizes
the can well, while staying below my weight limit.
Other things I’ll include are flattened or cut-up ammo packaging with information
I may want to refer to, a magazine loader, and a homemade desiccant pack to absorb any
moisture. But that’s not all. On top of the cases,
there’s enough room left over for up to 8 full-size Glock magazines, a standard-frame
Glock and 5 magazines, or two Glocks with a magazine in each.
Also, the odd case on the end can be replaced with up to 6 additional magazines,
or a short-barreled backup 9mm gun,
and I’ll still have the same space on top.
With the 115-grain ammo I prefer, any of these arrangements stay comfortably below my 40-pound
limit. Even with subsonic ammo - which I rarely use - they’re not over by much.
Well, that’s how I roll with my ammo. Simple, easy, and practical storage that’ll keep
for years, but be ready to use at a moment’s notice.
As always, I hope you found something useful here, and I’d be happy to answer questions
and hear feedback. Until next time, enjoy the shooting sports responsibly, and keep
your powder dry.