Tag Archives: ammo storage

Fairly Well Preserved Ammo for 50 Years in the Drink

Posted on by Leave a comment

Vietnamese media recently reported on a pile of vintage small arms ammo that was recovered from the mud of the Tiền River that looks like it just came from the factory. 

Local media showed members of the Vietnamese Army inspecting the ammo, reportedly illegally salvaged from the river near Thuong Phuoc on the Cambodian border and confiscated by Border Guards. It has been underwater for decades, purportedly in a deep-sixed PCF, perhaps one that was put there in 1975 by its ARVN crew during the final days of the regime. 

The fact that it was in fresh water and likely covered by a layer of mud surely helped but either way, you have to hand it to the quality of those green ammo cans, much of which likely dated to WWII anyway. 

Making your own battle packs with a kitchen-counter vacuum system

Posted on by Leave a comment

The main struggle with keeping ammo clean and usable for long term storage is that it remains in a cool, dry place. While dry boxes and desiccant are a go-to, you can also vac pack rounds.

Yes, there are mushrooms, have you see all this rain?

It’s cheap (you can buy a sealer and a huge stack of bags for under $100) and gives you the option of making small packages (the picture has 80 rounds of good ol’ Russky wolf booty) that you can leave at the camp or with your truck gun. Plus you can squirrel it away anywhere you want such as in the dirt of the cactus on your porch, under the aquarium rocks, whatever, I don’t judge. These packs as set up are the size of a paperback book.

Some argue the vac process will take the moisture out of the propellant or primer, but I personally have tested a whole 500 round case of .223 that I had stored like this for 12 years and didn’t have a single hangfire, misfire or squib.

I talk more about how much ammo is enough ( I like to make furniture out of it) and some ideas for storage here in an article over at Tac.44.com.

Long Term Storage of Ammunition

Posted on by Leave a comment

If you are a gun owner, ammunition is essential. You should always have on hand at least a one-year normal training supply on hand as a minimum. For a minimum, this should be enough to make four trips to the range. Of course, larger quantities are recommended and safe long-term storage is essential. The main enemy of long-term storage of ammunition is moisture. With that in mind, let us look at some ways to avoid moisture in your ballistic larder.

Continued in my column at Firearms Talk.com