What Gun Owners Need to Know about Ammo Shortage

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Every gun owner knows that ammo storage is a crucial component of owning a gun. This is because ammunition is only as good as its storage.

Here are some pointers on the do's and don'ts of ammo storage

RELATED: Where to Get Your Ammo and What You Need to Consider

Everything Gun Owners Need to Know about Ammo Storage

The Do's of Ammo Storage

Store Your Ammunition in Ammo Cans

While ammo cans are specifically designed for ammunition storage, any standard airtight container like Tupperware will do the trick. If it can lock out air and moisture with food, it will do the same with your ammo.

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Depending on how you like to keep your ammo, you can load up that factory ammo boxes into the cans. Alternatively, you can load up your magazines and store them in ammo cans.

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You can also store your primers in your ammo cans as they are also vulnerable to moisture. Unlike ammunition that is only prone to corrosion when stored poorly, moisture will make your primer perform poorly, if at all.

Store Your Ammo Cans in a Temperature-Controlled Area

In other words, store your ammo cans in a spot where it does not get too hot or too cold. This is especially so for higher temperatures as they tend to degrade the chemical primer and powder compounds with time.

Your best chance is therefore storing ammo at room temperature and maintaining that.

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Use Silica Gel

Most shipped items come with packs of silica gel and are therefore likely to be lying around in the house. To use them, pop them in the oven for a few minutes, dry them and then put them in your ammo cans.

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They will absorb any moisture that gets trapped when you are sealing your airtight ammo cans. What's more, silica gel packets change color when they absorb moisture which is a good indicator of when to swap them with new ones.

RELATED: The Best Way To Store Your Ammo

The Don'ts of Ammo storage

Don't Store Your Ammo in Cardboard Factory Boxes

Storing your ammo in factory boxes can be tempting, as that is how you get them. However, storing ammunition in cardboard boxes in the garage or basement exposes the powder, primer, and brass shells to moisture leading to corrosion and degradation.

Avoid Frequently Opening Your Ammo Cans

Only open your ammo can when necessary. Frequent opening and closing the cans lets in the moisture you are trying so hard to keep away. Also, if you have several ammo cans, consider using all the ammunition in one before proceeding to the next can. This ensures that you only interact with one ammo can at a time.

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Pro Tips

• Besides using silica gel and airtight ammo cans, using a vacuum sealer helps to further get rid of corrosive elements
• Labeling your ammo also helps with storage. This way, you can use the oldest ammo first. It ensures that your ammo doesn't stay in storage too long
• Buying quality ammo will also ease your storage process, unlike low-quality ammo that will most likely erode despite your efforts
• Besides silica gel, you can make a homemade desiccant with salt and rice. The rice will keep the ammo dry, while the salt will prevent the rice from going bad
• Ammo doesn't have to come into direct contact with moisture to corrode. Factory boxes absorb moisture, and that is enough to cause corrosion