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Storing ammo in hot garage

4K views 35 replies 24 participants last post by  dickjames214 
#1 ·
I never had this problem in California, but now that I live in Florida my garage get over 100 degrees.
The afternoon sun hits my garage door for hours. I know that I need to insulate my door.
I keep most of my ammo in a locked cabinet . Of course I will not shoot it when it’s that high temperature.
Am I ruining my ammo?
 
#3 ·
If you are storing ammo in a hot, humid environment then yes, you are ruining it.
Lead will frost, powder will degrade and brass will tarnish.
I live in Houston, similar climate, and all ammo, powder and primers are inside. I would never store any of it in my garage. I've seen what happens to tools, plastics, chemicals etc after 5-10 years.
 
#5 ·
When I am reloading I make sure no primers are left in the Dillon 750 and I empty the powder measure back into the container. I won't leave either in the garage overnight.

A friend who lives near me left primers in his Dillon for a couple of weeks and he had multiple primer misfeeds until he started using new ones directly from his house. The humidity is just a major issue.
 
#10 ·
I store mine in "sealed" ammo cans in hot ( 90's F ) garage. Military ammo has been stored in warehouses in hot deserts and jungles for extended periods.
Those temperatures will degrade the ammo over time. Humidity is worse than heat but storing at 90 to 99 Fahrenheit will slowly degrade it. I imagine it will likely take over ten to twenty-five years. Store your ammo at 75 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler with no humidity and it will last for one hundred years or longer if it is non corrosive 1970s or manufactured more recently.
 
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#9 ·
Pretty sure most milsurp has lacquered primers...and it becomes 'surplus' when it gets sketchy due to poor storage.Why else would they offload it?

I had some 1980's Malaysian surplus 5.56 that i bought mid 1990's. Looked terrible. It fired but cases were seriously tarnished and I unloaded it during the Obama Panic.
 
#11 ·
Yes. I lived in Orlando for 10 years and stored all ammo and reloading components in sealed cans in a climate controlled room. My 25 year old cases of Federal GMMK Will still shoot 1/2 MOA or less. A friend kept his ammo in sealed cans in his garage and the heat degraded the powder creating higher pressures, very poor accuracy and some split cases.
 
#12 ·
If it is gonna be prolonged storage, best is cool and dry place. Dessicant materials be required in humid areas.
 
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#17 ·
Wood is a great insulator . Your garage floor probably stays in the 70s . You can sketch up a box with a hinged top out of 1” x 8” boards. lowes will cut pieces for you. Use a thinner piece like 1/4” on bottom. Assemble. Store ammo on floor in box. The contents will stabilize some where btwn air temp and floor temp. Even easier might be to use one of those wood cases commie ammo comes in although it might not work as well as a thin bottom box for contact coolness with floor. You can even use some of that thin packing material from staples for added effect over the ammo inside of box though not on bottom.
 
#18 ·
How does this mitigate the effects of 90% humidity? Even my FMJ projectiles tarnish after a few months.
 
#24 ·
I have a "fruit cellar" or "root cellar" (depending on where you're from) which is all concrete underneath the front porch. I had a steel security door put on there. I keep a dehumidifier in there (and a Golden Rod in the safe which is also in that space) but the temps in the winter get cool and in the summer get stuffy. I doubt it ever gets to 90F but probably in the 80's. Yet it is dry. Shy of cutting into the block and running an AC duct in there that is my setup.
 
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#29 ·
I think it's important to avoid really bad conditions. At the same time, let's not make perfect the enemy of good. The important thing is to have the ammo. Store it the best you can. While I agree 70 degrees with low humidity is great, it's not always an option.
Having a climate controlled, humidity free storage area is unlikely unless you have more money that you can deal with.
Ammo cans were truly designed well. They are sealed, easy to transport, stackable, and available at reasonable prices. A little dessicant in each can and it's all good, IMHO.
 
#30 ·
Also, I have a number of military ammo cans, military surplus, of course. The outsides are sometimes rusty which steel wool and WD40 takes care of. But ALL of the insides are rust free, if the can was kept closed apparently. So I think these are the ideal solution. If you want to store them under your bed in the climate controlled house, that is perfect IMHO, and makes use of space seldom used. As a bonus you can't do vaccuming there anymore.
I do like the plastic cans from Harbor Freight, too, but I am not sure they seal like the Army cans. They would work well under the bed tho.
 
#32 ·
If you want to store them under your bed in the climate controlled house, that is perfect IMHO, and makes use of space seldom used. As a bonus you can't do vaccuming there anymore.
There are plenty of plans to remove your box spring and bed frame and build a platform base that can be used for storage. It's free space. You can use heavy duty full extension drawer slides or a set of Murphy bed hardware to lift the whole mattress.
 
#31 ·
I have an attic setup for ammo. I’ve quartered off a portion of the attic, insulated it, and that section has an attic stair that comes up from a walk in closet. I put in vent that allows cooler air from the closet to go into that insulated section of attic, but for not much temperature loss in the house so long as the closet is closed.

In the dead of the summer it gets as hot as 80 tops up here. All the ammo is in cans inside larger sealed plano cases with plenty of desiccant in each.

So far, so good.
 
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