Ammo Storage - Igloo Cooler?

B

bbrian

New member
I've been storing my ammo (pistol cartridges and shotgun shells) in a desk drawer located in my basement. There is little, but some humidity down there, but I think I should be OK. However, I noticed that I have an igloo cooler located nearby and thought that might be a good place to store my ammo, since the temperature will not fluctuate much, and humidity should be kept out.

But something tells me this may not be such a great idea...i may be wrong and humidity may actually be trapped, or some other problem. What do you guys think?
 
Actually, storing a sealed container can be both good and bad. If you trap moisture in there it will be worse. If you have ever stored papers in a safe in the humid state like midwest or east coast you know what I mean. The papers come out wrinkled. Best thing to do is put a good amount of dessicant inside the cooler with the ammo, so that it absorbs all the moisture. If you live in a dry climate, open to the air is much better than sealed.
 
Any container that can be sealed airtite will be good, just that a cooler is not as durable as an ammo can, in case it falls off of your tank or something. But I don't expect much combat in your basement. So I would say as long as the container seals airtite. Some places sell plastic containers with a seal similiar to an ammo can too. YOu might want to put some bags of dessicant in there before you seal it up if you do live in a very humid area. Humidity is not a great issue here, especially in winter. If your basement floods, maybe the ice chest will float to the top!
 
IMO, while the insulating qualities of a cooler certainly don't hurt, the single most important thing in keeping ammo viable for long periods of time is that the container be as airtight as possible.

I've bought and opened 40+ year-old "Spam" cans of surplus ammo that still looked and functioned as if it were new. Personally, inexpensive USGI ammo cans are what I generally prefer. Equipped with a new rubber gasket and a couple of packets of silica gel, the stuff inside seems to stay in perfect shape indefinitely when stored on shelves in my basement. I recently opened one that I'd filled with bulk pack Federal .22 LR that several friends and I went together and purchased a pallet of back in 1996, and so far every rd has worked just dandy.
 
+1

Steel USGI ammo cans are designed to store ammunition for long periods.

I have a couple that have had the same stuff in them for around 27 years now. It still works fine. I also throw the dessicant packets in them.

If you want to use an igloo cooler, go for it...but there are better options.

;)
 
I think the cooler will work fine. As mentioned, it will store in moisture if present so throw in a couple of dessicant packs and you should be okay.
 
Most coolers are not much more airtight than your desk drawer. Just put some dessicant in the drawer. GI ammo cans are the best thing.
 
Depends how much you have. If it's going to get shot within 5 or 10 years, it probably doesn't matter. If you have a lifetime supply, and especially if it's in a basement (which can be humid in any part of the country) I would do as others have suggested - ammo can with some kind of O-ring seal and dessicant and I'd arrange it so that I wasn't having to regularly open the cans to grab a box of ammo. In other words, keep the stuff that's in long-term storage undisturbed and the stuff that's going to be shot within a few years can be stored any old way.
 
I really like the .50 cal ammo box's,i finally filled one up and need another.
Too bad it will cost a few hundred $$$ to fill it also.

Id think if you filled the cooled up pretty good it would break any handles or carrying apparatus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top