My situation is this, I live in the mountains where fires are a serious threat. Any suggestions on what would be the best way to build an ammo storage "bunker"? I do have ready but lockable access to under one half my house from a basement room that occupies the other half. At present the empty half is nothing but a big pile of dirt which was never fully excavated. I would hate it if the house caught fire of course, but I was thinking of how to hopefully save the ammo and also to protect my local CDF crew (some of whom I have shot with) in the event of cook offs. I have some ideas but would like to hear what others think of. Thanks in advance!
How to protect ammo in the event of a fire
- Thread starter Pthfndr
- Start date
To protect the ammo it needs to be in an enclosure that is resistant to heat. Dirt, concrete, dead air space, heat reflective wall covering are all fairly effective. How much is needed depends on the degree of heat and the duration of exposure. (If you used 1/2 of your basement for an ammunition magazine would the burning house collapse into the basement area and leave a large pile of lingering coals heaped against the magazine door?)
Rounds cooking off are not especially dangerous in an open area. Unless the expanding gas from the powder is tightly enclosed (as in the chamber of a gun) once the bullet and case seprate the bulk of the expanding gas simply dissapates. In an uncontained environment (say throwing a handfull of .22s on a campfire) the casings will zing around some. A metal pipe frame cage with fireproof screen wire should be generally sufficient to contain the casings from cooked off rounds.
If you make your 1/2 basement into a magazine you should vent it to the outside (a piece of inch and a half or 2 inch pipe with a little screen over the ends to keep the critters out would do) and not store the ammo in tightly sealed rigid containers - such as steel ammo cans. If you do use ammo cans for storage, leave the lids loose. Of course if you're talking about a really, really big supply of ammunition or a LOT of gunpowder that might cook off all at once, then you'd want more ventilation.
Also heat rises. Having the storage area vented and lower than the heat source will help.
Just a couple of ideas. Good luck with your project.
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Jim Fox
Rounds cooking off are not especially dangerous in an open area. Unless the expanding gas from the powder is tightly enclosed (as in the chamber of a gun) once the bullet and case seprate the bulk of the expanding gas simply dissapates. In an uncontained environment (say throwing a handfull of .22s on a campfire) the casings will zing around some. A metal pipe frame cage with fireproof screen wire should be generally sufficient to contain the casings from cooked off rounds.
If you make your 1/2 basement into a magazine you should vent it to the outside (a piece of inch and a half or 2 inch pipe with a little screen over the ends to keep the critters out would do) and not store the ammo in tightly sealed rigid containers - such as steel ammo cans. If you do use ammo cans for storage, leave the lids loose. Of course if you're talking about a really, really big supply of ammunition or a LOT of gunpowder that might cook off all at once, then you'd want more ventilation.
Also heat rises. Having the storage area vented and lower than the heat source will help.
Just a couple of ideas. Good luck with your project.
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Jim Fox
If you are conserned about the fire fighters, just don't keep any guns loaded when stored. American Rifleman showed a test a few years back where they cooked off several different types of ammo in a controled enviroment, and came to the conclusion that standard fire fighter gear would be enough to protect the person from a round cooking off in the open. If it is in the chamber of a gun, then it acts like it was being shot, and they don't stand a chance.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Get an old, dead refrigerator, and stick it in the corner of the basement.
A fridge does a very good job of resisting head loading, and basement corners are the coolest areas in a fire.
Just be sure to get one with magnetic seals, not one of the ones that has a latch mechanism. That way if something does ignite, the fridge doesn't become a bomb. The door will pop open and relieve any pressure.
The old fridge is also a good place to keep powder, dies, etc., when you want to keep them dry. As long as the magnetic seal is ok, you can put a dessicant in there and keep things very nicely. Also keep a box of baking soda in it to absorb any nasty odors that might be left over.
A friend of mine made a very good gunsafe out of an old chest freezer. It's plugged into the wall, but that's for the golden rod. It died a LONG time ago, and no longer has a compressor.
He keeps a padlock on it because he has small kids.
Who would think, or take time, to break the lock on a chest freezer in the utility room?
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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
A fridge does a very good job of resisting head loading, and basement corners are the coolest areas in a fire.
Just be sure to get one with magnetic seals, not one of the ones that has a latch mechanism. That way if something does ignite, the fridge doesn't become a bomb. The door will pop open and relieve any pressure.
The old fridge is also a good place to keep powder, dies, etc., when you want to keep them dry. As long as the magnetic seal is ok, you can put a dessicant in there and keep things very nicely. Also keep a box of baking soda in it to absorb any nasty odors that might be left over.
A friend of mine made a very good gunsafe out of an old chest freezer. It's plugged into the wall, but that's for the golden rod. It died a LONG time ago, and no longer has a compressor.
He keeps a padlock on it because he has small kids.
Who would think, or take time, to break the lock on a chest freezer in the utility room?
------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
Mike Irwin, I really wish you hadnt of posted that.......sheesh...now Ive got to find a nother method thats not common knowledge--the old chest freezer I mean......
That refrigerator idea sounds like a good one as well......
In Tenn. I had a similar situation with the house and securable crawl space, I could put a vechicle under there........I dug out some of the dirt and used sandbags to build a little room, depending on the type of top you put on it you can use sand bags there too....the problem I had was moisture....fubsy.
[This message has been edited by fubsy (edited June 30, 2000).]
That refrigerator idea sounds like a good one as well......
In Tenn. I had a similar situation with the house and securable crawl space, I could put a vechicle under there........I dug out some of the dirt and used sandbags to build a little room, depending on the type of top you put on it you can use sand bags there too....the problem I had was moisture....fubsy.
[This message has been edited by fubsy (edited June 30, 2000).]
Mike Irwin
Staff
Hey Fubsy,
You have, er.... had, some really nice guns. I'm going to enjoy them!
------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
You have, er.... had, some really nice guns. I'm going to enjoy them!
------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.