Bulk or boxes? How do you store your loaded ammo?

[Grizzly Dave]

I store my loaded ammo in the 100 round MTM plastic boxes, I like knowing how much ammo I have by how many full boxes I have stacked up in the cabinet. I'll often cut the label off the primers used (and put it in the MTM box) so I'll know what primers were used in that box. I'm currently at the end of my winter reloading, and have my last 600 or so cases ready to prime, then powder and lead. Typically I'll put cases into the MTM boxes as I hand prime them, that was I can visually inspect the primers on the whole box, as well as knowing the cases are mouth down for anything to fall out that may have gotten in them along the way.

 

But, I am out of ammo boxes. So I'm trying to decide whether to go buy more, or just finish loading and store the ammo in a coffee can or whatever.

 

How do you store your loaded ammo?

 

Grizz

[Kiowa Kid, SASS #69870L]

I store our ammo in bulk tupperware plastic boxes and we take what we need for shoots.

 

 

KK

 

 

I store my loaded ammo in the 100 round MTM plastic boxes, I like knowing how much ammo I have by how many full boxes I have stacked up in the cabinet. I'll often cut the label off the primers used (and put it in the MTM box) so I'll know what primers were used in that box. I'm currently at the end of my winter reloading, and have my last 600 or so cases ready to prime, then powder and lead. Typically I'll put cases into the MTM boxes as I hand prime them, that was I can visually inspect the primers on the whole box, as well as knowing the cases are mouth down for anything to fall out that may have gotten in them along the way.

 

But, I am out of ammo boxes. So I'm trying to decide whether to go buy more, or just finish loading and store the ammo in a coffee can or whatever.

 

How do you store your loaded ammo?

 

Grizz

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Plastic shoe boxes. Lots of 'em.

 

Coffinmaker

[Dirty Chris]

I've got 12 of the 100 round ammo boxes, I usually just stop loading when they're full. But if I load up more than that I just put em in a tupperware container.

[Colt McCloud, SASS #65003L]

I use both Grizz! The ammo boxes to take my ammo to matches and check it (pistol loads) for high primers, etc, before putting them into loading strips. When I load a batch they first go into bulk containers and rifle ammo is sized to avoid "glitches"! Always have a close count of how many I have loaded.

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

Plastic coffee cans.

 

Blackfoot

[LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L]

Usually transport it to and from the range in 50 or 100 round boxes. I write the loading formula on the back of a business card or slip of paper and put it in the box.

 

On the reloading bench, .45 Colt, .45 ACP and .38 Special usually get stored in 3 pound coffee cans until time to load up for the range. The calibers I shoot less of usually get put directly into boxes.

 

Shotgun shells go into recycled boxes scavenged at the range until the boxes fall apart and are thrown away.

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

I store my personal smokeless ammunition in cardboard boxes by caliber.

Boxes are 10" long by 6" wide by 4" deep.

These hold over 2000 rounds.

I use 4"x4"x5" tall boxes in my gun cart.

I use four boxes. One for 45s and one for 357s. One each for the empties.

Hold enough for two plus matches.

I just top them off from the bigger boxes when I go to a match.

 

Now I store all my BP rounds in 50 boxes.

I want the bullet pointing down to reduce lube migration.

Not really sure if this is necessary.

But I have never had any problems with my BP rounds in over 30 years.

 

When I change over to BP substitute, I will probably store them as I do Smokeless

[Buck D. Law, SASS #62183]

After I fill the boxes (15-20), I use plastic 3 lb coffee cans. If you want to go nuts and buy a bunch of boxes, check this out.

[Grizzly Dave]

Buck, yer link ain't workin...

[Mustang Gregg]

We load .44 specials in the 50 round J&J plastic boxes.

17 boxes stack nice and tight in the "tall" .50 BMG-sized ammo cans.

That's 850 rounds/can.

 

That work pretty well for us (usually five) to shoot a 6-stage match.

 

Mustang Gregg

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Just finished reading the Gun Digest book about 1911s. The author says he uses Tupperware square containers because they take up less room on the shelf than coffee cans. Makes sense.

 

However, I don't load that much ammo at a time, so I use the plastic containers like you, Grizz.

[Guest Sheriff Pack Wolf, SASS #31917]

I keep the boxes full and use cans or bullet boxes to store in.

 

Recently I have been using canvass range bags, to bring bulk to shoots or practice range. Never bother with boxes unless I'm packing for a long weekend. I don't have to count it or load it into boxes,.. and it doesen't break all over when I drop it.

 

I'm still learning,..it's hell to be a newbie.

 

Pack

[Pack Saddle Slim, SASS #73122]

My wife says I'm OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I use the MTM boxes, label them according to load, bullet type, primer, etc., then date them. I then store the boxes so the oldest ones will be the ones I take to the range first. When I find that I have more unloaded brass than boxes, I simply go out and buy more boxes, then reload the brass.

 

I hate having empty brass around (I guess I really am OCD), so right after a shoot, the empty brass goes in the tumbler, then reloaded within the next week.

 

As I mentioned, I use the loaded bullets in chronological order, oldest first. Last week, I was shooting bullets I had loaded in 2008, so...yes...I guess I have a few on hand at all times.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

Plastic coffee cans.

 

Blackfoot

 

+1

 

I like the blue maxwell house ones because:

 

A. They are free from work

B. They hold about 600 rounds so it is easy to keep track of how much is there

C. They have a real handle so they are easy to pick up and put away

D. They have square sides and fit perfect under the loading bench

E. They are the same color as my press - which makes me fashionable?

F. All of the above

 

Regards

 

 

Gateway Kid

 

Did I mention they are free?

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

I use the plastic 50 round boxes. Dunno what brand, I have a few. Each box has a label on the inside stating what the recipe is, because I load a bunch of calibers in a few versions. 45 Colt goes in gray boxes, 44-40 and 44 Special goes in blue boxes for easy identification. A few other calibers have their own colors too. I like the 50 round boxes because they fit neatly in the ammo box on my cart.

 

Yeah, a little bi of OCD here too.

 

Now about that business about the winter loading being all done.......................

 

Seeing as how tomorrow is Groundhog day, maybe I better get started.

[Bear Saint Paw]

I bought a few of the surplus .30 cal ammo cans from Northern Tool for ~$9 each and use one of them and I keep 3 of the 100 round Dillon boxes full and ready to go so I can just grab them when I can make it to a match.

[Grizzly Dave]

LOL slim, first in, first out, I do the same. I just counted, I have a total of 16 boxes, 14 full, one mostly full, and one that I emptied at the match this past Saturday. The only exception is a couple hundred rounds left from the 1000 rounds I bought from Cliffhanger when I started. I have them left in the original cardboard boxes, I figure for a big match I take them along in case I want the heavier bullet weight, or have some problem with my reloads, I have some "factory" ammo to fall back on. I have been thinking I want to transfer them to MTM boxes though...

 

I guess I'll just store what I have left to load in a coffee can after I load it until I get around to picking up a few more boxes.

 

I noticed this afternoon an interesting thing, I can tell what the headstamp on a case is by how it feeds thru the belling die on my rockchucker. I can also identify a split case (found two today) by how they feed. FWIW I like Starline the best.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Hi Grizz,

 

"Bullet Boy" keeps them in canvas bags. Just before a match he inspects them when he puts them in boxes for me to take to a match.

 

 

Allie Mo

[Jittery Jim Jonah, SASS #64913L]

I use original 50 round boxes for the pistol/ rifle ammo. I have probably 24 of them.

 

I use original 25 round shotgun boxes for the shotgun. I have probably 30 of these.

 

I don't see any reason ta spend money for sumtin I don't need...

 

JJJ-D

:ph34r:

[Smithy]

I only load 45 LC for both rifle and pistol and I use Midway cardboard boxes. I think they were made for bullets, but they hold exactly 40 rounds of 45 LC a perfect lot for SASS and the shotshell boxes hold 20 shells of my brass shotshells, another perfect amount for SASS. They stay in the boxes until I load them into my six loading strips for a match so I have no fumbling at the range whatsoever. Smithy.

[Iron Pony]

GP smokeless rounds normally are in coffee cans, bulk bullets boxes etc. Hot rounds or test loads are in boxes. BP loads go in to 50 rounds boxes. Of course I "store" some of my ammunition in magazines.

[Sgt. John Campbell, SASS #58165]

I use the MTM 100 round plastic boxes for mine as well. Also subscribe to the philosophy of rotating my ammunition by age as well.

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

We use the hundred round boxed for several reasons. We only load once per year and load so we have about 12,000 rounds of pistol and rifle ready for the year. We store the boxes in those plastic ammo boxes which are mostly waterproof and hold about 1200-1400 rounds. Before putting the ammo in boxes we run them thru a case checker to prevent out of battery rifle firing. We get one last chance to look for bad loads. After rounds are in the boxes it is easy to look for high primers.

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

Plastic coffee cans. When I get to a shoot, I use a couple of small wooden barrels that hang on the cart. I never count ammo, I weigh it to figure out the count in a can.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Plastic or cardboard boxes are easier to store and you can just grab a few for a match. I got a bunch of boxes on sale from Midway once.

[JD Trampas, SASS # 55781]

MTM 100 round plastic box, the rest in coffee cans

 

 

 

All for now JD Trampas

[Wyatt Earp SASS#1628L]

For my 45 LC's, 38-55, 45-70 and 45-60 I use the Cheyenne Pioneer cartridge boxes. 12ga goes into Win AA boxes.

[Lou Graham, # 26112]

In 100 or 50 count plastic boxes, except shotgun is 25 per box and 45-70 is 20 per box. All boxes have labels and dates. I hate mystery ammo. Once I have gotten so far in my reloading that I have used up all the boxes (like this time of year) I dump it into 1 quart freezer bags with a couple of loose labels inside. When some boxes are empty, I can refill from the freezer bags. We have several sturdy shelves all marked for what kind of ammo goes where on the shelf so it's easy to see what stack is low and what I need to make next. I rotate the oldest to the front and the bags go to the back.

[Marauder SASS #13056]

Bucks Link:

http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14532-c30-g8-b0-p0-003_38357_1.63_OAL.aspx

[Rio Brazos Kid]

Store 400 Pistol rounds, 38 Spl. in Red 100 rd. boxes, and 400 Rifle rounds 357 Mag. in Blue 100 rd. boxes, with the rest in plastic coffee cans. Shotgun ammo is stored mostly in original cardboard ammo boxes, with some in Plastic shotshell boxes.

 

I fill my loading blocks at home, so they are ready when I get to the range, but I always have an extra 100 rounds of rifle and pistol loads just in case I or a pard needs some. Always carry 50 rounds of my regular shotgun loads, and 25 rounds loaded heavier in case we have some hard/heavy set knockdown targets.

 

RBK

[Jack Houston # 35508]

Fat 50 amo cans, one for rifle one for pistol, transfer match ammo into boxes built into cart ammo box. Shotgun shells in factory boxes.

[Cofachique Dick]

I use the 50 round plastic boxes, a different color for each caliber. They fit real well in 50 cal. ammo cans. I also date each box on the outside and use the oldest first.

 

C D

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

Plastic boxes. Nose down.

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

50 and 100 round plastic ammo boxes, nose down. These are stored in wood ammo crates locked( grandkids). The large rifle calibers are in 20 round boxes. Shotgun is in 25 round reused cardboard manufacturer boxes picked up.......Buck