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

[Snakebite Dust SASS 75484]

I have a good amount in plastic ammo boxes and a ton more in large plastic nut containers like you get a sams club.

[Muleshoe Slick]

I use Midway's white cardboard boxes with styrofoam inserts. I print copies of old cartridge boxes on plain paper and cut to fit the box, using spray adhesive to glue the paper to the box. I think this gives an extra "Cowboy" look to the ammo.

[ShadowCatcher]

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.

Good to know I'm in such fine company. I load in bunches, storing them all in the MTM 100 rd boxes, and label each with a piece of tape across it identifying the bullet, powder and charge for that box. I try to load a thousand at a time of any specific mix, so I have around 1K of Titegroup loaded 250 gr loads, and around 1 K of Trail Boss loaded 250's. All my 9mm is still in factory boxes (3K worth), and all my .45 ACP is loaded in MTM boxes in the same way as my Colt loadings.

 

I do have one military ammo can of around 800 factory (Sampson) ball ammo in .45 ACP, but that's how it came to me and I never did anything about it.

 

I'm at the point where I only use Federal primers, load the Colt with only Titegroup or Trailboss and the .45 ACP with only Bullseye.

 

Keep it simple, keep it organized, and keep enough around to handle the Zombie Apocalypse!

 

2K Colt, 2K .45 ACP, 3K 9mm, 2K .22 and one case of 12 Gauge . . . . .

 

I'll be settling down to reload in about three weeks, time to get another thousand up for the start of the shooting season, which I hope to be first weekend in March . . . . .

 

Shadow Catcher

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Used to be real anal about having to store every round in a box. Loading for about a dozen Cowboy calibers I soon had literally hundreds of plastic boxes. Sold all but ten of each size box and now put the ammo in large plastic buckets and load the boxes as needed.

[GW Ryder, SASS #50690]

Griz,

Folgers plastic coffee cans for empty brass sorted by caliber. After loading, rounds go into cardboard Lone Tree Bullet boxes for storage. Always go into plastic 100 rd MTM boxes to take to matches. I keep about 6 of these full of 45LC. I like the MTM boxes because it makes it real easy to check for those dastardly high primers.

 

12 gauge goes into original AA boxes for storage and taking to matches.

GW

[Dakota Psycho]

practice ammo Crown Royal bags. match ammo 100 and 50 plastic boxes

[Kid Latham, SASS #79471]

Because I use my .38SPL reloads interchangeably in rifles and pistols, and for practice, main match and long range matches, I store all in the MTM 100-round boxes. This reduces the possibility of bullet deformation, which I suspect would have an effect on the long range accuracy. Since I treat all ammo the same way, I can use any box I pull from stock for any of the intended uses without concern. Obsessive, perhaps, but it works for me.

Kid Latham

[Grizzly Dave]

Kid, I use the same load for everything as well.

 

GW, I have a stack of empty Lone Tree Bullet boxes out in the shop, was kind of thinking of using them for what wouldn't fit in the MTM boxes. I wonder if Lone Tree would want any extra boxess back to use again?

 

I like having ammo in the MTM boxes for matches, I just grab the seemingly always there partially full box, and two full boxes. That gives me enough for me, and enough for another shooter should my boy be able to go at the last minute, or if a pard at the range needs it, which has happened a couple of times.

 

Don't reload shotgun shells yet, but have been saving the AA boxes along with the empty hulls for when I get going with that.

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

Grizz

I put my reloads in plastic boxes nose down , then store in 50 cal army surplus cans .

Shot gun in reused boxes , then 50 cal cans .

Some times I will even rotate ammo .

Chickasaw Bill

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

I have 65 Plastic 50 round boxes for .45s and about 5 100 round boxes after that it's coffee cans ,,,,,

Most other calibers I have enought Plastic boxes to go around ....

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Deadeye Don]

Reloading is one task that it pays to be OCD about. My reloading area is modern, neat, and organized. I use 50 round plastic cases that are different colors for different calibers. Everything is labeled.

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

I shoot 38's..

All my loaded ammo goes into my old Lead boxes.. the ones with the flap lid..I never throw a box away..

Each box holds 200 rounds.. I put labels on them with the loading data/when loaded etc.

I write everything with pencil.. so I can erase it once the box is empty..

they go into my ammo cabinet with the oldest to the front.. easy to grab and I can pretty easily keep track of how much is loaded....

 

When I'm ready for a match.. I load up individual 100 round count plastic boxes for the cart

 

 

Rance

[Shooting Bull]

.38 Special goes in 100 round MTM boxes because that's the way the boss wants them stored. .45 ACP goes in a canvas range bag.

 

On the rare occasion I load a small batch of either one to try a different bullet or powder, that goes in a Crown Royal bag.

[M.T Chambers, SASS#76185]

Smokeless in blue MTM 100-round boxes, BP in black 100-round boxes.

[Olen Rugged]

Yeah, that's what I use, bulk boxes...

 

Olen

 

 

 

[DOCBRAZOS, SASS#18033L]

Definatly bulk

Ammo cans for long term storage.

But I carry all my Ammo to the range in Bullet Boxes.

Usually 500 38 bullets come in a box!

I use and re-use those card board boxes to go to the Range.

Each box holds 200+ rounds 38 or 357 and two boxes or 400 rounds will usually do me for any Two Day Shoot!

[Wasatch Lawman]

Berry or MTM 100 round boxes nose down. Makes it easy to spot a high primer or missed seated bullet (OAL). Usually load the boxes straight out of the loader, after a quick wipe down and inspection.

 

But I have been known to go into a crazed loading frenzy and loads thousands at a time, they go into bulk boxes, then get transfered to the 100 count boxes when head to the shoots.

 

Wasatch

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I have six 30 cal. ammo cans to store bulk ammo. One can holds about 800 38 spl. rounds. I use those plastic 100 round boxes to take to the match. I just refill the ammo boxes after every match. I reuse shotgun shell boxes till they fall apart. Then I just dumpster dive for some more. Unlimited supply around our club.

[John E. Law]

Wow, I guess I go above and beyond. First, I load for 3 people (Wife, niece, and myself). When I load I do about 6000 rds at a time. I use 2 different loads, one for pistol and one for rifle. I load about 3000 of each and put them each in a large container. Then over the next week while watching TV I hand check each and every case and then case guage each round and put them in 100 round boxes, staggering one row of pistol and one row of rifle. Any "defects" even minor ones go into my two "practice" bags and then those cases are thrown away after practice. Some may think this is a little anal, but I have only had one match get messed up because of a bad round and that was from my first and only bad primer not the round itself. (I use Federal Mag primers for all matches except State and above in which I use Match ones).

 

As for shotgun I go to Deadlee Headlee's house and use his hydrolic Spoler Gold. I then load between 1500 and 2000 shells, (That loader is AWESOME, 26+ rds a minute if you get in a good rhythm) then I hand drop every hull into the barrels of my double and if they even hesitate going in or out there tossed into the practice bucket.

 

That's the way I do it,

JEL

[Anvil Al #59168]

Use those 100 round boxes also.

Have 25 of them, and 10 of the 50 round boxes.

 

But don't remember the last time I had them all loaded at the same time.

I will wait till I am about to run out. Then load 1000 pistol, 1000 rifle.

Then wait till I run out again. Wife says she is shooting more this year.

So it will be a lot more often. She has only been shooting about 3 matches a year

the last few years. But she is already signed up for 5 big ones and wants to hit

a monthly at least once a month this year.

 

I just put them in a little cardboard box and then sit while watching TV

and check each one for high primers or split cases that I might have missed before.

Put them in the plastic boxes as I check.

The bad ones goes in a different bag for practice.

[Buffalo Dick, SASS #12880]

Most of my smokeless ammo goes into one quart freezer bags straight from the hopper on my 650. I use a Sharpie to write the load data and date loaded on the bag. For local matches, I'll usually just throw a couple of bags in my cart and pull out what I need per stage on the stage. I'll briefly inspect them as I put them into my loading strip or the small bag I take to the loading table.

 

If I have extra time, I'll try to put the rounds in plastic ammo boxes before a match, especially a major match.

 

I guess I have a natural immunity to OCD.