Military Ammo Crates

[GunnyUSMC]

Over the years I have accumulated a lot of different things, but one item has kind of turned into a collection. Wooden ammo crates.
At first it was, hay that’s cool, I’ll keep it. But as time went by I found myself looking for them. I even started buying surplus ammo by the crate mainly just to get the crate.
Here are a few that I’ve picked up over the years.
These first few are US 81mm mortar rates.


This is an unopened crate of Czech 7.62X54r that I picked up in 2007.

Here’s a crate of Yugo 8mm Mauser


No need to open the tin can because I have another 900 round crate just like it that I haven’t opened yet.


Here’s toe more crates that I emptied out a few years ago but ended up using them to store more ammo.


The one on the left is 7.62X25, and the one on the right is 7.62X54r.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Here’s some more.
410 ammo crate from India. This one is empty, I have another that’s unopened.


These are the wood crates for holding ammo cans.

 

[MechAg94]

Nice. I never know what to do with those. I would rather use ammo cans for storing ammo and I can't think of anything else to use them for.


You need a 7n6 5.45x39 crate. Or maybe a CMP 30.06 crate.

 

[Speedo66]

I can't verify the truth, but I've heard some of those wooden crates, like some pallets, were treated with some pretty nasty chemicals.

True or not, I decided not to take a chance. I live near a major distributor, and while I've been tempted, I never picked them up.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Nice. I never know what to do with those. I would rather use ammo cans for storing ammo and I can't think of anything else to use them for.


You need a 7n6 5.45x39 crate. Or maybe a CMP 30.06 crate.

Can always use another crate or two.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I can't verify the truth, but I've heard some of those wooden crates, like some pallets, were treated with some pretty nasty chemicals.

True or not, I decided not to take a chance. I live near a major distributor, and while I've been tempted, I never picked them up.

They’re not treated with anything dangerous. Why would they treat them with something harmful when they were to be handled by troops.

 

[FROGO207]

I have a major collection of ammo cans and other sealed containers but had never thought about collecting ammo crates. In the past I have just burned them when I clean up around the yard along with other various limbs and such. Now you have me thinking.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Here’s one that Total-Recoil sent me. I made shelves for it and made it a cabinet.

 

[Texas10mm]

They’re not treated with anything dangerous. Why would they treat them with something harmful when they were to be handled by troops.

Agent Orange?
Atom bomb tests?

 

[Speedo66]

They’re not treated with anything dangerous. Why would they treat them with something harmful when they were to be handled by troops.

Google chemicals on ammo crates and all types of info comes up. Heavy metals seem to be the preservative of choice. Troop protection was obviously not their number one priority. This is from a DOD site, they specifically mention ammo boxes as being hazardous.

https://phc.amedd.army.mil/PHC Resource Library/TG146_GuideforHandlingReuseandDisposalofChemicallyTreatedWoodMaterial.pdf

"Due to the toxicity associated with these chemical preservatives, handling, reuse and disposal issues arise when chemically treated wood items are no longer viable for their original use. This technical guide (TG) is intended for use as an aid for determining proper handling, reuse, and disposal practices for chemically treated wood items generated by Department of Defense (DOD/DoD) activities, primarily of wooden pallets and ammunition boxes, railroad ties and crossarms, utility poles, and construction and demolition debris since these items may contain Federal or State regulated hazardous constituents depending on the chemical wood preservative used (i.e., arsenic, chromium, copper, cresols (constituents of creosote), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and PCP)"

If the US military used these chemicals, you can only imagine what's in the crates of other country's that may consider their soldiers as disposable.

Drilling into it and creating breathable dust may not be in your best interest.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Google chemicals on ammo crates and all types of info comes up. Heavy metals seem to be the preservative of choice. Troop protection was obviously not their number one priority. This is from a DOD site, they specifically mention ammo boxes as being hazardous.

https://phc.amedd.army.mil/PHC Resource Library/TG146_GuideforHandlingReuseandDisposalofChemicallyTreatedWoodMaterial.pdf

"Due to the toxicity associated with these chemical preservatives, handling, reuse and disposal issues arise when chemically treated wood items are no longer viable for their original use. This technical guide (TG) is intended for use as an aid for determining proper handling, reuse, and disposal practices for chemically treated wood items generated by Department of Defense (DOD/DoD) activities, primarily of wooden pallets and ammunition boxes, railroad ties and crossarms, utility poles, and construction and demolition debris since these items may contain Federal or State regulated hazardous constituents depending on the chemical wood preservative used (i.e., arsenic, chromium, copper, cresols (constituents of creosote), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and PCP)"

If the US military used these chemicals, you can only imagine what's in the crates of other country's that may consider their soldiers as disposable.

Drilling into it and creating breathable dust may not be in your best interest.

I think I have a better chance of getting lead poisoning from shooting then getting sick from collecting ammo crates.
Let’s try to stay on topic and not try and change the topic of my post.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Here are some more that are still unopened.

 

[Speedo66]

I'm not changing the topic of your post, just noting it's hazardous. You're an adult and can obviously make your own decisions. Others with children may want to know more before they bring them into their houses.

 

[theotherwaldo]

The only ammo crate that I have left is an old Soviet 7.62x39 box that my mother used to carry her art supplies when she was on the road.
She painted it black.
I keep it in the truck to hold bottled water and other emergency supplies.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I'm not changing the topic of your post, just noting it's hazardous. You're an adult and can obviously make your own decisions. Others with children may want to know more before they bring them into their houses.

Thank you for your concern, but I have kids and ammo crates and the crates never made the kids sick.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The only ammo crate that I have left is an old Soviet 7.62x39 box that my mother used to carry her art supplies when she was on the road.
She painted it black.
I keep it in the truck to hold bottled water and other emergency supplies.

I have an old US ammo crate that my father in law painted brown. I think it’s from WWII.
I use it to store things in.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

I have converted one recently and made it into a booze bar. Turned out pretty nice.

 

[WestKentucky]

Having worked on several DOD sites as an environmental remediation employee doing cleanup from various events, I offer this to the point of the safety of the boxes. The DOD has done some really questionable stuff over the years when it comes to disposal, but I have not ever been concerned with anything that I saw in physical means or in test results to make me question storage practices outside of when water becomes a problem (as in flooding or roof leaks). The govt pays for stuff and they do their due diligence in protecting the resources until such time comes for the resource to be fully and expediently wasted and/or utilized. Degradation of the items inside of the containers would be a bigger concern than the treatment of the containers (pesticide and rot reduction chemicals much like most forms of lumber). Many people create stuff from “pallet wood” which is far more dangerous as pallets are reused and often get chemicals spilled onto them during use of whatever was shipped on said pallet.

Gunny, keep up the collecting. Even if it’s not the greatest thing, something has to take us all out at some point and the risk of chemical exposure from a wooden crate that’s just sitting around in a dry area is minimal. If you can smell something that doesn’t have a wood smell then you might reconsider.

Those crates are pretty cool. Too bad they aren’t as artistically made or decorated as some of the old commercial crates, but those are super expensive to collect. Yours are more utilitarian and fit perfectly into the overall theme of what you do and what you post on here.

How many arms crates do you have? I remember the Mosin crate.

 

[jak67429]

If you are worried about the preservative used in ammo crates make sure you stay away from decks, and cardboard boxes. Until a few years ago the main ingredient in treated lumber was arsinc. Now it is copper and zinc phosphate.

 

[bdickens]

Good greif! Some people act like just being in the same county as some of these chemicals will cause you to instantly die of cancer.

Ever fill up your car with gas? Guess what, you've inhaled gasoline vapor.

Ever change the oil? Antifreeze? You've been exposed to toxic chemicals.

Ever gone shooting? Lead exposure.

Cleaned a gun? More toxic chemicals.

Used pesticides? Solvents? Cleaning products?

You get the idea....

 

[dogtown tom]

Not mine

 

[45 long]

I'm likin' that...…..Hell of a coffee table !!

 

[H&R Glock]

I would think that ammo crates would not hurt you unless you burned them. Fumes from a burning ammo crate may be just as harmful as burning lumber yard wood that has been treated for outdoor use. Carpentry scraps from treated wood have always carried a warning about burning.
Gunny your pictures are great and your collections are the greatest!

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Having worked on several DOD sites as an environmental remediation employee doing cleanup from various events, I offer this to the point of the safety of the boxes. The DOD has done some really questionable stuff over the years when it comes to disposal, but I have not ever been concerned with anything that I saw in physical means or in test results to make me question storage practices outside of when water becomes a problem (as in flooding or roof leaks). The govt pays for stuff and they do their due diligence in protecting the resources until such time comes for the resource to be fully and expediently wasted and/or utilized. Degradation of the items inside of the containers would be a bigger concern than the treatment of the containers (pesticide and rot reduction chemicals much like most forms of lumber). Many people create stuff from “pallet wood” which is far more dangerous as pallets are reused and often get chemicals spilled onto them during use of whatever was shipped on said pallet.

Gunny, keep up the collecting. Even if it’s not the greatest thing, something has to take us all out at some point and the risk of chemical exposure from a wooden crate that’s just sitting around in a dry area is minimal. If you can smell something that doesn’t have a wood smell then you might reconsider.

Those crates are pretty cool. Too bad they aren’t as artistically made or decorated as some of the old commercial crates, but those are super expensive to collect. Yours are more utilitarian and fit perfectly into the overall theme of what you do and what you post on here.

How many arms crates do you have? I remember the Mosin crate.

I have two Mosin crates. One I bought full of rifles.
I also have a Russian K98 crate.
Oh! This thing has the very strong odor of cosmoline

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I keep varies items in some of the crates and have a few in the attic.