Project - a DIY ammo locker

[PAshooter]

Excellent project, P-man. I'll soon be moving into a new home and am very interested in trying to duplicate your "design" in my new digs. That ammo stuff (like the contents of the gun safe) sure tends to grow and expand over time doesn't it?

Hutch may be right - this may be over engineered a bit... but I'm a big fan of over engineering. Much preferred to running the risk of a major !@#$%^&*

 

[Preacherman]

Hutch, I go by the weight ratings assigned by the furniture manufacturer. If they tell me not to put more than 70-80 pounds on a standard steel shelf, I take their word for it. I'm sure they have a built-in margin of safety on that, but the little metal brackets that slot into the sides of the cupboard are pretty flimsy, and the metal of the cupboard itself is very thin - so, given the amount of ammo I store, I simply don't want to take the chance. Another thing - these cupboards typically come with three or four shelves. I now have six - much easier to spread things out that way, as each shelf can support up to 150-200 pounds, but the weight can be distributed more evenly.

So - over-engineered? I respectfully don't think so...

(BTW, if anyone has one of these steel cupboards and needs a couple of extra conventional shelves and brackets, do I have a deal for you! )

 

[BluesBear]

Bravo

Elegant Simplicity Preacherman!

It's threads like this that make it worth the price of admission here.

 

[Preacherman]

BB, I'm not sure how to take that, since admission is free...

 

[BluesBear]

Freedom's never free.

since admission is free

I consider the "price of admission" here to be having to wade through all of the 9mm-.40/10mm-.45-slow/heavy vs light/fast-photos of your pocket lint filled hollowpoints-do you think a .50calAR-15 or a .17calAK-47is best for alien mutant zombie wolfbears when the SHTF and TEOTWAWKI-I only use FMJ so I can hit the spinal column from 50 feet while running backwards during an adrenaline dump-all politicians suck-plastic is better than metal because it's new/metal is better than plastic just because it is-all cops are angelic heros/spawn of satan-why the 1911 is the most dependable piece of crap every invented and everyone should own either 20 or none-all gun shop employees are imbeciles-RBCD/MagSafe/Glaser ammo is the greatest too bad it doesn't work-it's spelled Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious you dimwit-I was there when they shot the goats but FotoMat lost my film-auto vs revolver, threads.

After my daily dose of the above mentioned it is really refreshing to see an idea we all can actually use. Whether it's a good way to store ammo or how to field strip an unusual gun or how to identify the gun my great-grandfather brought back from the Crusades.

I guess the older I get the more I just want to "keep it real".

Thanks to Preacherman and the others who strive to make and keep THR real.

 

[Valkman]

Well now you've inspired me - but instead of doing what you did it'll be a little different. In my den is a 6' closet with 2 sliding doors, just like a bedroom closet. I'll buy shelving to fit in there and have tons of room! I've been worried about keeping all my ammo out in the garage during a Vegas summer but this will be much better. It won't be lockable but I don't really need that - and it will just look like a closet from the outside.

 

[Preacherman]

Does this mean that when identifying yourself as a shooter, you'll be coming out of the closet?

 

[Moparmike]

So - over-engineered?

I used to be an engineering student, and as a member of a professional engineering fraternity, I can safely say that there is no such thing as "Over-Engineered." You never know when your "over-engineering" could prove to be just "adequate."


I personally built a bed that will hold more than 1000lbs out of 4x4 posts, 2x4's, and 2x6's, because in a fraternity house, you never know how many sorority girls will stay over...

None so far...

 

[HankL]

P.M. , I wish that I had thought about that before I did this:

I would have saved some bucks.

 

[Valkman]

Does this mean that when identifying yourself as a shooter, you'll be coming out of the closet?

AARRRGGGHHHHH!!!! (Runs away screaming)

 

[SiG Lady]

BluesBear is right...

PM--
EXCELLENT job on the shelving project!! I don't think it was the least bit overdone. (Just look at the response on this thread, for one thing.) Jolly good job!! Carry on!

 

[DigitalWarrior]

Thanks for the explenation

I think I have a next saturday cleaning up project...

 

[ChopperKen]

Thanks a lot Preacherman!

After looking at your project I started looking at my available room.
Darn, I have room. Now I have to go to the store and buy stuff...
Thanks for the ideas PM
Ken

 

[Gewehr98]

Darn it, he's costing me money.

Now I'm off to Wal-Mart to find those shelving units. And a cabinet. I'm tired of looking at all the ammo on the floor. Good one, PreacherMan!

 

[SiG Lady]

Gah...!

(You might want to reduce that photo. You've got at least a 30% screen spread........)

 

[outdoorman63]

great job

am going to run out and get a set of shelves to put in mine...ni matter how neatly or evenly i pack mine the shelves always bow....you figure a 1000 rds of 308 weighs 74 lbs...then add others on to that shelve and you have a disaster waiting to happen...thanks preacherman.............

 

[Third_Rail]

Nice project! When I gather a bit of money together, that'll be on the to build list.

 

[dustind]

Nice locker Preacherman, you still owe us a picture of it fully loaded. I think the legs of the inner shelves vs the thin sheet metal floor is the weakest part.

BluesBear: That post was hilarious, especially the "why the 1911 is the most dependable piece of crap every invented." I enjoy all the stuff you seem not to, all the more THR for me I guess.

 

[sm]

Gewehr98

Personally I like your "floor plan".
Gotta admit more organized than 5 cases of shotgun ammo I once had...on the floor...out of the original case boxes.

I bought the 'world's ugliest chest of drawers" from a neighbor 10 years ago for $7. Heavy wood with dovetail joints and all. I mean ugly. So I drill a hole in right rear corner, insert a steel rod that goes thru all 4 drawers. Top of rod is flat / flush with top. Bottom has a cut out on back side with a plate a padlock attaches to . Easy to unlock and remove rod...otherwise ain't no way them drawers gonna open. Put a decorative runner on top of chest, stick a oil lamp on top...ta da...ecletic bachelor decorates a ammo chest again. Eat you heart M. Stewart...Tim the tool man ain't got nuttin' on me.

So damn ugly it grows on ya...

Movers dolly "bent" once , had to get the appliance duty one. "Just what the hell is in here" he asked. I replied " Just some old textbooks and Junk".
He said , " I've moved ammo boxes that didn't weigh this much".

< dumb look> "Ammo?" " Yeah like in guns and stuff" he said. "Guns?"...."Nevermind you don't seem like the type".

 

[Preacherman]

I think the legs of the inner shelves vs the thin sheet metal floor is the weakest part.

Dustind, not at all. My first ammo locker is like this one, but with even heavier-duty shelves, using the same type of upright, and that's held more than half-a-ton of ammo for over three years now. No problems with the legs penetrating the bottom of the cupboard, or bending, or anything like that. Don't forget that the bottoms of the uprights aren't sharpened to a point, or anything like that!

 

[nvrquit]

You've saved me....

.... from my usual tendancy of over-engineering a self built unit.

The example, along with the source for at least one of the components, is very good neighborly of you, PM.

Two thumbs up !!!

 

[AZLibertarian]

sm

I bought the 'world's ugliest chest of drawers" from a neighbor 10 years ago for $7. Heavy wood with dovetail joints and all. I mean ugly. So I drill a hole in right rear corner, insert a steel rod that goes thru all 4 drawers. Top of rod is flat / flush with top. Bottom has a cut out on back side with a plate a padlock attaches to . Easy to unlock and remove rod...otherwise ain't no way them drawers gonna open. Put a decorative runner on top of chest, stick a oil lamp on top...ta da...ecletic bachelor decorates a ammo chest again. Eat you heart M. Stewart...Tim the tool man ain't got nuttin' on me.

Martha Stewart and Tim the Tool Man are so 90's. You sound like you might be due a visit from those Queer Eye for the Straight Guy guys.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Nice locker job!

If I actually had that much ammo to fill it, I would do it. If I had one as empty as it would be, I would have to fill it up... so the side expenses just don't work for me. Maybe later though!

 

[sm]

<after a Tecoma search for QEFSG...don't watch much TV here>

One look at this straight hetro male, they'd give up. Any attempt to have me give up blue&wood guns, leather holsters, pick up trucks...longish hair and moustache...and leave the cast iron skillets alone...

...toss me another mag...them fellas gettin right good at a new version of the two step...keep dancing ya'll...

 

[Preacherman]

A few points, based on comments in this thread and some PM's/e-mails received from others interested in building their own ammo lockers.

First, I really don't think that this is "too much" space for ammo. Allow me to present Preacherman's Postulate For Ammunition Storage: "Ammunition Expands To Fill The Space Available"! I started out with one half-height office cupboard (36"x18"x36"), with three heavy-duty shelves. Within a year, I had to move it over to a full-size cupboard, as illustrated here. The one I've just built is my second!

Also, it's amazing how your firearm "accessories" accumulate... holsters, cleaning gear, ammo, tools, bags, boxes, etc., etc... I'm building this second ammo locker because once I've moved ammo over to it, neatly arranged by caliber (often in milsurp .50-caliber ammo boxes), I'll be moving the rest of my firearm odds-and-sods into the old ammo cabinet. For the purpose, I've bought a number of the small Rubbermaid plastic storage containers, in various sizes, like this:

(Walmart again!). I'm going to sort my gun goodies into categories, and box them up separately, and store these boxes in the other cupboard, so that everything is in one place, neatly arranged, and accessible whenever I need it. How many times have you looked for a particular cleaning jag, or gunsmithing tool, or whatever, and had to hunt all over for it? This ammo closet helps organize all of them too, so I don't think space will be wasted.

Finally, a couple of folks who are already building similar lockers complained that they found it very difficult to get the front cross-members in place, because the uprights were being forced into the small gaps between the door hinges and the sides of the cupboard. Agreed, that can be a problem - the solution is, assemble the front uprights and cross-members outside the cupboard, and put them in place as a unit. Then, put the rear uprights in place, and attach the front-to-back cross-members; and finally, attach the rear cross-members. This ensures that the front uprights are held in place by the cross-members, and can't be pushed out to funny angles.

Hope this helps... I think I'll have to start a photo thread for ammo storage when this is all done!