Storing ammo in ammo cans?

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SilentStalker

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Ok, so I guess ammo cans are more for transport than storage but I have always stored my ammo in cans when I can for various reasons. Anyways I never thought much about it but a friend of mine told me last night that I was crazy for storing ammo or any kind of brass in cans because it was harder metal than the brass. He claim it caused the brass and everything else to oxidize extremely quickly for this reason. Not sure that that is necessarily a really bad thing but I am curious as to you all's thoughts on this. I can say that I have been keeping my ammo like this for like 3 years and never really had a problem but I do keep it in the boxes inside the cans. Thoughts?
 
Cardboard boxes that is not sufficiently "acid free" will do much more to corrode (or discolor) your brass than the metal in a GI ammo can.

The DAG surplus 7.62 Nato sold a few years ago was relatively new (late 80s early 90s) but inside the battle packs the cardboard was not sufficiently acid free and thus many of the rounds had corrosion, pretty much all were discolored so they were sold relatively cheaply.


I've been shooting up a lot of my old reloads, many stored in GI ammo cans for 25+ years.

I'd set them aside, they got buried behind other stuff while I enjoyed years of shooting cheap Russian ammo at prices I could hardly reload for. With the current situation they've been a godsend.
 
GI ammo cans are an excellent way to store ammo, if they're in good condition with the gaskets intact. Oxidation of brass is due to the presence of oxygen and moisture, not the presence of "harder metals." The GI ammo cans are virtually airtight. What you don't want to do is store brass in contact with leather (gun belts, etc.). Brass in contact with leather causes verdigris (that waxy green stuff) very quickly.
 
I have been storing ammo in G.I. metal ammo cans for over thirty years and have yet to have any kind of problem with oxidation. I check the caskets and rotate fresh dessicant bags in them every so often.
 
Harder metals cause faster oxidation rates?

Be right back guys, going to go win a Nobel Prize!

Seriously though, those GI cans are great for ammo. Store them in a cool dry place and you've got ammo with a pretty much indefinite shelf life
 
SilentStalker said:
... a friend of mine told me last night that I was crazy for storing ammo or any kind of brass in cans because it was harder metal than the brass. He claim it caused the brass and everything else to oxidize extremely quickly for this reason.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA! OK, I think there is a very good chance that that is the dumbest thing that I will read today. :)

As AlexanderA said, USGI ammo cans are an excellent way to store ammo. I have been using them for this purpose since the '70s.
 
I work doing cathodic protection systems on coastal bridges. Simple version is we coat bridges with zinc to protect the rebar inside the concrete. In this case zinc being the lesser metal it will corrode first. There is a list of metals that will work as anodes and cathodes to each other in a corrosion setting if a person really wants to get into it. Ammo in ammo cans is a non issue unless there was corrosion present when it it was stored in the can. At least in my personal experience.
 
Your friend is a good example of someone with opinions but no knowledge. Please rethink anything he has told you about any other subject as well.
 
Your friend is applying the lessons of galvanic corrosion incorrectly. Galvanic corrosion happens when two dissimilar metals are in contact with each other in (through) an electrolytic solution. It is a very effective method of destroying the anode metal. It is the reason you attach Zinc bars (sacrificial anodes) on outboard motors. The zinc is eroded away and slowly plates out on the cathode metals.

It does not apply here because the inside of the cans are DRY.

Jim
 
I thought that is why they call them (Ammo Cans) they are suppose to have ammo in them, at least that is where I keep mine.................
 
There is one potential problem with ammo cans that I have actually witnessed. The gasket is only intended to do its job once until the virgin can is opened. What can happen on reuse is the gasket may be liquid water proof but not water vapor proof.

If a reused can is stored where it gets repeated large temperature swings, like in an unheated structure, when the can heats up it gets pressurized and "exhales" and when it cools it "inhales" and the water vapor in the air that comes into the can condenses leaving liquid water in the can.

I have found several ounces of water in used military cans that were left in my unheated storage container over a period of about a year. I know they were dry when I stored them.

These were empty genuine, used military 50 cal cans - not rejects. Judging by the yellow tape under the lids, the markings on the cans and the fine sand inside them, I think they were used fairly recently.

If they had been full of ammo I think there would be less of this condensation effect because obviously there would be less air space in the can but it still can happen.
 
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I can attest to the air tight storage of US,GI issue ammo cans.

My home is 585 feet higher in elevation than where my father lives,he gave me a 1960's 30 cal. ammo can.I tossed it into the rear floor board behind the drivers seat, and forgot about it.

I'm driving home from work one day (which is on the same elevation as pop's place), going up the big hill on the x-way into the Knobs, and I hear this ! PLOINK !.

It's one of those what the **** was that ! moments, I thought something fell off the car! But it kept running and I didn't feel any collision so I kept driving and got to the house. I actually checked the sheet metal when I got home to see if I had hit some thing on the road and damaged the car.

Next morning same noise going into work ***?, again going home !

It was that ammo can responding to the air pressure difference of 585 feet of elevation
So I know they are air tight to the max.

There are several metals that will have corrosive effects when in close contact, brass and steel are not one of those combinations.

Brass and aluminum, steel and aluminum are a couple that comes to mind, either will start a chemical reaction that results in heavy corrosion,
 
" a friend of mine told me last night that I was crazy for storing ammo or any kind of brass in cans because it was harder metal than the brass. He claim it caused the brass and everything else to oxidize extremely quickly for this reason."

Let me guess, after your "friend" told you this he offered to dispose of those worthless ammo cans at no charge to you. Sounds like a real friend.
 
rondog said:
Thinking of retiring some cans and just stacking the boxed reloads, I'm running out of space.

DSC_0068.jpg
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I'm pretty sure if you had serious fire those boxes would blow up and you would be held liable for any injuries to fire fighters. I would NEVER store ammo in small hard metal containers.
 
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