Where do you safely store your ammunition?

[Baltimore Ed]

Recently I was responding to a gunsafe inquiry on another forum and got to reading a very lengthy article about gun safe construction, American made vs Chinese imports, defeating a safe, fire protection, effects of a fire, proper safe location and especially proper ammunition storage. Now, I have kept my ammo in my safe since I bought it prior to Y2K. But after reading up on it I am rethinking my ammo storage. One of the comments that the author posed and got me thinking was 'how sad would it be to have your gun collection survive a fire only to have a brick of .22s cook off and ruin it.' So my question to the fine members of cas.city is Where or how do you store your ammo (flammable reloading supplies)? Gunsafe, fireproof storage locker, pantry, a shelf in the garage, under the bed? I'll start: My wifes uncle Tommy, a really cool guy, reloader and competitor who shot high power matches at Camp Perry, kept his ammo in an old dead refrigerator in the basement of his house in Elyira, Ohio.

[Blair]

Have you ever read any of the "safe storage and handling" requirements of low and/or high explosive, or other flammables?
I maybe incorrect in this statement, but I believe you can get copies of this from the BATF? (I would not suggest you check with them, the local hardware store or gun shop would be better.)
It has been a long time since I worked in Aviation Ordnance in the USN, and/or as a hard rock miner blasting my way into solid rock, so things may have changed.
However, the quantities are not going the be quite the same as with a home re-loader.
My best,
 Blair

[Baltimore Ed]

The company that I worked for used steel fire resistant storage lockers for gas cans, wd40 and paint aerosol cans. I always thought that it was more to keep all of that kind of stuff in one place rather than here and there in people's personal lockers. I don't know if one of those lockers would work for ammo or not. Anybody use one?

[Advertising]

[Silver_Rings]

Loaded ammo is not a danger if it cooks off.  22 rimfires will create fragments of the case but will not penetrate a piece of cardboard.  Center fire rounds when cooked off, results in the bullet popping out of the case a few inches.  This is based on an article in the NRA Rifleman magazine many years ago.

However confining gun powder in metal containers other than those they are sold in is a bad idea.  The powder should be stared in a container that the burning expanding gas can easily rupture, rather than causing it to explode.

I store my loaded ammo and powder and primers in a light weight metal storage cabinet.

Silver Rings   

[FriscoCounty]

SAAMI video of what happens when ammunition cooks off:

[Big Mak]

I have two safes. When is a Liberty Safe, Franklin, it has all my firearms in it. The other is a steel safe lesser quality not fire resistant and that is where I store my cans of ammunition that I reload. My powder and primers are actually in a plastic roll away in my external garage away from everything else. Including the house!

[Professor Marvel]

one can increase the fire resistance ( and thus the fire rating) of any container or cupboard-like device thingy
by lining it or cladding it in sheetrock or cement board ( ie: bathroom concrete-based tile board). More thicknesses means
more heat resistance.

Your Milage May Vary, Smoking Is Hazardous to Yoir Health, Not for Childrren under the age of 118 , Do Not operate while under hte influence of Televison or Alcohol, Objects may Be Larger than they Appear.

yhs
prof rambles....

[Baltimore Ed]

I watched the saami video, it was very informative. Is there a video of ammo stored in a GI steel ammo box in a fire?

[Hargrave]

I will have to take a picture and post soon ......

I used to keep all my ammo and powder in an official powder magazine container. One of the red metal boxes on rollers with the lid designed to blow upwards and direct the blast.

This last year however ... I took an old gun safe of medium quality that was not being used for guns given it was in the garage and the south Texas coast humidity was too much. I stripped the carpet out and took it down to bare cement board ... I then lined in cedar planks and built plywood shelving .... Looks and works great so far !!!!

I will see about tKing some pictures for reference.

Jake

[Coffinmaker]

All over the basement.  Yep.  Everywhere.  Shop, Reloading Area, Armory (Gun Room), shelves in all three places.  Along with several
pounds of propellant (APP, Smokeless powder).  I am totally unconcerned.  In the event of fire, as long as my Sweetheart, Myself and
the Dogs get out, I don't care.  That is what insurance with a rider are for. 

Safely stored ammunition is relative.  Unless a separate, purpose built ammunition bunker, separate from the residence, with blast
doors and a blow-out, there is no true "safely." 

Coffinmaker

[wildman1]

IMG wM1

[Popa Kapoff]

I keep mine on the sHelvetia over my workbench.

[pony express]

Several shelf units in my loading room, mostly stored in plastic "shoe boxes" from WalMart, sorted and labeled on the ends of the box as to what caliber is in it. Some is in GI ammo boxes. Powder is in a Rubbermaid shelf/cabinet unit. Currently re-considering my primer storage, though. Have had them in GI ammo cans for years, but planning to switch to the waterproof plastic ones, seems like primers in an ammo can in a fire would be a pretty good bomb.

[Major 2]

I had rounds cooking off in my Barn fire in 2011... I was surprised by the The fire dept. chief, and firefighters, they said they were unconcerned ....    and worked to save the frame structure... I don't recall if they asked if there were any loading guns , seems likely they might have    ( there were not any guns loaded or unloaded in the fire )
after that and seeing the video, I understand their point....

The new building is steel and ammo is stored in metal cabinets in the reload room with in, and away from the main dwelling...
still  "safety is as prudently safety does." 

[Bunk Stagnerg]

Depends on what kind of ammo it is. Smokeysomewhatless rounds are fairly safe even when they burn
However, that being said, Gun Powder loads would be another matter altogether. Black Powder is an explosive, not a flammable solid and rounds loaded with real Gun Powder would be like fire crackers and the brass cases would make dangerous fragments I would think.
Yr' Obt' Svt'
Bunk 

[Major 2]

I should have qualified  the BP issue ,  I had 2 one pound 3XXX GOEX cans in that fire.... they created a fire ball...one can was found about 200 ft. in the back pasture, maybe 3-4 months later by the mower.
Of course no painted label ( burned off ) rusty,  blown out at the seam line,  and the cap was long gone.