The more I got hooked on shooting I started accumulating more ammunition. Then I started Reloading and it kind of got out of hand. At that point I could no longer keep everything in my bedroom closet or under my bed. So, I started looking to set up shop in my garage. But….. I live in South Carolina…… and if you know anything about “The South”, you know it gets HOT! And maybe more worrisome – HUMID!! That’s what worried me – Can I safely store my ammunition and reloading components in the garage?
After doing some research I found that the short answer is – Yes. You can safely store ammunition and reloading components in the garage, but you need to take precautions.
Most ammunition manufacturers say that if stored in a dark and dry spot you ammunition should last 10 years. The two main concerns with ammunition storage, other than security, are humidity and temperature swings. Now, in upstate South Carolina we have both hot and humid summers along with cold winters. That’s two strikes.
Why is humidity an issue for ammunition? Well the short answer is humidity and brass really don’t play well together. While modern ammunition is sealed so you don’t have to worry about the powder going bad, too much humidity will cause corrosion of the brass and primer which will render your useless. First of all we are talking about normally stored ammunition and not rounds that have been out in the elements. If your ammunition has been subjected to any sort of rain or water, fire it as soon as possible or go ahead and discard it. Putting wet rounds back in storage with your “protected” stock probably isn’t the best idea.
Temperature swings can also be a concern. Most modern ammunition is designed to work effectively in both hot and cold climate but where concern can arise is in intense heat. Many industry experts have expressed concern of rapid degradation if your ammunition is exposed to temperatures above 150 degrees Fahrenheit. When I heard this I said to myself, “Well at least it doesn’t get over 100 degrees in South Carolina.” Then I began thinking about how my garage door facing the afternoon sun and how it really heats up mid afternoon. I then thought about how a car can heat up like an oven in the summer heat. According to www.heatkills.org, even on a 70 degree day your car interior can reach temperatures of 100 degrees. When it’s between 80 – 100 degrees out, the interior temperature can reach up to 172 degrees, including your trunk. As a side note this made me think, I probably shouldn’t be keeping my carry ammo in the car during the summer months. I realize the average garage isn’t going to experience the same spike in temperature that your car can. But, keep in mind that an un-insulated garage can heat up some 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. For most areas of the country, I can’t imagine this will cause a problem. As for me in South Carolina, that would still keep me well within the safe temperature range even on our hottest summer day.
After looking into humidity and temperature issues, I felt confident the only real issue I needed to worry about was humidity. As I said, South Carolina is known for our humidity. Preparing for the humidity meant I would need to make sure all of the ammunition was sealed well. I’ve heard of many guys vacuum sealing there ammunition. While I’m sure that works great, it really wasn’t something I wanted to bother with. Number one, I don’t have a vacuum sealer and I really didn’t want to invest in one just for this purpose. Secondly, I don’t store ammunition for years on end. I don’t really have the resources currently to stockpile tens of thousands of rounds, so I usually only keep a couple thousand rounds on hand at a time. When I’m practicing for a match or just out plinking I will typically run through several hundred rounds at a time and will cycle through most of my stock every few months.
Realizing I needed relatively easy access to my stock, I found sealed ammo boxes from Cabela’s fit my needs perfectly. The ammo boxes are injection molded plastic and have a rubber seal around the lid with a locking latch. Because of the design they are not only strong, but also airtight. Add to that they are not expensive and hold plenty ammunition. Well, maybe I should say they hold enough ammunition to be comfortable carrying. Any more and you might need a second pair of hands when fully loaded. I know that silica packs work great for this so I saved every silica pack that came in our Christmas deliveries from Amazon and threw a few in each ammo box. I’ve done this for the past few years and it has worked perfectly.
Now that I had my ammunition’s first line of protection taken care of I wanted to add a second line of defense. Now this was a “kill two birds with one stone” decision. I recently bought a new safe for the garage and new I would need to take care of the humidity for storing my guns and since I would store my ammunition there as well, it would serve dual purposes. I knew that the silica packs worked great in my ammo boxes but my safe would be opened and closed much more frequently than the ammo boxes, so if I used just silica packs I knew they would need replaced frequently. The best option I found was the Eva-Dry E333 mini dehumidifier. While it uses silica gel, it is reusable. As the gel absorbs moisture it changes color and lets you know it’s time to “recharge” it. All you have to do is plug the Eva-Dry in to a wall outlet and the unit will dry out the silica in about 12- 24 hours. It was the perfect solution for me. Not only does it keep my guns safe from rust, it also gives me the peace of mind knowing I have another line of defense in protecting my investment in ammunition.
Bottom line, with a little planning and minimal investment, you can safely store your ammunition in most garages.