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Storing Bullets

Joxer

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Feb 20, 2007
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Manassas Park, Virginia, USA
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I could not find anything on how people store their stock pile of bullets.

I have a few question.

What is the best way to store them? I currently don't have room in my safe to stock my bullets. I'm scared if my house was to catch fire one day that it would look like the 4th of July.

Also is their any law as to how many bullets you can have stocked up on?

I really don't want to spend the $$$ on another fire proof safe just to keep bullets in cause then I would end up buying more guns and still have the same problem (their is nothing wrong with buying more guns)
 

Hcidem

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If you typically purchase and store large quantities, you might consider reloading as an option. You would still have a supply of live cartridges on hand that you would have to worry about. But you could reduce the total quantity stored to that which you would use before reloading again.

Primers and powder do not take as much room. They would be easier to store safely than a large quantity of cartridges with bullets and cases combined. Just a thought...
 

SouthernBoy

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Joxer wrote:

I could not find anything on how people store their stock pile of bullets.

I have a few question.

What is the best way to store them? I currently don't have room in my safe to stock my bullets. I'm scared if my house was to catch fire one day that it would look like the 4th of July.

Also is their any law as to how many bullets you can have stocked up on?

I really don't want to spend the $$$ on another fire proof safe just to keep bullets in cause then I would end up buying more guns and still have the same problem (their is nothing wrong with buying more guns)
Bullets are completely safe and can be stored virtually indefinitely. And if they are exposed to fire and the heat is high enough, they'll just melt. Since they contain no powder (unless they are of the exploding kind which would be interesting to see where you may have gotten them if they are), there is absolutely no chance of any sort of explosion or such.
 

Michigander

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I think he means the entire round. ;)

Could be a law somewhere that I'm not aware of, but the only law I know of for ammo storage is that the more the merrier. ;)

What I would do is store them in air tight containers with dessicant inside. If the house were to catch fire, they probably wouldn't go boom like you think they might. Every account I've ever heard was that they popped off one by one, and didn't inflict any serious damage. If the storage box ruptures, which I've heard isn't real likely, it's still unlikely that they'll go through any walls. Without a barrel to direct the pressure, I believe the casing more or less just pops. At least that's what I've heard.

I obviously can't make any guarantees of what will happen, but before you lay down some serious money on another safe, I'd encourage you to do some research into what has happened to ammo people had in a house that burned down, and decide for yourself. There is plenty of info out there just a search or 2 away.
 

VAopencarry

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Bullets are completely safe and can be stored virtually indefinitely. And if they are exposed to fire and the heat is high enough, they'll just melt. Since they contain no powder (unless they are of the exploding kind which would be interesting to see where you may have gotten them if they are), there is absolutely no chance of any sort of explosion or such.

Exactly!
 

mobeewan

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I keep my factory loaded "cartridges", reloaded "cartridges", bullet heads, powder and primersin Surplus GI ammo cans to protect them from humidity and keep them sorted by caliber andtypes of ammunition they are (HP, FMJ, LRN, SWC, etc.). I use 40 MM, 20 MM, .50 cal, .30 cal and SAW magazine (fat .50) ammo boxes to store them.
 

Gator5713

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Aggieland, Texas, USA
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I read somewhere on this forum that there is something like a 100,000 round limit before you need to have an FFL... I don't remember seeing a 'cite' for reference on that though, so this is technically double hearsay...
As for storage, I would recommend at least keeping them in ammo boxes, which also makes for easy sorting and grab and go capability and preferably in a safe. I have seen a house and a building burn down with lots and lots of live rounds inside and a fire department that refused to go in because of that. There was a lot of 'popping' but no flyers, and the powder was in the safe and survived!
 

SouthernBoy

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Trust me, gentlemen, I was not trying to be a smartass with my response about bullets. Of course I know the OP was asking about cartridges. My point was simply this.

We, as gun people and hopefully most are part of the gun culture, must always strive to use correct terminology as a matter of habit when talking about gun matters and paraphernalia. We want to do this because the uneducated who might read our postings or listen to use in conversation, sometimes pickup what they want to hear from us. It's good when we use correct terms and speak with some knowledge. So using terms like "assault weapon" or "assault rifle" when referring to a semi-auto rifle, or calling a magazine a clip or cartridges, bullets, just perpetuates myths and spreads misinformation.
 
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, Texas, USA
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SouthernBoy wrote:
Bullets are completely safe and can be stored virtually indefinitely. And if they are exposed to fire and the heat is high enough, they'll just melt. Since they contain no powder (unless they are of the exploding kind which would be interesting to see where you may have gotten them if they are), there is absolutely no chance of any sort of explosion or such.

:lol::lol::lol:Man I love it :lol::lol::lol:

SouthernBoy,That is great stuff.
 
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Doug Huffman wrote:
I believe that they store indefinitely and that they do not 'explode' ever, anymore than a soda bottle is an IED.

Mine are in ammo cans.

The collective conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.

Doug is exactly right.

If cartridges have an enemy, it would be heat and moisture. These are likely to render the powder non-combustible, andcause it to not fire.

Kept in a relatively cool and dry place (Which is about anywhere in your house) they should last longer than you will. I have shot stuff from WWII that was just fine.

For ease Ammo Cans are a great Idea.

A cartridge "fires" because when the primer ignites the powder, the pressure of the expanding gas, from the burning powder, is contained in the chamber and the bullet is forced out the end of the casing and then through the barrel.

Any cartridge that is not in the chamber of a firearm, if it does cook off, will not have the pressure of the expanding gas contained by anything, except the casing,and it will simply burst, but not catastrophically. The bullets, if they are even forced from the casing,are only mildly likely to even penetrate the cardboard box they are contained in, and would never exit an ammo can.

As to amount of ammo allowed by law, I go with the Second Amendment and a limit would be an infringement.
 

Carnivore

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ParkHills, Missouri, USA
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SouthernBoy wrote:
Trust me, gentlemen, I was not trying to be a smartass with my response about bullets. Of course I know the OP was asking about cartridges. My point was simply this.

We, as gun people and hopefully most are part of the gun culture, must always strive to use correct terminology as a matter of habit when talking about gun matters and paraphernalia. We want to do this because the uneducated who might read our postings or listen to use in conversation, sometimes pickup what they want to hear from us. It's good when we use correct terms and speak with some knowledge. So using terms like "assault weapon" or "assault rifle" when referring to a semi-auto rifle, or calling a magazine a clip or cartridges, bullets, just perpetuates myths and spreads misinformation.
very well put !!:banghead:
 

SouthernBoy

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Paladin_Havegun_Willtravel wrote:
Doug Huffman wrote:
I believe that they store indefinitely and that they do not 'explode' ever, anymore than a soda bottle is an IED.

Mine are in ammo cans.

The collective conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.

Doug is exactly right.

If cartridges have an enemy, it would be heat and moisture. These are likely to render the powder non-combustible, andcause it to not fire.

Kept in a relatively cool and dry place (Which is about anywhere in your house) they should last longer than you will. I have shot stuff from WWII that was just fine.

For ease Ammo Cans are a great Idea.

A cartridge "fires" because when the primer ignites the powder, the pressure of the expanding gas, from the burning powder, is contained in the chamber and the bullet is forced out the end of the casing and then through the barrel.

Any cartridge that is not in the chamber of a firearm, if it does cook off, will not have the pressure of the expanding gas contained by anything, except the casing,and it will simply burst, but not catastrophically. The bullets, if they are even forced from the casing,are only mildly likely to even penetrate the cardboard box they are contained in, and would never exit an ammo can.

As to amount of ammo allowed by law, I go with the Second Amendment and a limit would be an infringement.
I have gotten in so many discussions and even arguments over this simple fact. That gunpowder burns; it does not explode in a firearm. Were it to explode, there would be damage to the weapon and possible injury to the user. What I find most amazing about this is the fact that some gun people are among some of the strongest believes in this fallacy. Ones who should know better.

And interestingly, these same people tend to think that the fuel/air mixture in a gasoline engine also explodes. Of course it burns, too. It does not explode. Unless you have problems with your fuel and/or ignition system.

When my brother was nine, he was given 10 M1 .30 caliber carbine rounds by a friend. At my urging to prove they were real (I was five), he took one down to the basement and put it in a vice. Then he proceeded to bang on the base of the round. Well it went off and the bullet hit the concrete floor harmlessly. But the shell casing was ripped from the vice, and torn, and managed to cut the top 1/2 inch of my brother's right index finger off. The doctor just put it back on, bandaged him up, and sent him home. He got his picture in the Washington Post and Times Herald (as it was called back then) sitting at a table, holding his bandaged finger up, with nine live rounds standing up on the table in front of him.
 

SouthernBoy

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Carnivore wrote:
SouthernBoy wrote:
Trust me, gentlemen, I was not trying to be a smartass with my response about bullets. Of course I know the OP was asking about cartridges. My point was simply this.

We, as gun people and hopefully most are part of the gun culture, must always strive to use correct terminology as a matter of habit when talking about gun matters and paraphernalia. We want to do this because the uneducated who might read our postings or listen to use in conversation, sometimes pickup what they want to hear from us. It's good when we use correct terms and speak with some knowledge. So using terms like "assault weapon" or "assault rifle" when referring to a semi-auto rifle, or calling a magazine a clip or cartridges, bullets, just perpetuates myths and spreads misinformation.
very well put !!:banghead:
Thank you, sir.

The way I like to look at it is this. We're all ambassadors, trying to spread the word of a lost American right to everyone we can. Therefore our actions, our demeanor, and our words serve the purpose and the cause. And we hope all for the better. So we have an obligation to not only ourselves, but to everyone else not only on this site but all Americans who worship the freedom passed down to them and which they see dwindling away. Everything we do as identified gunowners and users marks our message. I would want that message to always carry a positive note.
 

TheMrMitch

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Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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A study has been done on this. If a fireman is wearing his coat, mask etc, he will not be hurt by exploding rounds. I had one hit me in the mouth....blood for a little and a small scar.

Storage? I keep a large amount in a small building with no averse problems.

I still shoot 19388x56r Nazi ammo in my Steyr 95 rifle. Just keep them dry.:)
 
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SouthernBoy wrote:
.....When my brother was nine, he was given 10 M1 .30 caliber carbine rounds by a friend. At my urging to prove they were real (I was five), he took one down to the basement and put it in a vice. Then he proceeded to bang on the base of the round. Well it went off and the bullet hit the concrete floor harmlessly. But the shell casing was ripped from the vice, and torn, and managed to cut the top 1/2 inch of my brother's right index finger off. The doctor just put it back on, bandaged him up, and sent him home. He got his picture in the Washington Post and Times Herald (as it was called back then) sitting at a table, holding his bandaged finger up, with nine live rounds standing up on the table in front of him.

By putting the round in the vice, it partially contained the pressure and caused the casing to burst semi-catastrophically, when the powder burned. Not a wise thing to do, but like you said he was a 10 year old boy.

It was still not like firing it from a gun.

I used to take 30-06 rounds and hit them in the middle of the casing, which would force the bullet out of the front of the casing, and then I would take out the powder and burn it in a variety of ways, again not the smartest thing to do, but I too was a 10 year old boy.

I did once lose the tip of my thumb, which was bandaged and healed back on, but that was another story.
 

Carnivore

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I have a good childhood friend who was a few years older than me who grew up with one eye, from laying a .22 cartrige on a sidewalk, and laying down some 5' behind it and shooting it with a bb gun, the .22 brass became the projectile due to the weight if the bullet compared to the weight of the little empty casing..
 

CrossFire

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Irving, Texas, USA
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Wouldn't 500 to 1000 rounds of whatever cal in a locked metal ammo can be the same as a pipe bomb? Just curious.:question:
 
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