Tips on storing your ammunition

Most shooters and hunters buy the best guns and ammunition, because they understand that the better the quality, the more enjoyable the shoot. The problem is that ammo doesn’t always last forever, particularly if it is stored under the wrong conditions, even if this is in a good quality ammo box.

As we all know, good ammo can cost serious money, so it pays to store it right. Here are a few helpful tips to keep your ammunition safe and in working order for many more years.

Avoid high humidity, extreme heat and temperature fluctuations

Modern ammo for hunting and sporting guns is designed to operate in most temperature ranges, certainly anything that you will experience in Australia. You do however, need to prevent exposure to high humidity, extreme temperatures and even big temperature fluctuations. If you do all of this, your ammo will easily last for 10 years and quite possibly, much longer.

In Australia, the problem starts at around 65 degrees Celsius, which is not unrealistic in the boot of your car on a hot day, especially in the outback. At these temperatures, the gunpowder and priming mix in your ammunition will rapidly deteriorate, resulting in poor performance. So don’t leave your ammo in the car or anywhere the temperature might reach these extremes.

Always keep your ammunition dry

Hot and humid conditions can significantly reduce the life of your ammo, so damp conditions during the winter and high humidity during the summer is going to be a problem. All of this damp and humidity corrodes the brass casings, weakening the cartridges and preventing the bullet from sitting in the guns chamber properly.

Even though premium ammo is sealed at the primer and around the bullet, it is still best to keep your ammo dry at all times. This is one of the reasons you need an ammo box, so it’s not only easy to transport, but is also kept dry in a sealed plastic container. Another tip here is to place a dehumidifier near your stored ammunition, so that you can minimise damp in the winter and humidity in the summer.

The last tip is for people who might store their ammo for years without using it, and in this case, you will need an ammo box that is designed to prevent corrosion and literally seals out moisture. For more information on our guns, ammo and ammo boxes, visit our shop at Underwood, call us on 07 3841 1881 or complete our online enquiry form.

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