Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

[paramil]

If this is asked in the wrong forum then my apologies please relocate as needed.

Is there any issue with leaving match grade ammunition in a climate with varied temperatures say 100 degrees F to -10 degrees F?

If I was to cache match grade ammunition would the ammunition degrade in some shape of form do to the change in seasonal temperature?

Thanks in advance.

 

[paramil]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

BTT

 

[mavrick10_2000]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

Over time it can tend to degrade in those temps. Ammo, powder, primers like to be stored in temps humans find comfortable....Maybe I should say men rather than women....lol

Humidity and moisture are going to be the primary concern with what you're asking.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

I don't stockpile match ammo. I occasionally have reason to disassemble even recently made ammunition, and I have uncovered very disappointing evidence of bullet/brass bonding at the the case neck junction. The pull force required at the collet die varies greatly enough to throughly dispel whatever belief I once had in maintaining a reasonably consistent neck tension/pull force in matcb ammo over any reasonable storage period.

The way to cache <span style="font-style: italic">match</span> ammunition is as separate components, and handload them in reasonable batches for imminent use.

Zombie fodder is a totally different proposition. Nobody expects it to be able to neuter a gnat, so relative inaccuracy is more acceptable.

Sealant is not an answer, the cause is related to bimetallic ion exchange, the way a dry cell battery functions. This is the same process that pits bores. The only direct solution is a dielectric barrier between the two metals. If I had any really good answer for that issue, I'd be a lot more appreciative of stockpiling ammo, but I don't.

Greg

 

[Clark]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

This ammo is over 100 years old.

It was stored in my grandfather's attic that was very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.

Only half of it went off when I shot some in 1972.

 

[Paladin2147]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

Worst - heat. Next worst - heat.

 

[sjb269]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

I'd say 50% failure rate of 75 plus year "central fire" ammo stored in those conditions is a pretty good result!
Dare I say ammo is like wine? find a cool dark place for both and you'll be happy when it is time to "consume" either one.

 

[81Z4ME]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

Shot the vARmint rifle this weekend. Ammo was some I'd loaded for my M700 Remington 30 years ago. Its been in the attic for the last 27 years till I ran across it last fall (well, make that 26 years in the attic).

Only shot 10 shots this weekend before I switched to my AR carbine. All 10 went bang (shot 20 of them last year when I found them and all 20 of those went bang) and they outshot my son's Savage bolt action varmint rifle with his favorite loads.

Sure, heat/cold, etc. can't be good for stored ammo but that doesn't mean it'll all go bad or even half of it goes bad. I try to store mine in a cooler location these days but I'll still shoot all the stuff in the attic as I dig it out from under the boxes, bags, etc.

 

[paramil]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

 

[JoshcBoucher]

Re: Ammunition storage tempatures/cacheing?

I vote with Greg, although I "stock pile" some ammo [more because of the rising prices], I treat "match grade", or " the stuff I get Really Obsessive about", like cake. Make it for a special occasion, and don't let it sit around. For the "rainy day" stuff, I'm a fan of cool and dry. I seal it all in plastic bags. Any latent moisture, and they turn green over the years. But, for the record: When I cleared out my Grandpa's attic,I moved cases of old shotshells into my Dad's attic. 30 yrs. later, I cleared out my Dad's attic, and moved those same shells,to my attic. I pulled a box out to test em, and they all went bang.