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ammo storage ?

SamsDad1911
I have around 5000 rounds of ammo in my basement in 50 cal ammo cans.
Question 1. I am wondering if I had a fire in my house, would the ammo in the ammo cans go off and penatrate the ammo cans creating a hazzard for firefighters?

I feel that I should do something to head off this potential, yet unlikely problem. The largest calibers are .308 win, 7.62x54R, .357 mag, .410 20 and 12 shotshell and slugs.

I was thinking about welding up a large steel box to put the ammo cans in. Might be a nice way to lock up the ammo

Question 2. How thick of steel would I need to use?

Maybe I just worry too much.

Thanks,

EDIT: I was thinking an old steel pickup toolbox or something similar that could be lagged to the floor in the basement and locked. Maybe place the ammo cans on wood or styrofoam in the bottom of the toolbox. Basement is dehumidified and dry. Just wondering cost/benefit (sweet talking the wife) for this project.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • jonk
    Without being contained in a rifle's chamber, the bullets will have very minimal penetration ability when they go off. They MIGHT pierce the .50 ammo can, but won't have any significant oomph to them if they do.

    If you want to weld up a box, I'd say pretty thin steel would be sufficient.
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  • Pistollero1050
    Would the box need to be vented so it would not create pressure i.e. explode? What about condensation?
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  • nmyers
    If you have a large quantity of ammo in a sealed container, "cooking off" due to fire could cause injuries due to shrapnel. That's especially so if you have gun powder stored inside.

    I agree with Jonk. An office supply cabinet has thin steel walls that will easily release any pressure build-up. Any heavy duty ammo locker should have a "bung hole" to relieve pressure.

    Neal

    EDIT: It's usually best to raise anything in the basement off the floor with a wood platform, or maybe a pallet. Two reasons, your basement will flood if pipes break or water heater leaks, & cement wicks moisture from the ground underneath the house.
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  • wpage
    Keep it cool and dry.

    I keep some in my gun safe. Others in my wine cellar where it can blow if it needs to without endangering much except some port and shiraz
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  • charliemeyer007
    I keep my ammo in army cans. A long time ago a gun store/pawn shop in Las Vegus burned to the ground because the fire people wouldn't go near it. Hundreds of guns died, yes I held over 100 of them in my hands. I think that out of several hundred of the ammo cans only three items excaped. One AP bullet and two cartridge cases. All cans were swollen and distorted but otherwise held firm. Rust is bad. Condensation bad use an absorber if necessury. Bee sure rubber gasket is good and mates to a proper surface on can. You could make a safe out of Hardy or Wonder board, drywall to add some heat resistance.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Question 1. I am wondering if I had a fire in my house, would the ammo in the ammo cans go off and penatrate the ammo cans creating a hazzard for firefighters?
    No.

    Just heating a round until the powder burns will NOT cause the bullet to shoot off as if from a gun. Ammunition needs to be encased into a gun chamber to direct the expanding gases in order for the bullet to be propelled at high velocity.

    Furthermore, actual purpose-built ammo cans are specifically designed to fail "gracefully" during a fire, so that they do not explode like bombs.

    quote:I feel that I should do something to head off this potential, yet unlikely problem. The largest calibers are .308 win, 7.62x54R, .357 mag, .410 20 and 12 shotshell and slugs.
    Its not a problem.

    quote:I was thinking about welding up a large steel box to put the ammo cans in. Might be a nice way to lock up the ammo
    Well, putting ammo into a tightly sealed heavy steel box is potentially the WORST POSSIBLE thing you could do!

    When the powder inside the rounds burns, the expanding gas could potentially convert a heavy sealed metal container into a bomb.

    Its not a bad idea to keep your ammo under lock and key, but if you want to do something like this, make sure the box itself is ventilated so that if it burns, hot gasses can easily escape.

    quote:Question 2, how thick of steel would I need to use?
    I'd say just thick enough to keep out unwanted "visitors". Any thicker than that is probably a waste. Note that since you are NOT trying to contain an explosion here, you really don't need to use steel at all. A wood cabinet could work too.

    quote:
    EDIT: I was thinking an old steel pickup toolbox or something similar that could be lagged to the floor in the basement and locked. Maybe place the ammo cans on wood or styrofoam in the bottom of the toolbox. Basement is dehumidified and dry. Just wondering cost/benefit (sweet talking the wife) for this project.

    That could work, though as already mentioned, keeping things on the floor of the basement maybe isn't such a good idea. How about an ordinary wood cabinet with lock and key?
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  • 11b6r
    Let's all stop and think about it- what safe and protective way of storing ammo has the US military used for the past 70 years?

    Oh- ammo cans.
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  • Stringfellow Hawke
    quote:Originally posted by SamsDad1911
    I have around 5000 rounds of ammo in my basement in 50 cal ammo cans.
    Question 1. I am wondering if I had a fire in my house, would the ammo in the ammo cans go off and penatrate the ammo cans creating a hazzard for firefighters?

    I feel that I should do something to head off this potential, yet unlikely problem. The largest calibers are .308 win, 7.62x54R, .357 mag, .410 20 and 12 shotshell and slugs.

    I was thinking about welding up a large steel box to put the ammo cans in. Might be a nice way to lock up the ammo

    Question 2. How thick of steel would I need to use?

    Maybe I just worry too much.

    Thanks,

    EDIT: I was thinking an old steel pickup toolbox or something similar that could be lagged to the floor in the basement and locked. Maybe place the ammo cans on wood or styrofoam in the bottom of the toolbox. Basement is dehumidified and dry. Just wondering cost/benefit (sweet talking the wife) for this project.


    No, unless you have rounds in several guns. Which is why its smart to keep most of your guns unloaded. Just one of millions of reasons why you should always store guns unloaded.
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  • wpage
    The army did figure this out over the years. Bullets in the metal containers. Metal containers in wood crates...

    Metal hasps on wood with locking turnbuckle.
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  • Hawkshaw
    Hello SamsDad---IMHO---Lets stop and think about a basement when the house is on fire. This info comes from a safe mfg. during a seminar. Go look at a house that has had a serious fire in it. What you find usually is that most of the exterior walls are still standing, with the interior walls, and floor ending up in the basement. Not a good place to have valueables. Secondly, We hope that the fire dept. will show up. Basically what they do is pump your basement full of water. Not good. Safes are fire resistant, not water proof. Because of insurance issues, you won't be able to retrieve your guns, probably for weeks. Statistically, the best place for your safe is in the garage, on an outside wall. But that assumes that you don't use your garage as a shop with flammables there.

    HAWKSHAW
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