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Ammo in a Gun Vault in a Non-insulated Building ?

sigarmsp226
I am about to receive from a family member a nice Liberty Gun Vault that has triple fire wall protection and a golden rod dehumidifier. My plan is to store most of my ammo in it and my wife prefers (she actually told me it would be this way) that this vault needed to be stored in my semi-insulated shop. My shop walls are insulated and it has a 8 foot ceiling in it but no insulation on the ceiling. I have been monotoring the inside temps over the past three weeks and it normally is about 5-12 degrees F cooler in the shop than it is outside. Last week when the out side temps reaching 101F, the shop was 94F. It then will cool off at night and in the mornings the temp in the shop is usually about 75-85 F. This shop is 24' x 40' and I can not afford to heat or cool it year round. Winter temps inside the shop usually do not below 40F. Would I be making a big mistake to store ammo in this vault in my shop. I have Military ammo in battle packs as well as over the counter ammo for pistol, rifle, and shotgun some in military ammo cans, some in battle packs. The shop floor before pouring did have a vapor barrier placed under the slab so moisture has never been a problem in my shop. I do not want to shorten the shelf life of my ammo so expert feedback is appreciated.

Thank you, Mark
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15 comments

Date Votes
  • GuvamintCheese
    quote:Originally posted by sigarmsp226
    I am about to receive from a family member a nice Liberty Gun Vault that has triple fire wall protection and a golden rod dehumidifier. My plan is to store most of my ammo in it and my wife Thank you, Mark
    [:0][:D]

    I would keep the safe off a concrete floor to allow air flow under (put 2x4's under it), make sure the dehumidifier works and stoor anything you want. My neighbor has 2 gun safes in his unheated garage, no problems.
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  • partisan
    +1 on the dehumidifier. Tell your wife that the manufacturers wouldn't paint gun safes so pretty if they were meant to be in a shop. Just kidding you. I'm on my 4th wife and still don't get them!
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  • sigarmsp226
    Thanks guys, - I will make sure I put it on a 2x4 type pallet base unit....

    Does heat like I am talking about hurt or shorten the shelf life of ammo?
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  • allen griggs
    94 degrees is not good for ammo.
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  • cbxjeff
    75-85 at night - where in the world do you live? That's a killer. The interior of the safe won't be close to 94 in the daytime for perhaps 6 hours but if it doesn't get down to 60 or so that won't be the case on day #2. It's possible to air-condition the safe (dont laugh) without compromising security. I guess the other option would be to bribe your wife!
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  • jonk
    I hear about heat being bad for ammo, but i've stored ammo in a 120 degree (summer) and 50 degree (winter) attic for years.

    The chronograph tells it all. No difference in performance.

    American Rifleman just did an article on this. Their results were inconclusive.

    I don't worry about it.
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  • sigarmsp226
    Central Mississippi - You have to love those 90+ % humidity days with a real tempature of 95-100 F... I can walk the dog at 6 a.m. in the morning and be soaked before I get home....

    Thanks for the feedback. I am going to look into sectioning off a small area in the shop where I can try and put in a small 110V A/C unit that has a thermostat and then use a closed system 110V oil filled heater in the winter to maintain a constant temp.... Not going to ruin 30,000 + rounds of ammo because I knew better but was to cheap to spend a little time and money to make it right....

    Again thanks for the feedback - I will be getting the vault in 2-3 weeks so I start my build this weekend...

    Jonk - Just saw your post - Thanks for the feedback... It might take me a little time to put this room together so your comments make me feel better if I get the vault before I can get the area finished...


    Mark
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  • joshmb1982
    i didnt think cold really mattered to ammo as long as it was kept dry??
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  • cabnetman
    I've been hunting in some pretty dang cold weather and have never had a problem with my ammo.
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  • armilite
    I would worry more about the humidity than the temperature. Do you think the military stores all their ammo in Iraq & Afghanistan in refridgerator trucks or air conditioned buildings. I don't think so.
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  • HAND ME DOWN GUNS
    I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM STORING UNDER SIMILIAR CONDITIONS
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  • allen griggs
    The military is not storing ammo in Iraq for 15 years.
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  • sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
    94 degrees is not good for ammo.


    +1,

    Ammo degrades in high temperatures. Think of gunpowder as a chemical that reacts more when heat is applied. 90 something isn't enough to set it off but it does make it degrade over the years. If you can, keep ammunition under 75 deg. if possible. You can let it get as cold as you want and that won't really degrade anywhere near as much as the heat.

    If that's what you've got then that's what you've got. I would use the ammo within a couple years if possible.
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  • cabnetman
    What do you mean by degrades? Does that make it unstable????
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  • joshmb1982
    i believe he meant unrealiable. higher variance in bullet velocity, more duds, just the powder braking down more or less.
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