Ammo storage in extreme temperatures

[Willie Lowman]

Well, that's great because I store my ammo sealed in cans in a dark closet with desiccant in my climate controlled house...

But my question isn't about best practice for long term storage. Rather how well does it hold up in extreme heat and cold.

 

[RoyceP]

I had an opportunity to shoot WWI ammo - 303 British - in an Enfield rifle that was in remarkable condition for having been stored since participating in WWI.

The ammo was scary. Hang fires were relatively common. Occasionally a round wouldn't work at all. My friend had purchased 500 rounds. After 20 of them he decided to toss the whole lot in the dumpster at the range.

I would cycle out the carry ammo every six months or so. Shoot it or just pull the bullets, dump the powder in the garden, and dispose of the primers. Reload the brass with the same bullet and fresh primer and powder for practice.

 

[Sgt127]

When I was in SWAT, all my Tac gear lived in the trunk of my car. Loaded magazines for the MP5 and spare pistol mags. (The MP5 didn’t stay in the car).

Those mags stayed loaded for years and only came out for work.

At practice, I used other mags and, practice ammo.

Those mags lived in a trunk of a Crown Vic for a couple years, in Texas. Never an issue.

Now, .22 LR? I had a few bricks of Wildcat I forgot about in the garage for years. Several duds. I pulled one and it seemed like the wax lube melted and ran down into the powder. And, all the rounds felt really greasy. If o had to guess, the ones facing down in the 50 round boxes were good.