9mm Ammo Advice

SIMP · November 26, 2012, 11:46 AM

All,
Seeing as to how I'm relatively new to 9mm, do you have any advice for long term storage ammo in this caliber? I saw some Fiocchi Canned Heat online that seemed reasonable but I am really unsure. Looking to stay "low" on cost as these would be stashed away just in case I ever needed them. I plan on storing in a dry box with proper moisture precautions in place. These would be used in my Ruger P95. Thank you so much.

dreamweaver · November 26, 2012, 12:10 PM

cabelas has a lot of ammo deals that include a dry storage box, or you can just buy a box for about 15 bucks.
300 rounds of 9mm winchester white box is under 100 bucks and includes the storage box.

tom

btmj · November 26, 2012, 02:30 PM

I had a box of Remington 9mm 115 gr +P hollowpoints I bought in 1991. Half the box (32 rounds) were loaded into two Glock 17 magazines, the rest stayed in the box.

Fast forward 19 years to 2010. I shoot all 32 rounds from the two G17 mags, without any hiccup. These mags had been unloaded and reloaded with the same cartridges, about once a year... but other than that, no maintenance. The 18 remaining cartridges in the box also get shot without any hiccup.

I have also shot 20 gage and 12 gage shot shells that were more than 30 years old. Again no problem.

My father-in-law had some 1951 vintage 45 ACP that we shot in 1995 (44 years old). No problems, but it seemed to smoke more than modern ammo... maybe it was the mil-spec powder of the era, or maybe it was the age. But the ammo went bang.

No special precautions were taken to store this ammo. It was stored indoors and it never got wet. I don't think you need to do anything else. Store it the way you would a book, or a screwdriver, an electric drill, or a pair of socks.

Sid · November 26, 2012, 06:38 PM

Ammunition will last indefinitely if properly stored. Some years ago I was given a "muff pistol" with ammunition for it. The ammo was rimfire and had been made in the 1870's. I took it to the range and fired off 30 rounds. 29 rounds went off perfectly. I took the round that didn't fire and put it back in the pistol. On this second try it fired.

marine6680 · November 26, 2012, 07:01 PM

When stored dry and cool, you will be fine.

The powder in the case may start degrade after a several decades though. Some of the old surplus WWII 30-06 ammo has produced a few duds and squibs in recent years. I read one report of at least a third of the rounds being bad.

Ammo that old is not common, and the surplus ammo can be of questionable storage history, which may have lead to the problem rounds.

Misssissippi Dave · November 26, 2012, 08:37 PM

Dry boxes work well to keep ammo in. When stored in a climate controlled facility they will probably work well for your entire life. This is assuming you were born this year or later. Just placing ammo in the original container on a shelf in the house will probably be still good to go many years from now.

I am considering getting some dry boxes to put reloads for the range in. They might be easier to carry that way. Factory ammo is the only thing that stays on the shelf very long. I only shoot it when I need to add cases for reloading.

LockedBreech · November 26, 2012, 09:37 PM

Just to repeat the above, ammo is darn resilient.

I keep my supply in a handful of dry boxes and store it in my cool, dry laundry room. I also live in an arid climate. I don't ever expect to be time pressed to shoot any of it.

November 26, 2012, 11:46 AM	#1
SIMP Senior Member Join Date: October 2, 2005 Location: Mississippi Posts: 398	9mm Ammo Advice All, Seeing as to how I'm relatively new to 9mm, do you have any advice for long term storage ammo in this caliber? I saw some Fiocchi Canned Heat online that seemed reasonable but I am really unsure. Looking to stay "low" on cost as these would be stashed away just in case I ever needed them. I plan on storing in a dry box with proper moisture precautions in place. These would be used in my Ruger P95. Thank you so much.

November 26, 2012, 12:10 PM	#2
dreamweaver Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2008 Posts: 713	cabelas has a lot of ammo deals that include a dry storage box, or you can just buy a box for about 15 bucks. 300 rounds of 9mm winchester white box is under 100 bucks and includes the storage box. tom __________________ http://takdriver.com/

November 26, 2012, 09:37 PM	#7
LockedBreech Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Rocky Mountain West Posts: 3,395	Just to repeat the above, ammo is darn resilient. I keep my supply in a handful of dry boxes and store it in my cool, dry laundry room. I also live in an arid climate. I don't ever expect to be time pressed to shoot any of it. __________________ 16 Pistols, 5 Rifles, 1 Shotgun, no time to shoot them

November 26, 2012, 02:30 PM	#3
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	I had a box of Remington 9mm 115 gr +P hollowpoints I bought in 1991. Half the box (32 rounds) were loaded into two Glock 17 magazines, the rest stayed in the box. Fast forward 19 years to 2010. I shoot all 32 rounds from the two G17 mags, without any hiccup. These mags had been unloaded and reloaded with the same cartridges, about once a year... but other than that, no maintenance. The 18 remaining cartridges in the box also get shot without any hiccup. I have also shot 20 gage and 12 gage shot shells that were more than 30 years old. Again no problem. My father-in-law had some 1951 vintage 45 ACP that we shot in 1995 (44 years old). No problems, but it seemed to smoke more than modern ammo... maybe it was the mil-spec powder of the era, or maybe it was the age. But the ammo went bang. No special precautions were taken to store this ammo. It was stored indoors and it never got wet. I don't think you need to do anything else. Store it the way you would a book, or a screwdriver, an electric drill, or a pair of socks.

November 26, 2012, 06:38 PM	#4
Sid Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2009 Posts: 362	Ammunition will last indefinitely if properly stored. Some years ago I was given a "muff pistol" with ammunition for it. The ammo was rimfire and had been made in the 1870's. I took it to the range and fired off 30 rounds. 29 rounds went off perfectly. I took the round that didn't fire and put it back in the pistol. On this second try it fired.

November 26, 2012, 07:01 PM	#5
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	When stored dry and cool, you will be fine. The powder in the case may start degrade after a several decades though. Some of the old surplus WWII 30-06 ammo has produced a few duds and squibs in recent years. I read one report of at least a third of the rounds being bad. Ammo that old is not common, and the surplus ammo can be of questionable storage history, which may have lead to the problem rounds.

November 26, 2012, 08:37 PM	#6
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	Dry boxes work well to keep ammo in. When stored in a climate controlled facility they will probably work well for your entire life. This is assuming you were born this year or later. Just placing ammo in the original container on a shelf in the house will probably be still good to go many years from now. I am considering getting some dry boxes to put reloads for the range in. They might be easier to carry that way. Factory ammo is the only thing that stays on the shelf very long. I only shoot it when I need to add cases for reloading.