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Desiccant in Ammo Box


barryware

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Not long ago (a couple of months), I took inventory of my Ammo. Some of the older stuff, the lead was no longer shinny and some of the brass casings were a bit discolored..

 

My ammo box is a large, hard plastic case with a handle on top for carrying.

 

Something like this but larger (also made by Plano):

 

http://www.amazon.com/MTM-Ammo-Can-Forest-Green/dp/B003ISKM9K/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1403099267&sr=8-7&keywords=plastic+ammo+box

 

I don't tote it to the range, just for storing the ammo. It is not "air tight" but it is pretty tight.

 

I decided to put a few desiccant packs in the ammo box. Like the packs you find in your beef jerky package.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Silica-Gel-Desiccants-2-1-Inches/dp/B003DKQB02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403098708&sr=8-1&keywords=desiccant+packs

 

Anyone else doing something similar to keep your ammo dry?

 

 

 

 

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I generally keep mine in an area that doesn't have moisture issues. I do have access to desiccant bags from pool chemical buckets, but I would want to remove any dust from the sanitizer tablets before I used it in an ammo box. They can also be heated to boil off the moisture (like I do with my desiccant for my air filter sprayer system).
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I keep the desiccants from electronics and shoe boxes and what not. I am really using them now that I am moving and having to move a bunch of ammo and the cans will be changing temperature (hot/cold, diff humidity levels, driving cross country, etc)

 

But I have done this for years, just dropped a pack or two into my ammo cans when had a new one. The family knows to keep them when they find them in their new stuff.

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IH8IL, on 18 Jun 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the desiccant correctly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

 

I already said my storage was not air tight..

 

Please explain how you can use this type of desiccant (silica gel) incorrectly.

 

Edit: http://www.silicagelpackets.com/long-term-ammunition-storage-with-silica-gel

 

I did not even know there was "indicating" packets:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Moisture-Indicating-Silica-Absorbers-Desiccant/dp/B004N6QAQU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1403110534&sr=8-5&keywords=indicating+silica+gel

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

Yeah, and the individuals in the military dont pay for the ammo and care if it goes bad...

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

 

I already said my storage was not air tight..

 

Please explain how you can use this type of desiccant (silica gel) incorrectly.

If the dessicant isn't completely dry or your seal isn't very good the dessicant will trap water and you'll have more humidity in it.
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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

I already said my storage was not air tight..

 

Please explain how you can use this type of desiccant (silica gel) incorrectly.

If the dessicant isn't completely dry or your seal isn't very good the dessicant will trap water and you'll have more humidity in it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Moisture-Indicating-Silica-Absorbers-Desiccant/dp/B004N6QAQU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1403110534&sr=8-5&keywords=indicating+silica+gel

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

 

Yeah, and the individuals in the military dont pay for the ammo and care if it goes bad...
I agree and understand that but sometimes people take the ammo thing too seriously. I mean before we buy it , I can assure you its not in the most perfect enviroment. Its in some warehouse with less than ideal temps and humidity. Or it might, who knows. I would dry the dessicants in the oven right before using them and get good ammo cans.
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I was using the packets for a while and then ran across these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE3VQ4U/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Nice thing about them is that they change color when they're moist and then you toss them in the oven. There's a tiny window where you can see the crystals.

 

You can also make your own out of silica only cat litter and coffee filters. There are some youtube videos detailing how to do it. I don't own a cat so buying a huge bag of litter to make a few packets would be a waste.

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

Yeah, and the individuals in the military dont pay for the ammo and care if it goes bad...
I agree and understand that but sometimes people take the ammo thing too seriously. I mean before we buy it , I can assure you its not in the most perfect enviroment. Its in some warehouse with less than ideal temps and humidity. Or it might, who knows. I would dry the dessicants in the oven right before using them and get good ammo cans.

 

 

Very true.

Dont get me wrong I am pretty serious about the ammo in my mags when I carry. I shoot the mags empty of that ammo every couple of months. But I have had .225/5.56, .308, .45 etc, etc, etc sit in my basement in card board cartons for YEARS before and pulled it out and shot it w/ out issue.

 

I figure the desiccant is free, WTH not.

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Not long ago (a couple of months), I took inventory of my Ammo. Some of the older stuff, the lead was no longer shinny and some of the brass casings were a bit discolored..

 

My ammo box is a large, hard plastic case with a handle on top for carrying.

 

Something like this but larger (also made by Plano):

 

http://www.amazon.com/MTM-Ammo-Can-Forest-Green/dp/B003ISKM9K/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1403099267&sr=8-7&keywords=plastic+ammo+box

 

I don't tote it to the range, just for storing the ammo. It is not "air tight" but it is pretty tight.

 

I decided to put a few desiccant packs in the ammo box. Like the packs you find in your beef jerky package.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Silica-Gel-Desiccants-2-1-Inches/dp/B003DKQB02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403098708&sr=8-1&keywords=desiccant+packs

 

Anyone else doing something similar to keep your ammo dry?

 

 

 

 

 

I use 50 cal ammo cans and I put the reuseable silica gel packs in them (the ones that change color when they are full). I have had ammo that I had stored for 15 years and it looks the same as when it was new. Of course, the 50 cal ammo cans are air tight and I do recharge the silica gel packs (put them in the oven for 3 hours at 300 degrees) every few months.

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

Yeah, and the individuals in the military dont pay for the ammo and care if it goes bad...

I agree and understand that but sometimes people take the ammo thing too seriously. I mean before we buy it , I can assure you its not in the most perfect enviroment. Its in some warehouse with less than ideal temps and humidity. Or it might, who knows. I would dry the dessicants in the oven right before using them and get good ammo cans.

 

Very true.

Dont get me wrong I am pretty serious about the ammo in my mags when I carry. I shoot the mags empty of that ammo every couple of months. But I have had .225/5.56, .308, .45 etc, etc, etc sit in my basement in card board cartons for YEARS before and pulled it out and shot it w/ out issue.

 

I figure the desiccant is free, WTH not.

Oh yeah. Every little counts. I have some ammo that I just shot that had some tarnish and what not. It was alongside ammo that looks brand new which leads me to believe that it was in less than ideal conditions before I got it. I would also rotate out some ammo, shoot some than replace it with new. That way you always have fresh ammo.

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Military does't use them. I think its your storage that isn't air tight. If you don't use the dessicant corectly, it can do more harm than good. I would get some good cans and seal them when the humidity is low.

Yeah, and the individuals in the military dont pay for the ammo and care if it goes bad...

 

No disrespect intended, but the military doesn't have to worry about its ammo going bad inside its cans. A USGI ammo can with a good seal may likely never fail in one's lifetime. I can personally attest to the fact that they'll keep their contents as dry as day 1 for more than 2 decades in the most humid of environments to the point their exteriors were completely rusted. Given desiccant packets can and sometimes exacerbate the problem, particularly when subjected to constant or high humidity, the OP would do well to at least consider the USGI ammo can option.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Edit: redirected last statement to OP

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Unless the storage container is air tight, little dessicant packs are next to worthless. They'll dry out the air inside the container a tiny amount, and then moisture from the outside will migrate in until the dessicant has absorbed all it can. And that's not much. Typical pack from a pill bottle might hold a couple drops of water. The sole purpose inside the bottle is to keep the humidity low enough so no moisture condenses on the pills in case the sealed bottle is exposed to cold temperatures during shipment. You don't want your pills fused into a blob. Likewise, in an ammo box all you're trying to prevent is condensing moisture.

 

Even if the storage container is air tight, once it's opened and exposed to room air you're back to square one unless you bake the dessicant dry. If you're concerned enough to use a dessicant pack, get one with enough moisture capacity so that it doesn't need to be dried each time you open the container, and then get a container that's sealed.

 

I have several 1# packs in my gun safe and bake them every few months.

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