One of the best ways to keep a lid on high ammo prices is to buy in bulk, and this is all the more true for popular calibers commonly used in high volume shooting like 9mm, .22LR, .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO, and 12 and 20 gauge target loads.
Now let’s say you’ve gotten a real steal on some bulk .223 ammo. That’s great – you now won’t burn so much money with each pull of the trigger.
What’s not great is if you botch the whole affair by storing your ammo somewhere inadvisable; or by doing any of the following 4 things. Avoid them all.
Store It Anywhere There Will Be Temperature Swings
It’s really just high temperature that damages ammunition, but to be safe, it’s best to protect it from wild shifts, high or low.
What is truly imperative is to protect it from very high temperatures. Anything over 100 degrees is getting dangerously close to temperatures that will damage either the primer or propellant or both.
This includes anywhere you store it indoors: don’t keep it in a room that gets a lot of sun or gets too hot. That may not work out in your favor.
Expose It to High Humidity
While high temperatures spell doom for bulk ammunition, high humidity is even worse. High humidity and exposure to water will cause corrosion of the bullet jacket, casing, or both.
This will result in aberrations to feeding and accuracy and can be dangerous, as a compromised bullet casing can burst.
Interestingly, if ammo gets wet and you dry it off, once it’s completely dry it should be fine to use. Powder and primer don’t work when wet but once dry should be fine. This is something you want to avoid in the first place, though.
But the bottom line is this: Water and ammunition don’t mix. Keep them separated.
Store It in Any of the Following Places
There are some places you just shouldn’t store your ammunition, period. The list includes: anywhere that’s outside, the garage, a shed, the attic, a basement, and crawl spaces. You should also never store ammunition in your car or truck, including the trunk, for a prolonged period of time. Remember, temperature swings and high humidity are bad.
Now, if you have a basement or attic that is climate controlled, you can potentially disregard this. But it is still not a good idea to store ammo in these places. If you go away for a week in the summer, lose HVAC, and your attic boils, you could lose all your ammo – and so on and so forth.
Keep it somewhere cool, dry, and well protected.
Handle It Till You Need It
Some people like to load their mags way before they hit the range, or dump all their ammo out loose into ammo cans. It’s not a huge deal if you do this, but ideally you don’t want to touch ammo till you’re just about ready to shoot it.
This is because there are oils on your skin (and moisture, for that matter) that, once on a bullet or its casing, can accelerate or even cause corrosion. Now that is something you would obviously, and justifiably, wish to avoid.
Where to Get Bulk .223 Ammo in the First Place
Now that you know what not to do with your bulk .223 ammo (or any bulk ammo) you might as well add another place to your rotation where you can get it in the first place. Try Able Ammo first. They carry the top brands and tons of calibers, not just .223, at competitive prices. Visit their website and stock up while the getting is good.
