Someone Recommend An Ammunition Storage Locker

Fairlane66

Like many of you, I started buying lots of ammo about two years ago. I scour gun shows, estate sales, and yard sales, and buy all the brass, bullets, powder, and ammo I can when it's priced right. I'm now outgrowing my makeshift storage system--loading it into ammo cans in the garage--and want to move to a more secure, orderly arrangement. I have about 50 rifles in various calibers and have at least a case of ammo for each one. Just moving heavy ammo cans around to get to the one I need is killing my back. Therefore, I'm looking for a good quality, large volume, lockable storage cabinet (preferably metal) with shelves that will handle the volume and weight of my stash. I know I'll probably need more than one cabinet, that's not an issue. Problem is, I'm having trouble finding a cabinet that meets my criteria. The ones available at Sam's Club, OfficeMax, and Staples are light duty units designed for paper storage. Most units available from auto shops like Pep Boys or Napa are generally fairly small or tricked out for a classic car guy's garage--read "very expensive." I don't need fancy; I need heavy duty and large volume. Can anyone recommend a cabinet that meets my criteria and tell me where I can purchase one or two? Thanks.

dcs shooters

A upright freezer that doesn't work anymore works very good.
The one I got has a lock, and I took the light switch out so the light stays on to kill any moisture.

carbine100

First thing that I found on google search for heavy duty tool cabinet;
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/storage/cabinets/heavy-duty/double-shi-storage-cabinet-60x24x78

Kind of expensive, but that was the first thing I found...

bambambam

I have saw people use the heavy duty open shelves like you see at home improvement stores. They have 100's of #'s per shelf rating which you'll need for a full shelf of ammo.

They then us expanded steel(diamond shape mesh) or floor grating for the sides and doors. It can be locked with a log chain and padlock or you can get creative & buy/install a keyed lock.

Mobuck

I use nonworking freezers with a GoldenRod in there for moisture control. I like the accessability of an upright but the shelves do have a limit as to how much weight they will support. For this reason, I use chest type freezers. The uprights get used for powder and primer storage-the doors will open fairly easily to vent pressure in case of an accident.
I like the fact that the insulated enclosure moderates the temperature changes and resultant possible moisture introduction into the ammo.

Riomouse911

I use the storage shelves found at Lowes for ammo storage. I keep most of my range-plinking ammo loose in .30 and .50 cal ammo cans on the lowest shelf, with hunting or defense type ammo in their boxes on a higher shelf. And yes, moving the heavier cans is a nighmare!! Cleaning stuff is on another shelf, reloading on another etc. I guess I store a lot of ammo on the shelving unit, so I did have to put a 2x4 underneath the lowest shelf, and cut 2x2's and stood them upright in the center of each shelf (held in place with a screw through the shelf into each end of the 2x2) to prevent the wooden shelves from sagging.

For serious stationary or portable storage that can be custom made to your specs (It's expensive, but worth it), try www.delsonproducts.com. At a rated 250 lbs in each drawer, these are about the only cabinet units I can think of that are strong enough for what you're saying you need.

Layne12gun

I made my own. I got some marine grade ply wood and made like a foot locker. I sealed all the joints with GE silicone sealant and the hinged top I used a good door seal so when the top is closed the seal is drawn down. I wired it so that you can put in a dehumidifyer rod (Safe Type sold by Midway) mine is 20x20x5ft long. outside and inside are painted with a sealant paint. . Ammo stays nice and dry sits off the concrete floor in my garage about 2 inches so it gets air flow under neath. I live in Fla and my ammo stays very well in it. very east to build and seems to work just fine...

longspur rider

a few years ago I bought a fairly good sized roller toolbox at sams club. It's lockable, has drawers that open easily, & I can easily move the whole thing around the garage. The big drawers hold a lot of ammo.

WinMike

Since I live in an area where humidity and heat aren't issues, I've used inexpensive chipboard cabinets for ammo storage. You can get them at any home improvement store, and they come disassembled. I've added a 1"x2" brace in the middle of each shelf, and in addition to gluing in the sides of the shelves, I reinforced the joints with screws.

You can get them with doors that can be padlocked shut, or simple sliding shelf covers. And you can paint them any color you wish!

Mobuck

Apparently we're talking about vastly different amounts of ammo that we store.

Justjump

I just put a dehumidifier in the reloading room. Also, no sunlight reaches the component shelves.