Storing your firearms properly is a must since it prevents any unauthorized access. But, you should never forget about ammunition.

Your gun is just a decoration without ammo. Because of this, you need to know exactly how to store them properly. You can’t just put them in your drawers and hope the kids won’t find them. Since you already have a bed gun safe, it’s one of the first options that you have when it comes to ammunition storage.

Don’t start putting all your bullets in your gun vault just yet. You need to know a few tricks that would help you store them properly without worrying about future accidents. Here are a few tips on how to store your ammo properly.

Tips to Store your Ammo Properly on your Bed Gun Safe

1. Don't Store Large Amounts of Ammo in your Gun Safe

If you only have a small gun vault, it’s not advisable to put all of your ammunition inside. A small gun safe can only accommodate one or two handguns. The safe will be overcrowded, making it harder for you to get your gun during emergencies.

You need ammunition when there’s an emergency so make sure that you store a few cartridges in your safe. But, make sure that you separate the bullets from the guns. Doing this can cause the ammo to explode and damage the inside of the vault. The metals used to manufacture them heat faster compared to other materials so you should never put them beside your gun.

With that being said, fireproof features will not really benefit you. Your safe will still heat up when a fire is ongoing so if you have a lot of bullets inside your gun safe, you can say goodbye to all your guns inside it.

2. Control Humidity

Humidity levels should be low when you are storing bullets. Excessive moisture can cause the deterioration of ammunition, making them unusable. Nothing is more dangerous than having ammos during emergencies.

Although you can just store the bullets directly on the gun safe, it’s better to use an airtight container. As long as the ammo is inside the container, it won’t be damaged by moisture.

Using a more advanced bed gun safe will solve this issue. These vaults usually have a controlled temperature inside. This is to make sure that moisture will not develop.

If you don’t have any airtight containers or expensive gun safes, use a desiccant packet. You can store it with bullets.

3. Get the Right Temperature

One thing that most gun owners don’t realize is the importance of temperature when storing ammo. Most people just throw them inside large gun vaults without knowing about their possible effects.

Extreme cold and hot temperatures can affect the nitrocellulose found in the gunpowder. If the temperature is too high, moisture will come out of the bullet. It will start turning into gas. At 125 degrees Fahrenheit, gas will seep out of the cartridge. This will cause unevenness in the bullet, which will lead to a change of pressure on your gun.

As for colder temperatures, their ballistic performance would be affected. The best choice is to always keep your bullets at room temperature. You can keep them in containers to help regulate the heat inside the storage.

Improper Storage of Ammunitions

Ammunition is dangerous when it is loaded in a gun. But, they are also dangerous when they’re just sitting there in your closet or storage box. If you don’t have a big gun safe and you plan to store a lot of bullets, you should know the implications of not storing them properly. So, what would happen if you don’t store your ammo correctly?

• The cartridges will weaken and rupture when you fire them. This is very dangerous because the bullet will burst before it leaves the gun.
• Charges will deteriorate after a few years. If you stored them improperly for a couple of years, you should expect that the bullets will be unusable already.
• The temperature changes can damage the gun powder inside the cartridge.
• Primers can easily lose their sensitivity
• There are instances where corrosion starts to appear on the cartridge. It’s very dangerous to fire because it can injure your hand.

Long Term Ammo Storage

It’s not a good idea to store your ammo inside a bed gun safe for too long. You will have to replace the bullets inside once in a while because a gun vault is not the best place to store ammo long-term.

If you are looking at hoarding ammunition for the apocalypse or other unknown reasons, you should know how to do it correctly.

• Label the containers: The original box the ammo came in has a label already. But, there is a chance that you will have to replace the containers. If they only came on cardboard boxes, they would only last for one to two years. It’s better to replace them early on so you won’t have issues with moisture.
• Always use the oldest rounds: You should use the first-in, first-out (FIFO) valuation method to organize your ammo. You can add a purchase date on the containers so you would know which one entered the storage first. By doing this, you can keep your stock fresh, especially if you constantly use the ammo.
• Humidity sensor: Humidity is the toughest opponent of your ammunition. You need to store them in a dark and dry area. The best thing that you can do is to add a humidity sensor to help you figure out the moisture level of the storage area.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few ammunitions inside your bed gun safe. As long as you don’t keep it inside for a long time and you change the bullets from time to time, there won’t be any pressing issues.

Ammunitions are still dangerous even when they are not loaded in your guns so take your time and understand how to store them properly. You can always find a gun safe that would provide additional protection to your ammo and prevent moisture from damaging them.