Keep Your Powder Dry!

Many people who store ammo use 50 cal ammo cans and silica gel desiccant packets to absorb moisture.  I have seen various arguments against using desiccant in various forums.  Some will say they have ammo they have stored for decades without desiccant and it works just fine.  Or that military surplus ammo is already waterproof.  They don't explain why the military bothers to store it in waterproof cans if it's already waterproof.  Nobody says that using desiccant harms your ammo.  I have seen corroded ammo, although I confess that it still worked.  Still, I would rather play it safe.  Silica gel packs are not very expensive and can be purchased from most retailers that sell firearms accessories.  That being said, you can easily make them yourself for next to nothing.  A 4# bag of silica gel kitty litter sells for $4.17 at Walmart.  I have heard that rice will also work, but my understanding is that silica gel is the superior desiccant.

I just happened to have a 1 gallon can of government issue desiccant that was given to me by a friend who was cleaning out his garage.

I searched the internet to find out how much silica gel is ideal for an ammo can.  I saw answers ranging from 10 g to 40 g.  Supposedly, 40 g will keep a 3 cubic foot area dry.  I tried making a packet with 40 g, and it a bit too big, so I went with 25 g.

I used coffee filters (8-12 cup basket type) and weighed them on a kitchen scale.  I swear that scale read 25 g right before I snapped that pic.  I found that 2 heaping tablespoons was just about 25 g.

Gather up the edges until it looks like a teabag that is about 2" across the top.

Fold over the top edge and staple.

Toss it in with your ammo and close the can.

They say that you can "recharge" silica gel by baking it in an oven at 200 deg for 3 hours.  I plan to recharge them once a year.

Ammo Shelves

Here is a sturdy shelf unit that will hold 20 full ammo cans.  It costs about $40-45 to build.  You can build this with just a circular saw and a cordless drill/driver.  However, I used a miter saw, table saw, framing nailer, crown stapler, and impact driver.  For the truly thrifty, much of these materials can be found discarded at construction sites.

Material List:

7 2x4's ($2.53 each at Home Depot)
OSB ($12.57 a sheet)
48 2.5" deck screws ($8.47 for a box of 86)
crown staples or drywall screws ($6.47 for a box of 200)
32 framing nails or 2.5" deck screws

Each shelf is 36" wide by 14" deep.  Start by making a box with 2 36" and 2 11" 2x4's.  Put 2 nails or screws into the end of each long piece to fasten it to the shorter pieces.  Cover this frame with a 14x36" piece of OSB.  Secure it with crown staples or drywall screws to the frame.  Then make 3 more.

Cut 4 42" pieces of 2x4 for the uprights.  There are 3 screws wherever an upright meets a shelf.  There is 12" between the top of each shelf.  You could use nails instead of screws, but screws are less likely to come loose, and you can rapidly disassemble or reconfigure it.  The shelf spacing gives you just enough room for an ammo can with the handle folded flat.  You might want more clearance, but I wanted this unit to be as short as possible so it would be sturdy.

General or Food Storage Shelf Unit:
If you change the dimensions, but build it in the same way, you can make a much larger shelf unit.  Make the uprights 78".  Make the shelves 24x48" and space the shelves 24".  This shelf uses 10 2x4's, one sheet of OSB, and the same nails/screws as the ammo shelf unit.  Material cost is about $50.  Hint:  cut the OSB to 23.75 x 48" so you can get 4 pieces out of one sheet.  Most big home improvement stores will have a panel saw and can cut sheet goods to size for you.

Here's an idea (one that I practice).  Build one (or two) of the larger version of this shelf unit.  Then go to Costco and stock up on nonperishable food items that you use on a regular basis.  Rotate and replenish your stock by expiration date.  Expiration dates can be hard to find and read, so I remark each expiration date with a Sharpie.  You will save money in the long run, have an emergency food supply without having to pay anything extra for it, and it only takes up 8 square feet of space in your basement.