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5 gallon buckets to store ammo?

Awfully heavy bucket to lug around. I'm not sure if the handle would hold up. hell, a 50 cal ammo can packed to the top with 5.56 can be pretty heavy. I could see using a 5 gal bucket for empty brass. That's what I use, but it just sits next to the reloading bench and I'm not trying to pack it to the range. I suppose if you are just keeping it static position and take loose from the top for range trips it would work, but I bet the weight would eventually split the sides.
 
YES! I get them free from work after I use the oil. I have to clean them good so I don't have to worry about primers/powder being affected. Works great for bulk blaster ammo as long as you don't plan to move them. They stack nice. Lids are airtight. I'm sure you could find a dolly with casters to roll a full bucket around.
 
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i got a couple of those large rubbermaid containers and filled them with cases of ammo. and put a heated electronic rod in each of them.
 
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I’ve used them for a while, both with cheap lids and those fancy watertight gama seal lids.

Work good, but get heavy! Also crushed one 5 gallon bucket by stacking 3 high. Completely ruptured and cracked the lid. Round form factor takes up more space than square ammo cans, which may or not be a factor.
 
I'd go with the 2 or 2.5 gallon buckets. You can get the 2 gallon buckets at Home Depot if you want. I get free 5 gallon buckets at work...but mainly store brass and lead in them....all ammo goes into new sealed and decal'd fat fifty cans...unless it is precision ammo...then it goes in the ADG container the brass came in.
 
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I have bunch of hand gun ammo in 1 gallon ice cream buckets, and Prince Albert Tobacco cans.
 
I snagged a bunch of 7.62 and .50 ammo cans before I got out of the Corps.. just spray painted them flat black and mark what’s inside with a white paint pin.. and throw some desiccant packs in there. I only bulk store my pistol, ar Fmj loads, my precision stuff gets kept in divided plastic ammo boxes.
 
I snagged a bunch of 7.62 and .50 ammo cans before I got out of the Corps.. just spray painted them flat black and mark what’s inside with a white paint pin.. and throw some desiccant packs in there. I only bulk store my pistol, ar Fmj loads, my precision stuff gets kept in divided plastic ammo boxes.
I got a pile of them. Expensive though and I want to keep my cases of match in the original case boxes. So they take up a lot of space Weird I know.
 
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I keep a case of shotgun shells in a 5 gallon bucket, still in the box. It's real heavy and I keep some bird hunting equipment (game pouches, shears, etc) in the bucket. I couldn't imagine trying to move a 5 gal bucket full of pistol or rifle ammo.
 
Storage. Not moving.

Some of y’all need to hit the gym. These are still movable. Somewhat


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Even when I power lifted, 2500 9mm in a .50 is a handful-try a 60mm can full! yeah, the Dolley is the ticket.
 
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Even when I power lifted, 2500 9mm in a .50 is a handful-try a 60mm can full! yeah, the Dolley is the ticket.
Thanks for sending me on a Ammo can search.
Hella deals here with free shipping with a free 30 day trial membership

$500 later
 
Thanks for sending me on a Ammo can search.
Hella deals here with free shipping with a free 30 day trial membership

$500 later

Dang! Glad I saved those .30 and .50 cans while they were "cheap" One of the big ones is on wheels right now.
 
I primarily use them for brass but during the shelter in place while bored and loading "a lot" I did fill a couple with reloads that I transfer to ammo cans when I go to the range.
 
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I store loaded ammo in the large plastic Folgers coffee cans, I then vacuum seal them with my food saver, and then I place them in shallow holes in the back yard, bury them, cover them with different color coded flowers for which ammo they are, for future events.
 
I use 5 gallon buckets for brass. I have plenty of ammo cans. I got a bunch of free ones from work 20 years ago. I also have a bunch of plastic coffee cans for brass and bullets on shelves. I have wondered how 1 gallon paint cans would work for ammo.
 
US Plastics has many different size/shape buckets. I like the square 4 gallon ones because they dont get too heavy, stack well and are more space efficient. The weight issue, as previously mentioned is a limiting factor, not just for carrying but for stacking. If they get too heavy they will begin to squish outward on the lower buckets and eventually burst.