In Praise of the Humble G.I. Ammo Can.

If any of you remember my post-Katrina posts in the Survival Forum back in 2005/06, I am a big advocate of ammo cans as a way to keep things protected to, well, to the next ice age. My dad had 400 M-1 Garand clips that were fresh as new after three weeks under 9 feet of water. But, will they last to almost forever?

You decide.

.....CLIFF
(like, who else?)

I would agree with the utility of the ammo can. I have collected several over the years. My eldest has been in service for a good thirty years and is holding up quite well. Mostly I have the ones holding 30 and 50 cal ammo. Just out of curiosity, what sizes and types are available?

I have 7.62mm (small), 5.56mm or .50cal(large), and 20mm (very large) Ammo Boxes. Most other sizes are fitted into these three sizes, mostly. I also have a 10ga flare box and they are square shaped.

Artillary shells come in metal canisters which also make great anchor buoys for small and large vessels.

I use ammo cans for many things. Here is one I use in my truck as a simple lock-box against opportunistic smash-n-grab thiefs. An ammo can with a large hole drilled at the opening end, a piece of electrical conduit with one end smashed (in a vise) and the other end drilled through, a cable for locking bicycle seats, and a padlock. I attach it to the metal seat frame, and tuck it away under the back seat.

This arrangement is actually more heavy-duty and more secure than the official lockboxes you see advertised for cars. I keep an old hand towel in the box to wrap things up in to protect them. Cheap, easy to make, and very functional.

The box is no longer waterproof with that hole drilled in it, but I figure if you have water that deep in the back seat of your truck, well, you have bigger things to worry about!

I have what appears to be a giant ammo can. I think it was originally for holding night vison goggles or some other kind of optic. It was originally full of thick foam padding stuck to the inside. I was able to peel that off and now it's just a giant ammo can. It's current job is to hold .22LR ammo. I believe I have 15 or 20 bricks inside at the moment (still boxed, not loose rounds). Holds a lot! Very strong. But also very heavy with all that ammo inside! Wouldn't want to carry it very far.

And here I was about to get rid of a few ....

I have some of the plastic copies holding ammo. Cheap enough so that I can have one for each kind then it looks like I have thise huge stock of ammo. I put my old re-useable floppy isk labels to use again but sticking them to the ammo cans.

I'm looking for a metal one which will hole 2-3 1lb propane canisters, anyone that has a few can you check size so I know what to look for?

Eugene... I can fit 2, 1# bottles in a standard 840 round 5.56 (50cal) can... but you have to force the lid closed

They are remarkably secure storage as cheap as they can be had for sometimes.

The 7.62mm cans are selling for $20 and the .50cal boxes are selling for $25 ea here in Louisiana surplus stores.

I've seen .50cal boxes used as CB weather proof mounts. The radio is mounted inside the box, which is attached to a wall or bulkhead. The power lead, antenna coaxial is brought in through the bottom & sealed with RTV. Open the lid and pop the lid off the hinges.

Got one lot long ago at the Cocoa Army Navy for $10. Also got a metal box approx 25" x 13" x 8" for $15:

Today I repainted a 50 cal. box. I have had it at least 35 years. It was a bit rusty on the outside, so a bit of sanding to remove the lose rust and then 3 coats of rustolium paint. Looks like new. Good for another 35 years. I paid 50 cents for it. Bought about 20. Still have 15. They have been hacked into radio boxes, lock boxes and assorted other things. Nothing like 'em.

Nomad.

I went to a rural boarding school, where students were not allowed to keep food in their rooms, nor eat between the familystyle meals in the cafeteria. I was ALWAYS hungry. There were penalties if you were caught with food. My solution was to put my stash in .50 cal ammo cans, in the woods. Bread, peanutbutter, restaurant-style jelly packets, dried fruit, nuts...you get the idea. I eventually added a tiny packstove, frypan, and pot to brew tea in.
This wasn't a school for people with eating disorders, just a very spare environ. The three tenets were self-reliance, simplicity of life, and directness of purpose.

Sorry that you went to such a horrible school, Goo. It seems like you can satisfy all three tenets while getting the right amount of calories. Glad the .50 cal ammo box came to your rescue.

I reorganized our two today - one with little green army men and the other with little beige army men, with all their various vehicles, weapons and barricades. Sad but true. The kid loves it though.

Sounds like a rough school but innovative. Brilliant!

That's a great idea for Army men and their vehicles!!!!

I bought some small cans from a surplus store. I got them because they were super cheap and looked strong enough. I had no idea they were this durable.

Mine are nice and small. I prefer rigid containers like this to be as small as possible because (1) the rigidness is less annoying when the can goes empty and (2) even my small cans are heavy when filled with stuff (e.g., ammo).

I used ammo cans for storing fire supplies and of course for ammo.

We're going to get a new one to use for a little 10th birthday geocaching surprise.

I use ammo cans for a lot of different things, but the best use I've discovered is storing glues and epoxies. Not only does it save money, but prevents the aggravation of having to interrupt a project in order to go buy more.