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Bulk Ammunition Storage

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Today I bought a fire proof flammable cabinet for my ammunition. Why, I was reading in the latest SA paper from yesterday about the guy who lost his guns to fire. So I am trying to prevent that happening to me as well as protecting firefighters from getting shot from my ammunition. So my question is how do you knowledgeable people here stow away your ammunition??? I am just curious if I am on the right track or not???
 
A good friend of mine has been a gunsmith for 60+ years. He sometimes has people bring him the contents of their gun safes after they have been through a house fire to evaluate and refurbish the guns. Most of the time there is nothing salvageable even when good quality safes are involved. Most polymer frames melt, wood stock finish bubbles and discolors, and anything steel has a fairly good layer of rust on it. This is due to the safe taking in the toxic highly corrosive smoke and fumes before it gets hot enough for the door seal to expand. I’ve seen a few boxes of ammo that were in some of the safes and most were ruined. Boxes and plastic trays melt and brass and copper badly corroded.
 
Belt Fed said:
Only keep 50 rounds on hand, it's easy to store that way.
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I store very little live ammo. According to DOD, loaded brass under ideal conditions last 30 years.
They have retired all their 30 year old ammo, until they use so much today, there is no surplus.
and 100lbs of powder in plastic cans.
Just for one caliber, the main battle rifle, I have 12,000 cases, 7000 CCI 34s, 20,000 7.62 pills of difference weights.

For that same rifle I have one ammo box full of live ammo, I cant even tell what kinds of rounds. They are all pointed down (to keep the moisture off the primer. In enbluc and bandoleers.
For the bolt gun same caliber, I keep one box of store bought, and will reload the custom rounds for it.
But can use the semi ammo until then.

We do not store live ammo
 
No fire-proof safe or cabinet will save ammo in a fire. I do what Talyn said above, for about 1/2 my stash. The rest is in boxes they were shipped in. Never had a dud from age....or anything other than a light primer strike. Firefighters have nothing to worry about unless you store ammo in pistol/rifle chambers. Without the chamber, an exploding cartridge (from heat) just pops and the bullet goes nowhere (lethally).
 
For temperature and humidity control, I converted a bedroom into a vault. I tinted the window and boxed it in. I removed the HVAC ducting and vent. Then I put 1" drywall over the existing 1/2" drywall throughout. The drywall should give me a little over an hour before the firework show starts. I initially had a Vault Pro USA vault door. I changed it out to a Brown Safe fire & ballistic door that swings in versus out. The freight was ungodly. So now my "gun safe" doubles as a safe room. I think that's the best was to store ammunition in bulk.
 
Typical 1 hour rated wall has 5/8" drywall both sides of the wall, not sure 1-1/2" on one side with 1/2" on the other has been tested but should have decent burn time. Extra drywall may add to burn time, but I would not call it a safe room. I have been involved in many projects where a home owner fortifies an interior room of their home and calls it a safe room. Some have 12 + inches of concrete for walls as well as ceilings. Great for hurricane protection but in my opinion would become an air fryer during a home fire. Best to build a concrete walled room on the outer edge of home as to have an exit that leads away from structure.
 
any ammo i have is inside a metal building with concrete floor that's insulated. at 1 time i have nearly 150,000 rounds of ammo, but that was 10 years ago and now have maybe 50k or less. that doesn't include what i've reloaded (maybe 5k worth)? all is inside a metal cabinet with ss wire racks or metal shelving.
 
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