I have several hundred 5.56 made by, I think, Tula. It has been stored, in my basement, in the original boxes of 20 for the last couple of years. No signs of rust on them. I believe removing them from their original boxes and getting sweat and oils from our hands on them, is what causes these to rust.
Andrew

 

If you're truly worried about rust in the original paper packets...melt some paraffin wax and dip each pack in the wax....let it dry...it will be moisture proof for as long as you will live.

redhawk

 

Two types of rust inhibitors - Desiccants which bring down the relative humidity below 50% (as pronounced by Julian Hatcher) preventing rust and barrier chemicals such as seen with rust preventive paper. ("this side toward metal")

AC

 

Is the area damp where the ammo is stored? Does the boxes itself seem damp, out of shape? Dampness/ moisture can cause the rust.
A dehumidifer will help in damp areas.

Most of my ammo are stored in GI ammo cans. Never had any issues with rust. ​

I do have a case of 7.62x39 stored in a large factory shipping box. no issues.
My other supply of 7.62x39 are still sealed in factory spam cans.

 

"but wish to keep my ammunition for future interests"

Gee I wonder what that could mean....hhmmmmmm
​

 

It is a dry area and rust is not typically an issue. I am the sort of person that may go 5-10 years before looking on those stored items and I am thankful for you guys advice and past accounts with steel case with myself being new to it. Thanks .DT

Trigger Finger I am not understanding your post?

 

Don't know what resources might be available to you or how much trouble you are willing to go to for this project. A few thoughts...

Rusting is the combining of oxygen with iron to form iron oxide. The presence of oxygen is required. Coatings, such as the wax dip suggested above, serve to keep oxygen away from the article to be protected.

Otherwise, the air in an air tight container holding the rounds might be replaced with an inert gas, like nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Or the oxygen can be extracted from inside the container, by using a vacuum pump to remove the oxygen containing atmosphere. Even if the oxygen inside the cases were to leak out, the cartridges will still work. External oxygen is not necessary for the powder to work. The powder, nitrogylcerine and nitrocellulose, rapidly decomposes rather than "burns".

Desiccants, drying agents like silicon dioxide remove water vapor, which accelerates oxidation, but will not prevent it. Oxygen is still present. Still, storage in an air tight container (containing air) will allow only a limited amount of oxygen to contact that which you are trying to protect.

One other idea, is to use the treated paper that tool makers and machinists use to wrap steel parts. Not sure where to get it, or how it works, but it smells like camphor. You could wrap your packages with it and store them in airtight containers. Not as good as a vacuum, but better than nothing.

Not sure how long you plan to try to preserve your cartridges, but they will have a finite working life span. The the propellants will eventually degrade and the so will the priming compound. It is generally thought that the old, corrosive primers are more stable over time than the newer non-corrosive types. Still, the working expectation is for multiple decades. Will your stash work for your great-grandchildren? No one knows.

Oh yes. Consider that the inside of your cases can rust as well from the nitrates in the powder and the air inside the case. A little bit, anyway. The rounds will still function as long as the primers still work.

 

IMO, the easiest way to store your steel cased ammo (any ammo) would be in a gasketed, metal ammo can or crate with a some vapor barrier chips thrown in with the boxes.

(https://www.amazon.com/Armor-Protec...=VCI+chips&link_code=qs&qid=1565588075&s=gateway&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-1)

 

I know guys who use ammo cans with a desiccant. Should last for years. Another way to go is vacuum pack them like your meat. I have a bud who vacuum packs his firearms he doesn't plan to use for some time. He has the larger rolls for his vacuum packer and seals his guns in there with a desiccant. I'd think that would be a great way to do it and if you really want to go nuts, vacuum pack them and store them in an ammo can. I'd think that ammo would be fresh for decades if not a century. If they guns need to last just as long, vacuum pack them with desiccant, then seal them into a 6" PVC pipe with gooped up ends. That should last a long time too.
V

 

You can get spam can bulk ammo for some rounds.

 

I don't have any issues with steel case Russian 7.62 X 39 and I start by taking them out of the cardboard boxes and putting them loose in a Zip Lock bag. I keep the flap of the box which has the Lot number and Brand. The Zip locked bags are then put inside a standard Military rubber O-ring sealed ammo can. You must store them in a cool dry place. I have ammo that is over 20 yrs old and no rust and still shoots fine. I write the date that it was purchased so I know how old it is. That way I use older stuff first.