I bought a case of 9mm today that I didn't need, but I couldn't pass up the deal. I am going to pack it in a steel military surplus ammo can for possible long term storage. I usually fill a can with only one caliber, then I was thinking should I fill the can with only 9 mm or take a couple of cans and mix em up, with 9 mm, 5.56, 22lr etc...?
Well, first of all, if you have enough ammo to feel the need to organize it .... first checkpoint met!
I tried economizing on ammo cans by combining calibers & types. I've since found it's much easier to buy a bunch of 30 & 50 cal cans, then label them with the caliber, bullet weight and when you bought it. If you buy bulk (loose) ammo, or decide to get rid of all those space-wasting, moisture-retaining cardboard boxes, keep a couple of box flaps or case labels containing the lot numbers. Sometimes there is a recall on certain lots. You might also experience some manufacturer defects, and they will want that information for warranty and tracking purposes.
I usually store mine without the cardboard boxes. I count out 100 rounds into ziplock bags for easy inventorying. I keep track of how much I fire in which guns and always have a sticky on the can with the ammo count in it. For range trips, I normally count out the ammo I'm taking into plastic ammo boxes.
I place a desiccant pack in each can to absorb moisture and reactivate them every 2-3 months.
One way to decide how to keep it organized is to think "What can or cans would I grab if I needed to evacuate?" No need to carry ammo for guns you aren't going to take with you in that situation. Keeping it separated by caliber makes quickly packing up what caliber(s ) you need a lot easier.
That's just how I do it. There's no standard for ammo at home. if you don't have the storage space, you might not have the option to have one box per caliber/weight!
