Thread: ammo storage

firstly sorry if this is in the wrong place but i assumed safe storage of ammo and the law is firearm saftey

hi there i have been going through the process of getting a firearms license and almost have it but can someone clear up the rules on ammo storage as i am very confused with the way the arms act is structured etc. i was planning on putting ammo in a cash security boxes they use for like small stalls at markets etc as i dont plan on having much ammo all the time but am unsure if that is good enough.

or would it be better getting a lockable 50 cal ammo can from guncity and would i have to bolt this to something?

thanks

Either of the options youve mentioned are fine, probably overkill for what the vetting officer will be fine with but better to be safe than sorry. When i did my renewal about 12 months ago the chap wasnt worried about it, i just told him where i store it. Didn't check my safe or anything

I have a small safe (re Bunnings- Mitre 10 it was around $60 ) coach bolted to the floor in the cupboard in a different room from the safe. Ammo Bolts and suppresser stored in there. The arms officer seemed happy enough.
I believe if you are polite and pleasant to the officer and show you are trying to follow the rules he/she is easy to deal with. Having said that my safe is sort of hidden behind hanging sleeping bags and would not be easy to find.
A metal cash box fixed in the bottom of a cupboard/ wardrobe I would say is ok, but who knows

A cash box, yes, but then you soon run out of space ... even if you say you don't plan to have too much ammo around, problem is you'll soon end up needing to keep several types of ammo.
You will get a .22 rifle, no doubt, and you buy .22LR ammo by the brick, well, because you can get it even cheaper than way, not because you need to, you just have to...
Shotgun ammo also takes a lot of space, even just one box of 20.
and on it goes, add three more types of ammo.

would it have to be fixed? could i just hide it somewhere

When I was vetted, the officer didn't ask to see my ammo storage arrangements. At the time, it was in a lockable metal tool box with a cheap padlock, so didn't push it. Have something more substantial now. The legislation is ambiguous. Re: space, agree with Cordite's comments. Bricks of 22LR and especially, 12g cartridges take up a lot of space.

I have 50cal boxes that have padlocks on them. I think when the vetting officer comes around and you can show your intent to make it all as safe as possible and are open to suggestions he/she offers then your mindset is fine. I always look at my safety and think, could my kids get into it (they are both under 10yrs so an easy no at the moment) and could it be found or accessed easy by someone breaking in?

So do folks drill holes in the side? In the event of a house fire surely a metal box full of ammo with no way for gas to vent is a 'bomb'

Greetings Mathew,
You say you won't have much. I say not yet.

My ammo cupboard. Bolted to the wall and a different key to the gunsafe (needed to comply).
GPM.
PS its chocka now with handloads and empty cases. Powder is elsewhere

I just have a cupboard with a lock on it. It was checked a few weeks ago and signed off.

so is the inner locking box in the top of a gun safe for bolts/ammo not legal anymore ? Am I missing something here ?
for just small amounts of ammo obviously ....

yea thats a area im confused in to coz thats what i was gonna use originally while im just starting off. from what ive heard you have to disable the firearm with a trigger lock,storing the bolt elsewhere or something like that

Locked box fixed to the building in a separate location to the gun safe may be overkill but it will pass. A cheap steel toolbox from Mitre10 should do it.

One thing no one has mentioned yet is don't have the keys to the gun safe and the ammo safe on the same key ring.

Originally Posted by Ftx325

so is the inner locking box in the top of a gun safe for bolts/ammo not legal anymore ? Am I missing something here ?
for just small amounts of ammo obviously ....

Think the wording is along the lines of, if somebody gains access to the cabinet containing the firearms they shouldn't also gain access to ammo. I would interpret that as separate locked box in safe ok but don't think there is consistency in that interpretation

Originally Posted by matthewhall2912

yea thats a area im confused in to coz thats what i was gonna use originally while im just starting off. from what ive heard you have to disable the firearm with a trigger lock,storing the bolt elsewhere or something like that

I just put the bolts and mags in the upper locking section of safe with the 'going to use' ammo, that is why it's there after all, and have a separate locking cupboard , which is about to have another safe installed in it for bulk ammo.
Never been a problem before.
Wouldn't be surprised if they want trigger locks on semi's, pump's etc but a trigger lock on a bolt action with no bolt installed seems pointless...