Ammo cans

[supton]

Had a prior thread here, but it's locked now. No biggie.

HF had a deal for a $5 50cal can, if you bought $50 of other stuff. I needed some belt sander belts, and another ammo can, so... how bad could it be? Before going though I did a quick check, and Runnings has metal cans for cheaper, which I thought was interesting. [I think Tractor Supply has even cheaper, but they indicated out of stock online, and TS is not in the direction of HF. YMMV.] From L to R, a surplus can I had, HF 50cal, HF 30cal, and Runnings 30cal (they lied, no 50cal in the store ).

A quick mic check shows same box wall thickness, and they feel about the same heft. All the welds look about right spots. These are darn good knockoffs I'd say.

Gasket material looks good, and held in the same way.

The only difference I found was in the handles:

The HF has less clearance around the handle, and so it will stay up, while the surplus will fall flat quickly.

HF:

Surplus:

Unfortunately, I cannot compare what TSC has, nor what Runnings has, for the 50cal. But the HF one seems good to go, I'd say.

 

[supton]

I don't have a surplus 30 cal, so I can only compare the two I bought today, HF and Runnings. I think they compare quite well with each other, with the only real difference being in the lips. HF is flat, while Runnings has a taper. No idea if one is better than the other. Will say, Runnings is cheaper, and no label to have to remove, so I'd give the nod here to Runnings. Then again, the Runnings logo is embossed, so, if that bugs you, well, tough luck.

Edit: forgot to mention, the HF can has the same handle "issue", where it will tend to stay up, while the Runnings can will drop flat as soon as possible.

 

[nomas]

I buy USGI and put a little O-ring grease on the gasket . I have a couple that were submerged for a couple of days and stayed bone dry .

 

[wpod]

I am so tempted to build one of these with an ammo box . ammo box stove

 

[billt460]

Just saw this thread. I have several of the Harbor Freight .50 caliber ammo cans. All of them have performed well. Not a single problem.

I keep 3 of them full of #8 shot on the floor, near my loading bench. To keep both of my shotshell reloaders fed. Once filled they weigh over 100 pounds. (4 full bags of shot each).

I've never had a handle failure on any of them. So if that isn't a testimonial to their strength, I don't know what is. More like deliberate abuse. (If the stickers they put on them bother you, just give them a spray of WD-40, and wipe them off the next morning).

Another good firearms related buy at Harbor Freight are their knock off Pelican cases. ("Apache", I believe they're called). They're less than half the price, and the quality is also excellent.

They come in a variety of colors, sizes, and configurations. And they have pneumatic pressure release valves, and strong latches, metal reinforced locking points, and sturdy wheels on the larger rifle models. All have good O-Ring seals. And their "pluckable foam" is very easy to work with.