Knowing how to store ammo comes down to two sets of rules and one enemy. The federal storage rules say how ammo has to be kept in relation to your guns. Natural Resources Canada’s rules say how much you can keep at home and where. And moisture, more than age, is what ruins it. Here are all three in plain English, plus the containers that make it easy.
How to store ammo legally in Canada
Ammo on its own doesn’t have to sit in a safe. The storage rule is written around your guns: a stored non-restricted firearm must not be readily accessible to ammunition, unless the ammo is kept, with the gun or apart from it, in a locked container or receptacle that can’t readily be broken open or into. That gives you two legal ways to store ammo:
- Locked up. In the same safe as the guns, or in a separate locked container that can’t easily be forced.
- Kept away from the guns. Unlocked, but not readily accessible to them, for example in a different part of the house.
“Readily accessible” isn’t defined in the regulations, so the safe choice is to lock it. Restricted firearms have the same ammunition rule, and the guns themselves need more. The text is in the federal storage regulations, and our gun storage laws guide covers the gun side.
The 225 kilogram limit
The explosives rules from Natural Resources Canada are the other half. Without an explosives licence, you can keep up to 225 kilograms of ammunition in a dwelling, such as a house, apartment or cottage, or in a storage unit. At home it has to be kept away from flammable substances and sources of ignition, and only people you have authorized can get at it. Few people come anywhere near the limit. Powder and primers for reloading have their own rules. The details are on NRCan’s ammunition page.
How to store ammo so it lasts
Factory ammo kept cool and dry lasts a very long time. What shortens its life:
- Moisture. It corrodes brass and steel cases and can get into primers and powder. Green crust on brass or rust on steel cases means a box has been damp.
- Heat and big temperature swings. A vehicle in summer or an uninsulated garage cycles hot and cold, which pulls damp air in and out of every container. Cool and steady is the goal.
- Oil and solvents. Don’t spray lubricant on loaded rounds or let them sit in it. Penetrating oil can creep past the primer seal.
The easiest way to store ammo for years is to leave it in the original boxes so the calibre and load stay labelled, put the boxes in a sealed container, and shoot the oldest first. Look it over once or twice a year.
The best containers to store ammo in
A metal can with a rubber gasket is hard to beat. Our .50 cal metal ammo can is $27.88, stacks, and seals. Add a Silent Dry Invisible stone ($24.99) to soak up the moisture that gets in every time you open it. It renews in the microwave. For a whole cabinet of ammo, the Hypercube Small ($44.88) does the same job on a bigger scale, with a hygrometer so you can see the humidity.
A can on its own isn’t locked. If you want to store ammo locked, which is the simplest way to meet the rule above, keep the cans in a locked cabinet or room. The gun and ammo cabinet ($448.99) has two doors with different keys, so guns and ammo can each sit behind their own lock.
Where not to store ammo
- Beside the furnace, water heater, woodstove or anything else that is a source of ignition.
- Next to gasoline, propane, solvents or other flammables, which rules out a lot of garages and sheds.
- In a vehicle, beyond the trip itself. NRCan’s rules talk about a dwelling or a storage unit.
- Straight on a concrete floor, which wicks moisture. Put cans on a shelf.
- Anywhere kids or visitors can get at it.
Quick checklist
- Guns unloaded and locked. Ammo locked, or kept away from the guns.
- Under 225 kg, away from heat and flammables, with access limited to people you trust.
- Original boxes inside a sealed can, with desiccant.
- Cool, dry, off the floor, oldest first.
If your guns and ammo share a safe, our guides to gun safe humidity and storing guns in a garage cover keeping that space dry.
A plain-language summary as of November 2026, not legal advice. Prices current as of November 2026.