How bad is it for spare magazines to be stored in the garage? I have some new in package PMags, and some D&H mags.

Just wondering if I can move this box from my closet to my garage without them being garbage when I go to use them someday.

Thanks.

I've found it depends on the humidity.  I don't think heat or cold is a problem.

stick em in ammo cans, or use the FoodSaver on them. No worries.

Space/vacuum bags from your local $1 stores work well too.

Thanks guys.

I guess I was worried more about corrosion from humidity etc. The PMags are sealed already which should take care of that I would think. So, it's mainly the D&H mags I should probably seal somehow if possible.

Thanks again for making me feel better about it. :)

Some mags come with stainless steel springs, some don't.  You can buy replacements that are stainless steel.

Pmags are all plastic.  No corrosion if the spring is stainless steel.

The D&H magazines are aluminum with steel floor plates (I think).  They should be fine if the springs are also stainless steel.

Honestly, I've got M14 magazines in a couple boxes in a shed.  I took them out once in the last 18 years and took them apart and wiped them off with an oily rag (and wiped off the springs, insides, floorplates and followers.  They were fine (probably need to check/wipe them down again.  It's been about 8 years).

I've kept both Pmags (just a few) and D&H 30 round mags in my garage for the last 3 or 4 years.  They looks like new when I got them out of the box to hand out to the kids for their new AR15's.

You can have issues with ammo in temp swings. Was a thread on it recently with a guy and a bunch of Radway green IIRC. So dont store them loaded out there.

But just empty I think you'll be alright. Iraq/Afghan is a very extreme environment and they seem to have held up there for almost 2 decades.

Those two brands are supposed to have stainless springs so only the floorplates on the D&H are at risk. I have never had issues with rust on them and store and use them wherever.

What causes corrosion in most instances is moisture or humidity swings. They keep cool, damp or dewy, they heated up and dry out, then go through the same cycle again. Your garage does work as the first barrier to these humidity swings, but it is obviously more susceptible to the changes than the interior of a temperature control home. If you wipe the mags down after they have acclimated to the garage, they will stay fine for a long time. If you have wide temperature and humidity swings or just high humidity like we do in Florida, then metal mags might need to be checked more often. Aluminums should be fine for a long while as well as any polymer. Heat and direct sunlight are the enemies of polymer.

Really, I would not store any mag loaded for potential use in the garage. Those stay in humidity controlled space. That does have more to do with the ammo than the feeding device. But if you have the standard blued AK mags or even blued steel AR or Mini 14 mags, I would set them in place, let them acclimate for 24 hours, wipe them all with a cloth and some preservative oil and they should only need retreating maybe once a year. They will do better in a protective container so they do not have the same humidity swings.

Stack them everywhere!!!  Now is the time to buy.  PSA has insane deal on 10 PMAGS/10 GI mags.  $139.  Insane.

Your mags will be fine.

I would be worried if you where subjected to yearly flooding or if you lived in the bayou.  I keep several foot lockers full of mags at home that I don't worry about at all.

CD

Put them in ammo cans or other containers with some silica cat litter ( dessicant) with blue crystals.

If and when the crystals turn, you can dry them out in the oven  and reuse them over and over again.

MTM o ringed cans and some silica packets. Both can be found incredibly cheap on Amazon...

I used to use silica packets years ago but then discovered that silica cat litter was the exact same stuff and much more economical. You can buy a big container at Wal Mart and make your own reusable silica packets.

I store mine in an old refrigerator in an unheated/uncooled metal building.I've  never had any problems.