Storage of ammunition

The Wyoming State Museum has a collection of small arms ammunition,
manufactured between 1860 and 1960, some of which was disarmed a
number of years ago, some of which might still be live.  We would
like to store this collection in the safest manner possible until it
can be completely surveyed, and then disarmed or destroyed as
necessary. A transfer out of collections storage to a National Guard
bunker was investigated several years ago, but for a number of
reasons the Guard refused the use of the space.

I would be interested to hear how other museums have dealt with this
problem and what the current thinking is on the storage of
(potentially live) small arms ammunition in a museum building.  (The
building in question is actually the museum's main off-site storage
facility, which contains no public spaces, but where staff members
spend several hours a day.)

In particular, I would like to know whether this is no longer
accepted practice under any circumstances, or whether storage in a
vault or secure room, or in certain kinds of cabinets, with
appropriate environmental control,  is the standard safety measure.
(There was a short thread concerning ammunition on the List about
two years ago, but it dealt with disarming rather than storage.)

    **** Moderator's comments: If you search the DistList archives
    for "ammunition", you'll find those postings by Alison Wain, K.
    R. Berrett Rick S. Fortenberry, Lisa Mibach, and George Bailey

Barbara Hamann
Objects Conservator
Wyoming State Museum
307-777-5415

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:37
                 Distributed: Friday, October 16, 1998
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