Tip for getting free AMMO cans

[barqsman]

I am a reservist and I asked some of the higher ranking people if we had any old ammo cans lying around I could buy or have and they gathered up 3 or 4 very large and average size ammo cans. He told me had I gotten to him last week I could have had 8 more just like them. The tip is ask friends that are in the military if they can scrounge them up, they are ALL over air military bases, ALL OVER!

[+tfc0869]

Although I can't verify this, I heard from a guy, standing outside an Army surplus store (that was selling ammo boxes for $12 and up) that a local gun show was selling the same ammo boxes for much less $$. Makes sense, doesn't it...guns, ammo...

[Knight-Errant]

I am a reservist and I asked some of the higher ranking people if we had any old ammo cans lying around I could buy or have and they gathered up 3 or 4 very large and average size ammo cans. He told me had I gotten to him last week I could have had 8 more just like them. The tip is ask friends that are in the military if they can scrounge them up, they are ALL over air military bases, ALL OVER!

 

Please be VERY CAREFUL using surplus government property. Even though a "higher ranking" person may feel that they have authority to give such items away, the federal government (and probably state governments as well) officially considers them to be government property and, therefore, must be disposed of through official channels. We are a aware of a civilian employee on a military facility that got busted for taking home dirty rags from his shop (about a small garbage bag full). Even though the rags were headed for the garbage, the "official" position was they were still government property. The specific issue is that the government can, but usually doesn't, resell newer and used ammo cans (and other similar items) to the very military surplus stores so unauthorized removal is considered theft. Yes, you probably can and will get away with just scrounging them up, but we don't recommend the risk.

 

DO shop around. There can be huge differences in prices and condition. (For what its worth, our local military surplus shop sells newer and slightly used for about $6.00.)

 

Finally, one legal option is to find out if and where your local military conducts operations on public lands. They will usually leave such items behind for the envriomentally concious citizen to "clean up". (Since the items are not removed from a military facility it can't really be considered theft, but collection of abandoned property.)

[+Semper Questio]

KE is absolutely correct. The military has a procedure for getting rid of surplus or unwated items. Just because someone in a uniform says you can have something doesn't make it so, no matter their rank. Of course, if you are talking to a base commander it is unlikely anyone will argue the point with him/her, but it IS, technically, stealing government property and I've seen folks busted for taking far less valuable items than ammo cans even after someone said they could have them. Just be careful. That's all I'm sayin'.

[barqsman]

KE is absolutely correct. The military has a procedure for getting rid of surplus or unwated items. Just because someone in a uniform says you can have something doesn't make it so, no matter their rank. Of course, if you are talking to a base commander it is unlikely anyone will argue the point with him/her, but it IS, technically, stealing government property and I've seen folks busted for taking far less valuable items than ammo cans even after someone said they could have them. Just be careful. That's all I'm sayin'.

 

If you have a letter from you commander its no problem at all. Most of the time when someone is trying to get away with something is when its illegal. My unit throws them out all of the time. Its nothing to get the commander to hand them over with a letter. Thanks for the concern.