I don;t know what the exact shelf life is of either civilian, or military ammo, other than to tell you that it is a long damn time. I have shot OLD military ammo from the 70's since I have been in the Army, and I have seen older ammo still in the crates in the ammo storage areas. Though, i can't imagine that it would hurt to store it in air tight containers. Just to keep the humidity off it. I am sure as long as it stays dry, you won't have any problems.