I have a friend that stores his ammo in his safe with his guns. I questioned that practice but he said it didn’t get hot enough inside a safe during a house fire to cook off the ammo.

I know that in some safes it can get over 300 degrees for a short period of time. Is that hotenough to ignite rifle or shotgun ammo?

My dad had ammo cans under his bed full of ammo when our house burnt to the ground when i was younger and the ammo never went off. They pulled the cans out of the burnt up bed.

I dont beleive it will go off u should be safe

Something to remember regarding gun safes is where you place the thing inside your house. Place it on the side of the house in the basement and chances are it willsurvive the burn till the firemen put it out. Place it on the second or thirdfloor near the center of the house where there is lots of kindling andchances are everything inside will be destroyed regardless of the fire rating. Just like cooking on your barbecue there are places that sear your steakand places that are good for slow roasting which hopefully your local firemen won't allow. Consider such things when you are buying a safe and consideringwhere to put it. Also consider water damage.Don't put the thing where it will fill with water from the 10000 gallons they may have to use on your house. Hope it helps someone.Take care.

300 degrees F will ignite gunpowder. Part of my job encompasses fire origin and cause cases, one of which happens to be a gun powder explosion case that occured as a result of an individual placing a gun powder container to close to a lightbulb. Radiant heat in the range of 250-350 can ignite gun powder through its plastic container depending upon the containers proximity to the heat source.Metal containers conduct heat more-so than plastic so you need to be aware of that as well. Keep the powder in the coolest, driest place you can find.

Is it not hot enough inside the house to begin with during a fire to ignite the powder and loaded ammo?

Wouldn't it take a whole lot longer for the interior of that safe to reach 300 degrees than it would outside of the safe?

Wouldn't exploding ammo and burning gun powder be much safer to the family and fire fighters inside a 1000 pound steel box with 3/8ths thick steel walls and door and several 1" lugs keeping the door shut than it would be in a closet cooking off and sending projectiles flying in all directions and adding fuelto the fire for the fire fighters?

Wouldn't the safe have a lack of oxygen inside once the fire seals have expanded thus causing the burning powderto not burn ashot?

....My feelings too. I think the safe is probably the best place to store your ammo, particularly if it is humidity controlled also.