Do I Need an Ammo Box or Reloading Tray?

I honestly never thought I’d get so many questions about whether or you should purchase ammo boxes or not. It’s a really good question and oftentimes, people overthink it and either buy too many or use their own. 

I know it’s a Friday and everyone is excited for the weekend, but with hunting season approaching it’s time to start reloading your ammo and dialing in each load. I’m going to use my own ammo boxes and reloading trays to show you why you need them. There are many different brands and models, but there are very few that offer me everything I need in one box or tray. 

What is an Ammo Box?

There seems to be a lot of confusion between an ammo box and an ammo tray. It’s important to establish an understanding between the two so you don’t try to store your ammo in a reloading tray. 

An ammo box is normally different from a reloading tray because it’s meant to store ammo, so it comes with a lid that locks to prevent environmental factors from ruining your loaded ammo.

An ammo box is specifically designed to store ammo that is already reloaded and ready to use. I personally have 7 different ammo reloading boxes for my set-up, but you can figure out a good number for you. 

Frankford Arsenal Ammo Box

It really depends on the ammo caliber that you’re trying to store, but Frankford has an ammo box for almost every caliber made. For example, there are 9 different boxes, but I’m going to make it easy for you and list them so you know which one to buy. For the sake of time and the fact that I use the 50 round boxes, I’ll only include a list of the 50 round ammo boxes. 

As you can see from the dozens of calibers offered, you’re covered with the Frankford Arsenal Ammo Box. Just follow the table above and choose the correct size for your caliber and you’ll have a perfect fitting ammo box to keep your ammo save, dry, and ready to go. 

Where Can I Buy a Frankford Arsenal Ammo Box?

There are two places that I would recommend if you don’t want to buy directly from Frankford Arsenal. First is Amazon because most of us are Amazon Prime members and shipping matters when you’re talking about items less than $5.00. 

The second place I’d recommend buying from if you’d like to buy from a smaller (still huge, just not Amazon) company is Kentucky Gun Company. Both products are listed for $3.99, but you’ll pay to ship for Kentucky Gun Company. 

What is a Reloading Tray?

A reloading tray is similar to an ammo box because they both can hold charged and unloaded brass. The biggest difference with a reloading tray is that it’s used in the actual process of reloading your own ammo. 

For example, if you’re brass is clean, trimmed, and primed, you place it in the reloading tray to prepare to add the gun powder. The important thing about a reloading tray is that they’re often designed to hold specific sizes of brass. As you place your brass into the tray, it should securely hold each piece of brass without them tipping or falling over once you move the tray.

What is a Universal Reloading Tray?

As you can see from the images, I can load every ammo caliber that I have in my Frankford Arsenal Universal Reloading Tray. A universal reloading tray is a platform that can securely hold any ammo caliber that you’re trying to reload. The different slots in the reloading tray are made for different calibers. 

In the pictures shown, I put in loaded and unloaded 30-06 and 9mm ammo to show you the versatility of this one try from Frankford Arsenal. Not all universal reloading trays work as well because some are universal for all pistol calibers and rifle calibers, but not as much of both. 

It just depends on the company and what you’re used to, but some people refer to reloading trays as loading blocks. Regardless of what they’re called, these brass-holding trays are a tremendous benefit to your reloading process. 

Frankford Arsenal Universal Reloading Tray

The reason I like the Universal loading tray so much better than anything else I’ve used is the fact I don’t need any other, no matter my load. For someone who writes about guns and gear all day for a living, I have too much of most things. I don’t need to have 5-7 loading trays because each caliber I shoot fits on one of the two sides. 

It holds 50 rounds of any caliber I want to load from a .17 caliber all the way up to a .458 caliber rifle round. It will also hold every pistol caliber from 9mm to the hand cannon 500 S&W. For most of us, we only really need a few calibers to worry about, such as a 9mm, .45 ACP, 30-06, .308 WIn, and maybe a 7mm Rem Mag. This tray fits every round I shoot and keeps my bullets steady and ready to load. 

Where Can I Buy the Frankford Arsenal Loading Tray?

The cheapest I’ve seen the Frankford Arsenal Universal Loading Tray is at Amazon for $6.65. If Amazon runs out or you want to buy From Kentucky Gun Company, you’ll only pay $8.99.  When shipping is considered Amazon always wins with the cheapest price and fastest shipping. I own 2 of these loading trays just in case I ever break or lose mine, but so far so good. 

Why Do I Need an Ammo Box & Loading Tray?

Ever since I learned how to reload my own ammo, I’ve spoken to a lot of reloaders who are reluctant to buy ammo boxes and loading trays because they don’t need them or they’re too much money. 

My first question is always, if you’re not using an ammo box, where do you keep the potential thousands of rounds you could have? I’ve seen people keep loaded ammo in cardboard boxes stacked high and told me it’s not worth the $3.99 that an ammo storage box would cost. 

I think sometimes people just overthink things and don’t understand how practical these containers are. Organization and having a proper count of your ammo is a responsibility that every gun owner should

Each of my ammo boxes holds 50 rounds of whatever caliber I own and I stack them in my safe. I know exactly how much ammo I have at all times and if you have kids, this becomes even more important to know. 

As far as loading trays go, the universal loading tray by Frankford Arsenal is the best because it’s the most affordable and versatile loading tray. So far I haven’t had any issues with gun powder spilling because a bullet was not seated properly in the loading tray.

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Most of the time, you’re going to have to take at least a few steps with the loading tray in hand. I’ve used loading trays in the past where I knew I was going to have to refill a case or two every trip to the single-stage loading press. 

If you’re looking for convenience, durability, and under $10, this will be the best $6 you’ve ever spent on your reloading collection. If you’re looking for more information on reloading, visit some of our other blogs listed below. 

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