Cabela's Dry-Storage Ammo Box 12 Gauge Storage Trays

CLICK HERE If you're looking for 12ga storage trays for a standard M19A1 .30 cal ammo can!

CLICK HERE If you're looking for 12ga storage trays for a standard M2A1 .50 cal ammo can!

Some manufacturers sell their shells in boxes that are so awkward that you can't fit that many into a ammo box.  Maybe you have a mixture of different shells all in different boxes that also don't fit nicely together.  Or maybe you just have a bunch of loose shells just thrown in like candy in a candy jar.  All are very inefficient and do not maximize the space in the ammo box.  Gross.

So now you're stuck in this conundrum of either having to buy more ammo boxes with money you could be spending somewhere else (more ammo?) or NOT buying another ammo box and taking it out of the boxes and dumping it all in loose like, well, candy in a candy jar.  Or maybe you have to store the overflow ammo somewhere else.  All unacceptable options, IMO.

Well, if you're anything like me then you're kind of OCD about how you store your ammo.  I like mine organized and well protected so just dumping a bunch of loose ammo or storing it outside of cans is a non-starter for me.

So, to that end, I wanted to maximize the number of shells I could stand up in a Cabela's Dry-Storage Ammo Box before I had to resort to buying more ammo cans.  I remixed these trays from koosh's original tray design and now the trays have been split in half in order to fit the Prusa MK3S+ bed (210mm x 250mm).  A side effect from breaking them in half is now they are easier to hold with one hand and easier to put in/take out of the ammo box.

I exclusively use 2 ¾" shotshells in all of my shotguns and they are all not created equal.  Take a look at this picture of the 9 different brands of shotshell I have:

These are all in the 2 ¾" shell spec and they all vary in length.  The RIO is the tallest of the bunch at 63.20mm (2.49") which is 6.32mm (0.25") longer than the shortest one I have at 56.88mm (2.24")!  There are numerous different shell lengths in the 2 ¾" spec amongst manufacturers so keep in mind that this will affect how many you can get in the Cabela's Ammo Box.  So, by design, the trays can be mixed and matched depending upon your shell sizes.

The trays are divided up into 2 types:

• “A” tray - Holds 48 Shells
• “B” tray - Holds 41 Shells
• There is a gap in the middle where the trays come together where you can drop an extra shell in (per layer).

In Cabela's ammo box, it actually slopes slightly outward the higher up you go.  However, I decided against creating different size trays for each layer to tighten the gaps and maybe get more shells on the tray.  Ultimately, the gaps weren't big enough to be meaningful and I also didn't want this to be confusing for someone trying to figure out which tray to use on which layer.  So while there may be slightly larger gaps on the top 2 layers, having them all the same size keeps it simple.

Each layer in the can has an “A” tray and a “B” tray side by side.  You should have no issues getting 3 layers (at 90 shells per layer) of any size shotshell, including 3" or longer, for a total of 270 shells!   You may even be able to squeeze a few more shells into the gaps on the 1st and 2nd layers of trays from the top for even more per layer.  However, 270 shells is already pretty heavy so keep that in mind.  :)

I've created print files using Generic PLA and PETG and uploaded the model and project files as well.  You also do not need any supports!  However, the trays do take some time to print.  I tried to reduce that time by cutting down on layer size and width, but I found 2mm is the lowest I could go on the base and the circular shell holders without sacrificing integrity and strength.  However, you will find that it is well worth it in the end.

I hope this can be useful for any fellow shotgun owners out there.   Also, if you have any issues then just shoot me a message.  Thanks!

Maximized fit to an ammo can plus multiple sizes.