Snaplock 45-70 Gov't Ammo Box + Expanding Tray

Updated version of my expanding ammo trays for 45-70 Government

… now with a Snaplock box for more secure transport. The original model can be found here.

Updated to v2 - 2026-03-20:

Improved hinge design for stability during operation. Added a hole to insert a piece of filament to keep things aligned. Changed the face for aesthetics and symmetry.

Fat fingered people rejoice!

Yeah, I have fat fingers. I don't like wasted space either. But I have to compromise when most ammo storage solutions that are compact and take up less space make it difficult to pull the rounds out of the trays. This expanding holder lets you store and transport your ammo in compact form factor while giving you the flexibility to expand the trays for easier loading and unloading.

Design features:

• Store your ammo in a tight and compact package
• Expand the rows to get your fat fingers in there for easy extraction
• Since the 45-70 is rimmed, these are made to store primer up
• Trays are easily removable.
• Latches and be customized in the slicer with caliber and bullet weight text
• Inner label is larger allowing more text.
• Pouch behind inner label to store original manufacturer packaging like LOT numbers or load details.
• These are the largest of the boxes in this system, made to accommodate larger calibers like 6.5 PRC, 300 Win Mag, 338 Lapua, and 454 Casull.

Stacking ring is optional if you don't need that feature. Or glue them in place on the bottoms:

The stacking rings are compatible across all calibers (large and small boxes stack).

Inner label lets you store original packaging details like Lot Numbers or powder charges.

I started with the parametric Snaplock V1 box originally created by @Hugo but have added my own improvements:

The box height was meticulously calculated to allow clearance for the bullet while minimizing the height of the bottom to allow a better grip to remove the inner expanding tray:

Assembling the hinge:

There is a groove on the underside of the hinge on the bottom half of each box. You slide the lid half hinge into those grooves to assemble the hinge. It can be a tight fit, but once you get it started just advance it a small bit on neach side until it drops into place. A piece of filament can then be inserted in the hole of the hinge to keep everything aligned.

Check out the other pistol and rifle calibers in this collection: