The 35-year-old man's partner allegedly saw the bullets and told police after he repeatedly threatened to kill her.

He was refused bail when he faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday on charges of making threats to kill, ammunition possession, and property damage.

Court documents said the man and the woman's brief relationship had been marred by abuse.

His alleged abuse began by repeatedly calling the woman a "whore" and "slut" in front of children.

He then allegedly became increasingly controlling of her movements and communication, including checking her email and phone messages without her consent.

The court heard it escalated between mid-December and January to the point where he locked her in the bathroom and bedroom and yelled abuse at her a number of times.

During these confrontations, he allegedly threatened to kill her and said he had a gun.

On one occasion, he allegedly told her to "pack your s--- and get out".

But when she began to pack, he is accused of pushing her on to a chair, spitting in her face, and saying: "If you pack your stuff I will kill you, I will destroy you".

The court heard the man threw a cup of coffee through a window on Saturday after claiming it had been made incorrectly, and then smashed the woman's glasses when she tried to leave the house.

About 3am on Sunday, while they were in bed, he allegedly whispered "You s---, I will kill you" and then closed his hands around her throat and said "You will not bring me down".

She reported the matters to police and allegedly received about 20 phone calls and messages from the defendant during the three hours she spent with officers.

The man went to Gungahlin police station on Monday, where he allegedly made a number of admissions during an interview, including that he owned ammunition that he kept above the rangehood in the kitchen, that he broke the woman's sunglasses, and that he had accessed her social media profiles without her knowledge.

The prosecution opposed a bail application by the man in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Paul Sweeney said the allegations showed a steady escalation in violent and predatory conduct towards the alleged victim, culminating in threats to kill.

"The complainant has genuine fears for her safety," Mr Sweeney said.

Mr Sweeney argued no bail conditions could mitigate the risk the man – who had a conviction for violence – posed.

But defence lawyer Simon Jackson said his client had no history of breaching bail or court orders.

Mr Jackson said the defendant could reside with his parents and offered the court a surety to guarantee his attendance.

The defence argued the man risked losing his job, which would affect his mortgage repayments, if remanded in custody.

Magistrate Robert Cook refused the man bail, saying the defendant seemed to have an "anger issue" that bail conditions could not manage.

"The risk is simply too great," Mr Cook said.

He will reappear next week.