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Strtspdlx
09-08-2016, 11:07 PM
So I've always been curious if it would harmful to put desiccant bags into the containers of powder to try and keep moisture out. I do try to keep them in the best climate I can but my house is always very damp. Could it cause issues that anyone knows of? And the question is the same for primers. I don't know the chemical compounds and how they interact that's why I ask.

webfoot10
09-08-2016, 11:50 PM
Get some surplus 50 cal ammo cans with the rubber gasket. Store your powder and primers
in them and put the desiccant packs in and seal. Store the ammo cans in a dry cool place
up off the floor and you should be good to go. If your worried about the desiccant packs
just put them in plastic sealable food storage bags.

Scharfschuetze
09-09-2016, 12:05 AM
I'm not sure that I'd put the desiccant bags in the powder cans.

Were it an issue with me, I'd just store the powder cans in a camping cooler large enough for you supply and if needed put the desiccant bags in the cooler. The coolers are pretty much air tight and their insulation will help to ameliorate the high and low temps while in storage.

Remember that if you are working your desiccant overtime in a humid climate, be sure to dry it out as needed in the wife's oven at a low temperature or in strong sunlight.

Tatume
09-09-2016, 07:38 AM
Scharfschuetze is correct to warn you away from putting desiccants in your powder cans. Gun powder has a natural moisture content, and it should not be dried excessively. If your gunpowder is in steel cans, then it may be helpful to store the tightly sealed original cans in the presence of a desiccant, to keep the can from rusting.

blackthorn
09-09-2016, 11:41 AM
Quote "If your worried about the desiccant packs
just put them in plastic sealable food storage bags."

Am I reading this wrong, or misunderstanding?? If the desiccant packs are sea​led up in food storage bags --- doesn't that negate their purpose?

WebMonkey
09-09-2016, 12:01 PM
..:)..

dragon813gt
09-09-2016, 12:59 PM
Cool and dry is all that's needed. The biggest thing is to avoid quick temperature changes. This will cause condensation to form. Other than that there isn't much to storing primers and powder.

Do not put either in a sealed metal container of any kind. Wooden crates are the proper storage container. You don't want to use anything that will contain pressure and let it build up. If loaded ammo is in a fire it tends to pop but the bullet is still propelled forward. Now think of how much pressure would build in an ammo can w/ thousands of primers or powder in it.

I store powder and primers in their original containers on a shelf in my basement that never sees more than 55% RH. It will last a long time under these conditions.

Tatume
09-09-2016, 01:25 PM
Ammo cans with the rubber gasket removed also make good storage containers for original canisters of powder or boxes of primers. The can contains the burning materials, and excess pressure is vented through the un-gasketed lid.

fecmech
09-09-2016, 01:33 PM
I would not worry about moisture at all, just keep in a cool dry place. Last year I came back from a cruise and found 6" of water on my basement floor( some dummy unplugged his sump pump and forgot to plug it back in!). I had some primers, both 209 shotshell and small pistol that had 600 each totally under water for a couple days. I set them on top of my furnace to dry for a week or so and had 1 misfire out of 1200 total primers! No bloopers, no funny sounding shots.


Ammo cans with the rubber gasket removed also make good storage containers for original canisters of powder or boxes of primers. The can contains the burning materials, and excess pressure is vented through the un-gasketed lid.

I would not use metal containers for powder or primers. The whole idea of a wood magazine 1" thick is insulation in case of fire. You can have a fire raging outside a wooden box for quite a few minutes before it burns through and ignites the powder giving you the homeowner time to escape. An ammo can will transfer the heat immediately and the powder will ignite. I also doubt leaving the gasket off will be sufficient to vent the gas created. After watching a pound of contaminated powder burn I'd bet money on an explosion of the ammo can.

Tatume
09-09-2016, 02:27 PM
NRA recommended the ammo can with rubber gasket removed in the American Rifleman. That's good enough for me.

fecmech
09-09-2016, 04:50 PM
NRA recommended the ammo can with rubber gasket removed in the American Rifleman. That's good enough for me.
Your house, your call. I went with the D.O.T. recommendation of 1" wood walls.

Shiloh
09-11-2016, 10:10 AM
I'm not sure that I'd put the desiccant bags in the powder cans.



Ditto,

Cool, dry, consistent. 40%-50% is supposed to be ideal.
I have had powder better than 25 years old that was if great condition. I have been however, using up old powder stock.

Shiloh

farmerjim
09-11-2016, 10:29 AM
I am still using powder that was stored in the attic of a Louisiana house for 45 years where the temp varied from below freezing on winter nights to about 150 on summer days and the humidity varied from 99% to 30% on a daily basis. I still shake my head when I see the $6 price tag on the 4 lb kegs of herco and unique. I cry when I see I don't have much of it remaining, and today's price to replace it.

JSnover
09-11-2016, 10:47 AM
Other than keeping the lids tightly closed and storing the containers on a shelf, I never worried and never had a problem.
After my last big move I ended up with a spare 4.4 cubic foot 'mini fridge' and decided to store my powders and primers in there. Keeps them dry and holds a consistent temperature.

Victor N TN
09-12-2016, 05:41 PM
If you want a cheap desiccant, go to Wally World and buy some sidewalk chalk. 1/2 gallon bucket costs about 5 or $6. Put the pieces on an old cookie sheet and back in the oven at 250 for an hour. Let it cool so you can pick it up. Use a paper towel and form a "pouch" by stapling the sides shut. I usually make a pouch a little bigger than a cigarette pack and put 2 pieces of the chalk in it.

Warning... The dustless chalk you get at Staples or Office Max WILL NOT WORK.

I've made these pouches for 20+ years. I put a pouch in each ammo can and seal it up. If you empty an ammo can keep the chalk and when you get enough saved, do it all again, baking included.

Good luck.

Whizzer
09-19-2016, 08:27 PM
I am wondering if percussion caps are identical in chemical composition, and thus, storage recommendations. I have quite a few #10 and #11 tins in their Original "blister packs" and I dislike the bulkiness of all that extra plastic.

Can anyone think of a reason I can't just dispose of the blister packs and stack the tins more compactly??

dudel
09-20-2016, 07:36 AM
I wouldn't worry too much about moisture in powder. There is a picture from Aliant/Hercules that shows a reference sample of Unique that is stored under water. It's brought out periodically and a sample is burned to verify the burn rates of new batches.