Home made powder magazine

[OverMax]

Just saying.
Has anyone made their own powder magazine for {long term} storage?

Just what all required of a private citizen who wants to build his own? (requirements)

Thanks,

[waksupi]

I use an old refrigerator, magnetic closure, no manual latch. You want the genie to be able to get out of the bottle if it blows, ya know!

[oldracer]

As strange as it may sound, when I started shooting black powder and I live in Southern CA I tried to find the law/rules/ETC on black powder storage. Well, nothing in writing, the local police knew nothing and finally I was pointed to the local fire department. I called them.......no idea what to do at all! So I keep the original cans and use a large opening drawer that was part of an attachment to my tall tool chest and it is well away from fire and sparks and such. It is not completely air tight, just in case!

[bedbugbilly]

I have always kept mine in a wooden box that is like a small tool chest - about 12" high X 16" X 24" with a hinged lid and a hasp on the front that I keep a padlock on (to prevent access to the powder by anyone but myself). It's actually an old wooden shipping box from the early 1900's - 1" pine. I kept it in my shop outbuilding and the primary reason was so IF there were a fire and we could get into the building, all of it could be carried out at once. If not, a hose stream could be directed on the box from the outside if necessary. The most I ever kept on had was probably 10 1# cans since my needs were for 2F, 3F and 4F. I was on the township fire department for many years and everyone on the dept. knew that I had powder stored and to be aware of it if the building should ever catch on fire.

I remember that we had a very stubborn fire to fight in an old farmhouse that had balloon framing one time. We had a heck of a time in getting it out as the balloon framing allowed for easy fire spread. We were able to keep it from breaking throw the roof but after fighting it for over two hours, the owner just happened to mention . . . "I forgot to tell you guys that I have 5 pounds of black powder stored in the attic". Fortunately it was in an area that was not near the seat of the fire but I was always amazed that it did not blow from the heat build-up - we were lucky on that one. Needless to say, we had a few words for the homeowner.

Now that we have moved, I keep the box in the basement in an area where there is nothing around it and I limit the contents to about three cans. If I had an outbuilding, it would be there.

[OverMax]

I too went to the city fathers. They offered no plans or spoke of requirements just that it was a good idea too do.
I do a bit of welding every now and then in my shop/garage like building. Mig-Stick-Plasma cutting the worst of the worse bad tools to have around smokeless and Black powders plus the yard mowers with there need of gas can fueling.
The powder simply sits out in the open 5' high off the slab on a long shelf not that anything could happen but yaw just never know about them fluk'ee e~vents. About a 60lb assortment of the stuff. Most of it is in 8lb plastic containers some (1 lbs) Blacks in 1lb metal containers. Never thought of a refrigerator. Great idea.
Although I was kinda thinking a kitchen cabinet liken to a broom cabinet vault hung on a wall to hold such shelved weight without its collapsing as I think (?) {although not sure} such vaults are to be made blocked & glued {never screwed} cabinetry.
Its important to me. I just don't want to put something together without knowing for sure required wall thickness and its construction requirements?

[merlin101]

I keep mine out in the garage( Separate building) in an old wooden kitchen cabinet that's mounted on the wall. It stay's cool in the summer and is out of the way and that side of the garage is only storage of tools and equipment.

[Fly]

You can keep 50lb no more by law. I have mind stored in a storm shelter. The only hazarded in storing is Fire.

Fly

[dverna]

Mine is in a separate insulated building. I have about 150 lbs. of smokeless. Primers are there too, about 175k. All on shelves.

The idea of using a fridge or an old freezer is a good one. Either will pop the door open if pressure builds up. Another benefit of something like a fridge is you can plug it in and keep the powder at a constant temperature if you have wide swings in ambient temperatures. Probably cheaper than any other way to do it.

[bob208]

old fridge. in the second floor of my shop. the only electric is the lights. as far asking the powers that be don't. they have no right to know what you have or where it is.

[RED333]

Mine is on a shelf in the reload room.

[JWT]

There are ATF storage requirements for smokeless but I'm not sure about black powder.

[OverMax]

50-lb no more by law.

oops.

Primers are stored/kept in the basement. {Pretty stable environment.} Temp & humidity are held pretty close down there day after day through-out the year.

[country gent]

I have helped build several for different shops, these were all 1" wood constructed in such a way that they weren't super solid but were secure and no wobbly. Fire codes in various areas municipalities regulate how, how much and where propellents, explosives and flammable liquids storage. You don't want the container to build pressure if there is a problem. AN old refridgerator with latch removed , the wood cabnient with light closed door, or some other means that contains any oops and dosnt allow pressure to build. We used a half sized refridgerator with a 20 watt light bulb inside for storing welding rods to keep them dry.

[waksupi]

You can keep 50lb no more by law. I have mind stored in a storm shelter. The only hazarded in storing is Fire.

Fly

I believe that is mistaken. I think the requirement is you have to have a magazine IF you have OVER 50#.

[dragon813gt]

There are ATF storage requirements for smokeless but I'm not sure about black powder.

No there isn't. The storage requirements are based on fire code which is typically part of building code. The ATF has nothing to do w/ if. SAAMI has nothing to do w/ it but they do publish the NFPA guidelines which are typically what building code references.

Black powder storage is tied to fire code as well. Only you can find out what it is in your area.

[mazo kid]

I don't remember where I read this, but as I recall, the suggestion for building a small powder magazine was to use a sheet steel "box" lined with 1" of wood and having a loose fitting cover.

[OverMax]

Given some additional thought. Wouldn't cost much to dig a root cellar. Local farm store sells basement type steel doors (single & 2-door framed) great for the purpose. Neighbor down the road has a skid steer. (diesel model) A case of beer re-place a tank of fuel sounds about right. Now all I need is the wife's permission to tear up her backyards grass a little?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

A lot depends on how much powder, and whether we are talking legal requirements or just fire safety.

For a large quantity an outside steel building, or steel locker in a wooden one, should be fine. If a thief disregards a "highly flammable" sticker and attacks that with an angle grinder, the reason they can't get professional risks insurance is that they aren't meant to. The canisters will probably never be opened in that kind of locker, but steel should never be able to strike steel anywhere black powder grains might accumulate. I knew someone once who used to test the action of his flintlock with a hardwood dummy flint, and once he saw sparks when it had worn down.

Indoors an old fridge the advantage of looking like a fridge. A localised appliance fire - another appliance - is unlikely to set off the contents. A box of fairly thick wood, compartmented for the canisters and with separate unlocked lids, should char through slowly enough to set off one canister at a time, without to,o much confinement. Thick particle board - we would call it MDF - will catch fire less easily than softwood.

Actually I keep the canisters, all smokeless or BP substitutes at the moment, well spaced out behind books on bookshelves, in a fairly conventional locked former bedroom. I don't suppose burglars, who have seen a couple of fairly recognisable gunsafes, are much interested in literature.

[pietro]

.

A solid wood box with internal partitions can be made in any size wanted, a hasp/lock keeps out the curious.





.

[OverMax]

Plywood Powder Magazine. Slit all those 1/4" section dividers to their proper length and width. Nicely done Pietro.