Wow, I thought it was common NOT to do this...

[dbarnhart]

The funniest thing I saw was a craigslist ad in which a guy was trying to sell a 2 liter pepsi bottle that was about 1/3 full of loose primers.

[jdgabbard]

Sounds like a great deal!!!! lol

[Bret4207]

I have worked intimately with explosives for many years (mining), where we use TONS per week.

Every rule that applies in mining or industry has an attached price, which was paid in blood or lives.

The reason that our safety record with explosives is so good is that we follow rules, and PAY ATTENTION.

To all of you that say "No problem!".......when was your last shop fire? How many of your ammo-can primers detonated in your non-existent fire?

The secret to safety with explosives lies in ANTICIPATING the possibilities and taking steps to prevent them.

My primers stay in their original boxes on open shelves. I know too much about explosives to give them a running start at my hide!

Bruce, the down side to that is moisture. In my case I'd have bad primers. Instead I have primers from the mid-70's that are still in good shape. I guess we all have to take a risk on something.

[Wayne Smith]

Have you ever had any problems storing them this way? I would think they would have problems when you take them out with condensation forming from going from cold to hot. I have problems all the time taking my guns from my air conditioned house out into the heat to shoot.

No problems so far. They all go BANG.

[L Erie Caster]

Countless times ammo cans with live ammo in them, have been involved in fires in tanks, trucks, jeeps, and ships during WWII, Korea, and so forth and no one has reported an explosion. The cans are designed to let the pressure escape through the seal, thus avoiding any chance of excessive pressure buildup. I think it should be OK to store primers in them.

[220swiftfn]

Store it in a cool dry place...

(You Tube, music.)

I store mine....
well, the way I store mine.

So you're sayin' that you store 'em where the sun don't shine?








Just thought that funny.........



Dan

[XWrench3]

my primers it on an opens shelf, 20 feet from my powders, that also sit on an open shelf. everything i have inb the way of ammo reserves is in one corner of the basement. if we ever have a major fire, i will tell the fire chief (obviously if i am around) to keep his men away from that area as much as possible. i do not stock pile any huge amounts anyway. but i want no one hurt for any reason. firemen and women have families also. and at the end of the day, they need to go home to them safe and sound.

[BruceB]

Y'know what, gang.....

Rather than gum this around until we get sick of it, how's about a small experiment?

What we need is someone with a few thousand suspect primers which could be placed in an ammo can.

said can could then be placed in a hot fire, and we will SEE what happens. Obviously, photos would be highly desirable.

Volunteers?

[warf73]

Y'know what, gang.....

Rather than gum this around until we get sick of it, how's about a small experiment?

What we need is someone with a few thousand suspect primers which could be placed in an ammo can.

said can could then be placed in a hot fire, and we will SEE what happens. Obviously, photos would be highly desirable.

Volunteers?

Someone donate the primers, I'll provide the ammo can and fire. I'll video the results for all to see.

Warf

[warf73]

I'm betting my video camera and tripod the gasket on the ammo can will melt away well before the primers go off. Resulting in the primers cooking off with lid being loose not allowing the pressure to build up for an explosion.

Warf

[jdgabbard]

AMMO in a can, is different from PRIMERS in a can. Anybody else here recall the story of the worker who was beebopping around the factory with the bucket of primers??? If my memory serves me correctly, it didn't end well for him.

[mdi]

My take on anything on youtube; be very suspicious of all videos as anybody can post a video on youtube and be an "expert"...

[btroj]

Bruce, ifi have a fire in the house then my primers going off in an ammo can is the least of my worries. The powder on the shelves would have already added to the inferno.

I store my primers in the original boxes in either a drawer or on a shelf. I load in the basement and the room is dry.

[Tatume]

The NRA once published a safety notice about storing powder or primers in ammo cans. They recommended using an ammo can, not to keep moisture away, but as a containment device. The rubber gasket should be removed to allow gasses to vent if there was a fire.

[1Shirt]

I like Bruces idea, however, am to cheap to expend that amount of primers for the test. Maybe somebody could convince Rem, or Win, or CCI, or Fed, etc. to try it as a research project.
1Shirt!

[Doby45]

This is one of those situations where, if you are uncomfortable with it, don't do it. If you ARE comfortable with it, go right ahead. There is no right or wrong and there is no point arguing the possabilities. I keep my primers on a shelf INSIDE my safe and my powder is on top of said safe.

[fredj338]

I just don't crank the lid tight, set it loose. If there is a fire, enclosed priemrs in a metal box will not be good.

[nanuk]

Yes, my concern with ammo-can storage is the fire problem. Yes, the house would be heavily-involved before the primers 'blew', but that doesn't absolve us of a duty to protect the firefighters as much as possible.

in a community I lived in, a friend was a Volunteer Firefighter.

during a house fire, a 1 lb can of powder let go (the homeowner reloaded 303Brit so probably a medium speed powder), and blew a whole wall out of the outside, the wall landing near some Personel.

if they had been next to the wall attempting ingress or something, it could have caused injury/death.

the only thing I "Store" in the house is my furnace oil, 250gal at a time!

[Bad Water Bill]

All I can add uis that I have several bricks of CCI large rifle primers that were purchased in the mid 60s. they have been stored in a wooden drawer within about 25 feet of 40+ tropical fish tanks (all breeding and raising KILLIFISH) for many years. The primers still go BANG every time I reload with primers from those original 40+ year old boxes.

Do not sell the potency of primers short.

My powder is stored in ABANDONED refrigerators that have been lined with 3/4" plywood lining on ALL six sides.