storage

[walker77]

What is the best way to store un opened powder and primers? Right now i store them in ammo cans. And what kind of shelf life do you think it would have storing them that way?

[Lloyd Smale]

I had powder and primers on the shelf in the old barn for 15 years and never had a bit of problem with them. The barn wasnt cooled or heated and temps went for over a 100 in the summer down to as low as 20 below in the winter. As a mattter of fact i know ive had primers stored like that that i know were over 20 years old. the new room will be heated and will have ac and will be kept at a more cosisntant temp but thats for me and the dog not the powder and primers.

[Shiloh]

Cool, dry, and dark. That's been the suggested and preferred method 0f storage. It is how I do mine.

Shiloh

[JesterGrin_1]

Do not store primers or powder in closed ammo cans. Bad ju ju.

[Beekeeper]

Why bad ju-ju.
Have stored them that way for over forty years,
I even have some primers with a $3.50 per Thousand on them stored there and they still go bang.
Please elaborate on the bad ju-ju


Jim

[dsmjon]

Bad juju happens if something were to ignite what's on the inside. Then you have a small, tightly sealed metal... well, you have a large grenade.

I store my surplus powder in ammo cans. Powder(s) I frequently use stay in a steel cabinet. Primers are stored in wooden milsurp crates (mortar or grenade grates ???).

I keep them all in a corner of the garage, so that if (God forbid) the house catches fire, I can either quickley evac the primers & powder after everyone is out or at least have it all in one spot that I can easily tell the FD (the SW corner of garage has "xx" lbs of gunpowder, primers, and live ammunition).

One day I hope to weather seal in the storage shed out back, then ALL the surplus stuff will be out there, and AWAY from the house.

[Junior1942]

What is the best way to store un opened powder and primers? Right now i store them in ammo cans. And what kind of shelf life do you think it would have storing them that way?+1 on get rid of the ammo cans.

Here in high heat & humidity Louisiana I store my stuff in an operating frost-free refrigerator, both freezer section and fridge section. The stuff stays at a constant low temp and humidity. Put bricks of primers and batches of primed cases inside zip bags. If you need something from either section wrap it in a towel and let it come slowly to room temp before you open it. I usually leave stuff from the freezer section wrapped in the towel for 24 hours.

[c3d4b2]

Why bad ju-ju

I have a friend that stored primers in the metal ammo cans. He had a house fire and the only thing bad that happened (besides the fire) was that the ammo cans exploded once they became hot enough to ignite the primers.


His advice was to not use metal ammo cans to store powder.

They have some plastic containers in stores now that have O-ring seals with locking lids. These may be a good way to store moister sensitive components.

And as the safety people at the plant are fond of saying......

Just because you do something that is unsafe and something bad has not happened, does not mean that you run of luck will continue indefinitely.

[SamStafford]

I store my powders and primers in those plastic Craftmans tool boxes. So far, so good.

[Ron B.]

Interesting!

I'm fortunate, in my house has a basement. The temperature stays a constant 65 degrees.
All my powder is stored there on steel shelves, in the original manufacturer's containers. I store my primers, as received from the shipper outside; in a metal storage building. Personally, I don't think primers are effected by the changes in temperature as much as powders. Keeping them dry however is a must, I think.