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Thread: Storage of Black Powder

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    Storage of Black Powder

    More specifically, storage in the original plastic containers. I live in Central Florida where the humidity is higher than the IQ of some of our elected officials most of the year. I’m thinking of moving all of my powder, less working amounts, to my goat barn and question whether the containers are air tight. I’m not concerned about the heat as black powder is very stable unless exposed to flames but am concerned with the humidity. Opinions are welcome but experience is preferred.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    JSnover's Avatar
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    I've been storing mine in a mini fridge for about 5 years (bought a 2.4 cubic foot for about $100). The temperature is stable at about 40 degrees F and the humidity is just about Zero. The first thing I do if I plan on loading is take the powder out to let it warm for at least an hour before opening the cap.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    For what it’s worth, I emailed Hodgdon last night and received an answer already. Original containers should with stand the high humidity

  4. #4
    Boolit Master


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    I can't see keeping it refrigerated being good for it. It seems it would have to form condensate on it before use no matter what. I do use a non working freezer at my pole barn for powder and primer storage. The seal provides for a nice low humidity environment with little in the way of temperature change. I also have some reusable desiccant bags that I throw in the oven at low temp to dry out any accumulated moisture about once a month. I have used this for many years now and have had zero problems. It is also easy to install a hasp and lock if desired.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master


    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    I add desiccant bags to all my open powder containers.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Keep your powder BP or Smokeless in the original container with the lid on tight and the powder will out live you and your children. If the container is sealed your safe from any level of humidity.
    Don’t forget for centuries powder was stored in wooden keg barrels in wood sailing ships.
    Stored in a refrigerator nonsense, that the first place a burglar looks.

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
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    I live in the PNW where we have seasons. I keep all my powder in an out building on the farm except for what is in use. When it is cold outside the powder I bring in to the house I let site and warm up for two days so that it will not attract moisture from the air and condensate on the powder when I open it. Yes the powder containers were designed to keep sealed and moisture out during variable temperatures. A fridge is not required.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I read in an old book that many years ago black powder was shipped in lead kegs nd then the lead kegs were melted down into bullets.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    I read that when Lewis and Clark made their trip to the Pacific, that was how they transported their powder and lead.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy 6string's Avatar
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    How about keeping them sealed in the original containers, then sealing each container in a zip lock bag? I was thinking of doing this when temp/humidity was about ideal, ie: 70f/40-45 % rh.

    When I was a kid, my Dad and I kept powder in the basement "cold room". This was a concrete room w/o central air/heat. Never got outside of 50-70f. I still have and use some of that powder!

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
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    I simply keep the lids on tight, the original containers do a good enough job of protecting the powder from humidity. I have bought very old cans from time to time with powder still in them and have used the powder without issue. Old cans can be quite collectible but most collectors seem to want them empty, easier to store, display and transport as well as sell on the collectors market. My shooting stock has survived quite well in their cans, stored in wooden crates. Wood is recommended for fire safety (dealers have to have a wooden magazine for storage) as it provides an insulating effect in case of exposure to fire. Wood doesn't transfer the heat as readily as metal and has to actually burn into the crate to ignite providing time to either extinguish the fire or get away from the blast zone. About the only other option I would consider as an individual choice would be using an old fridge with a good door seal. That is based on my experience when I was a firefighter, the thick insulation and outer metal shell provided a good layer of protection. Opened more than one fridge after putting out a house fire and found the stuff inside still cold and secure.

    I think many people over think the storage angle, the manufacturers cans are made to protect the powder from the environment and do a good job on their own. Outside of fires, floods and theft you really don't need anything else for basic storage. Storing quantities depends on what's available and in many areas what is legal (as well as what your insurance company might say). I have shot powder that was many years older than I am (and I'm no youngster!) so keep it in manufacturers cans and store it so it's protected from the bad three (fire, flood and theft) and it will last longer than you if you don't shoot it up first!

  12. #12
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Black Powder is some pretty tough stuff with a long shelf life under less than perfect conditions.
    In the original containers should keep it good for a hundred years or so.

    There was a story in Rifleman back in the 80s where a guy found a loaded BP derringer during the excavation of an old outhouse.
    (No, I wouldn't have excavated it either)
    He 'unloaded' it, cleaned it up, but it back together with the same powder and ball. Probably a new percussion cap,
    Then fired it.

    If you don't have a fairly clean place to store them, Ya might consider putting the original containers in one of those
    new generation plastic ammo cans that seal well and sort of look like the old metal ones.

    Last year, I got a old percussion 12 ga. double barrel.
    One barrel was still loaded. I have no idea how old the charge was,
    but the grains sparked and lit up when I chased them around the bench with a kitchen match.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 10-25-2021 at 02:07 PM.
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  13. #13
    Boolit Mold
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    Awhile back bought a few 22WRF cartages and fired them in a Davis 22 Mag derringer. Fired OK but smoke and smelled bad. HOLY black they were old black powder rounds.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by 6string View Post
    How about keeping them sealed in the original containers, then sealing each container in a zip lock bag? I was thinking of doing this when temp/humidity was about ideal, ie: 70f/40-45 % rh.!
    Zip lock bags don’t seal all that well. Even freezer bags are gas permeable over time.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy tmanbuckhunter's Avatar
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    Mountain out of a mole hill, pole vaulting over a mouse turd etc... etc... etc...

    Keep it stored indoors in a climate controlled environment and I promise, it will out last you. BP isn't this fragile, super dangerous chemical mixture the gun rags have made it out to be for so many years.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by tmanbuckhunter View Post
    Mountain out of a mole hill, pole vaulting over a mouse turd etc... etc... etc...

    Keep it stored indoors in a climate controlled environment and I promise, it will out last you. BP isn't this fragile, super dangerous chemical mixture the gun rags have made it out to be for so many years.
    this!!!!

  17. #17
    Boolit Master hoodat's Avatar
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    So.--- A great friend of mine died. Before he did, he brought over his entire supply of smokeless powder, including his dad's and gave it to me.

    A year or so after he'd died, I was over at his place where his son now lived. The boy said "There's a keg of old black powder that I found out in the shed. Would you get it out of here?"

    The "keg", was a 25 lb. can with very little used from it -- Dupont I think. It was the metal can, in a rotten card board box, been sitting out in the weather for at least one season, sun, rain, snow. The can had rusted through, and I figured it was ruined, but---

    the powder was inside a heavy plastic bag inside the can, and the moisture hadn't invaded it. When I got it home, I dissected the whole mess and things looked pretty good. A few clumps, but they crumbled easily, and I poured it all into a big mixing bowl and frankly everything was fine. There was over twenty pounds, which I transferred into a 2 1/2 gallon gas can which I cleaned with acetone.

    The powder, triple F, shoots fine, and will probably be a lifetime supply for me. jd
    It seems that people who do almost nothing, often complain loudly when it's time to do it.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    So every time you make smoke, you can remember your friend. Very cool.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Hooray, sounds familiar. Before we moved all my black powder was stored in an outdoor storage shed for 20 plus years. Whenever I needed a reloading refill, pulled a container out of the shed and never had a powder issue
    Regards
    John

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy Ziptar's Avatar
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    My reloading room is in my basement, during the summer it can get very humid. I used to store my powder, primers, and ammo in an old white Igloo 150 quart cooler under a workbench. I just did my best to keep containers and boxes closed tight and hoped for the best. Starting back in 2018 I changed how I store my ammo, powder, and primers. I'd like to say I planned it exactly as it sits but it all came together by accident.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    It started when while at my local home depot they had these plastic Plano Sportsman Trunks on clearance. The Igloo cooler had gotten pretty cramped and I never did like having everything stored in the same container. So I figured they be great for air tight separate storage for ammo, powder and, primers. They seem to go on sale / clearance pretty regularly both at Home Depot and at Cabela's / Bass Pro, I've since bought several more of the 68 and 54 quart chests for storing tools, parts, etc. The 68 quart chest for powder is full now, next time the 108 quart chest goes on sale I'm upgrading.
    108 quart with wheels was $19.99
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/312082657
    68 quart Sportsman Trunk Olive Green was $13.99
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/312081519

    I grabbed the last 108 quart and 2 of the 68 quart chests. I snapped the lid on one of the 68 quart chests and pushed on it. It was clear they weren't very air tight. The lid has a channel that's about 3/8" that the lip of the chest goes into when the lid goes on. So over a few isles to where the weather stripping is and I found this stuff.
    Frost King 5/16 in. x 1/4 in. x 17 ft. Black EPDM Cellular Rubber Weather strip tape
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/202844545

    It was a perfect fit, stuck it in the top on the channel in the lids. Two packages was more than enough to do all 3 tubs. I didn't do very rigorous scientific testing but they are air and water tight now, at least well enough for me.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A few months later at Cabela's I came across this 7-Piece Safe Accessory Kit for $14.95.
    https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabe...-accessory-kit
    What caught my eye was it included a plugin rechargeable mini dehumidifier. Extra plastic ammo cans are always good and I used the lights in the cabinets where I store reloading stuff. Cabela's doesn't sell the kits anymore but there's similar dehumidifiers on amazon for $15, https://smile.amazon.com/r/dp/B000H0XFCS/.

    I bought three and put a dehumidifier in each storage trunk. I'd check the dehumidifiers once a month if remembered or if I was in one grabbing something and it looked wet-ish I'd plug it in and dry it. Over the summer I usually have to recharge them every 1 -2 months depending on how humid it is and how often I'm in and out the chests, fall through late spring they never show as being wet.

    Some time later, Amazon Prime day I think it was, there were some Bluetooth temperature - humidity monitors on sale.

    Govee Bluetooth Hygrometer Thermometer, Wireless Sensor 2 Pack was $14.99 at the time.
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B097HF322L/
    Govee Temperature Humidity Monitor 2-Pack, Indoor Mini Bluetooth Digital Thermometer was $12.44 at the time.
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CGM8DC7/

    I bought two 2 packs of sensors and one 2 pack of Digital Thermometers. I put a sensor in each storage chest, one in my safe, and hung a digital thermometer in the main part of the basement and, one my office / reloading room.

    They are monitored, calibrated and, managed via a phone app. The sensors will store a year's worth of data (if you create an account in the app and log in.). They can be programmed to send alerts if temp or humidity rises or drops below specific thresholds.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Nowadays though I don't even need to check the app on my phone. Earlier this year at work we had to go through 3 years worth of surplus IT equipment and ready it for e-recycling, boss said we were welcome to keep anything we'd like. There were several old 7" android tablets in the mix, I brought one home and hung it on the peg board over my work bench. It's only job is displaying the app for the temp & humidity sensors. You can do the same with any old cell phone lying around.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Is it more than anyone really needs for component storage... YOU BET! I was never really that obsessed with how everything was stored but I did worry some and given the dollars invested over the years, it's cheap insurance. I know some folks might see it as overkill but $101.21 isn't bad for all the sealed and monitored storage it provides. I no longer have an annoying little nag at the back of my mind about basement humidity ruining my reloading components and ammo or rusting my guns, I can see exactly what's going on. In the event a pipe bursts (knock on wood) and the basement floods everything will remain dry. Also, I'm a database application, ETL, and data mining developer by trade, can never really have enough stats to geek out over too.

    At the very least I recommend getting the Plano trunks and adding the weather strip tape seal. There's no better storage for the money.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check