Primers in a freezer?

Throw in desicant bags.

Primers are non-hygroscopic meaning they don't readily absorb moisture.
But if you still want to use a desiccant, buy a jug of crystal cat litter which is 99% silica gel.

You have enough primers to fill a freezer? No wonder I can't find any.

I wouldn't do that myself.

I keep mine in 50 cal ammo cans with desicant then in a locker , powder in seperate locker. LOCKED

An old, non-running Freezer or Refrigerator IS a fairly good poor-man's 'Fire-Safe', when provided with a secure Lock.

Old refrigerators and freesers are often used to store welding rod that can be affected by moisture in the air. That's assuming you don't plug them in to refrigerate but use as storage only. They seal tightly and work well to keep moisture out. It is however not required for primers as they can be stored in manufacture supplied packaging at normal household room temperatures without problem for more years than you will be alive. If you keep your reloading supplies in a shop or garage that's not temperature controled then it certainly wouldn't hurt to use an old unplugged freezer as a storage cabinet.

Sounds like a plan, as long as the other 2 freezers aren't full of cash.

If you are worried about breakins wouldn't a lock be a giveaway that there's a valuable item in that there fridge? Keeping ten hungry weasels in the shop would get you better thief proofing I would think. Anyway the problem of excess moisture should not be a concern. Also might be able to use your washer to tumble lube your bullets.

I could just see a big old hasp and a padlock the size of a small pocket auto.

...i'm just thinking about if someone did break in they wouldnt notice primers or powder in a different room.

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If someone broke in they probably wouldn't be interested in your powder or primer stash. Those things are really only valuable to us and your average thief wouldn't even know what he could do with a 8# jug of Universal.

Only another reloader or shooter would know what they were and we're good people and don't go breaking into other folk's houses.

Lock up the guns and heirloom jewelry, expect the plasma TV and expensive sound system to be targeted, but don't loose a lot of sleep over the security of your propellants and primers from burglars and thieves. I think the biggest threat to primers and powders are natural (temperature and humidity), fire, and small inquisitive children. Those are the areas in which they need protection.

I've been using a freezer for over 30 years to store mine away from the house in an out building. I've never had any trouble with moisture.

Were I you, I'd create some kind of weak wall in that freezer to allow pressure to escape, in the event of the primers being ignited.
Modern, gunpowder storage buildings and lockers are designed with a weak side. If the powder ignites, the weak side gives out and allows the pressure to escape, so building or locker doesn't explode like a bomb.
Cans of powder are also designed that way, with a weak section, to discourage pressure from building so high that an explosion results.
I would assume that ammo cans are designed with a weak section, but I've never quite understood how that can be when the lid locks down tight. And if you throw a lock on that lid, you prevent it from rising up and allowing pressure to escape.
Does anyone out there know if ammo cans are designed to allow pressure to escape, even if they're locked? I would think that the military would certainly design them this way, but I can't picture what happens to release pressure.

So, to design a weak wall in your freezer to release pressure, I'd drill a 3-inch hole on each side, near the top, and put in a plastic cap with grout. Epoxy might offer too much resistance. If pressure from igniting primers suddenly built up, such caps should pop out and relieve the pressure. At that point, you'd have a slow, not burn but not an explosion.

A good container for storing powder is a wooden box, with a side panel nailed in place. Pressure builds from the powder igniting, and the whole panel pops off because the nails don't hold it as securely as screws.

Perhaps I'm overstating the danger but the point remains: don't unwittingly create a bomb that might go off in a house fire, or by itself for whatever reason.

If someone broke in they probably wouldn't be interested in your powder or primer stash. Those things are really only valuable to us and your average thief wouldn't even know what he could do with a 8# jug of Universal.

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True.

I remember laughing at a date who was concerned that burglars would break in and steal her Ethan Allen Couch.

I made a joke that "Rodney and Cedric, burglars of discrimination", would turn up their noses at her Ethan Allen Couch.

Turns out I was too insenstive for a second date.

Hahaha. No loss Slamfire! She sounds like a snob anyhow, with her Ethan Allen couch. She probably thought she carried around the Crown Jewels, too!

Nope, reloaders are nice, honest folks who don't break into homes and steal.....say, you DID say you had a FULL FREEZER worth of primers, didn't you? Well, exactly where ARE you located, and what time do you go to work? Let's see, a full freezer of primers.... 20 cu ft times how many primers per.....

LMAO @ the Ethan Allan Couch

someone stole my davenport!

If there are any young en's around you want some sort of lock on that old fridge. It makes too good of a hidey hole.

9 times out of 10 I don't know what I'm talking about and I am pretty sure this is one of the 9, but what if you added a hasp just a little longer than you needed which would allow the door to open slightly with the lock in place. In the event of a pressure build up would the pressure be able to push the door open slightly before it would go boom, or would the seal be to tight? Again, I have no point of reference here, just a newbie trying to sound intelligent!

ole farmerbuck said:

I have an older very heavy upright freeze that i am thinking about using to store my primers. Will a freezer get condensation in it or should i take a little piece out of the seal? My reloading components are not here at my house but down the road. No one has ever tried to break in but you never know. Thats why i am thinking about old freezers for powder and primers. I can bolt them to the walls/floors and put a heavy duty lock and shouldnt have to worry about them even if someone did break into the shop.

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Steve C hit the nail on the head ! .. Never confine any Primers Or Powder & leave them room temperature just like the gunshops do , on shelves .. When you read Walls blowing out & weak sides of storage places, that should throw up a Red flag right there .. Now, kids are a whole other ballgame .. common sense must dictate here .. BTW , Heavy static electricity/ lightning can definitely turn your fridge into a huge fireball/ bomb ( trees are hit constantly and are not plugged in either ) .. I WAS guilty of Powder Storage in a Gov' Weathersealed Metal container .. A Big NO NO as well .. Locks are made for 'honest men' as Bolt cutters make short work of them . The long & short of it , better to have your primers taken than your life ! .. You could think of it this way : If you've ever done Smokeless Powder burn tests, it just shows Rate of Ignition .. Take that Exact Powder and Enclose it in a brass casing and it's Confined For Exactly that reason . Explosion to propel projectile !