Primer storage idea

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Reefinmike

Reefinmike

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I've never really been fond of the idea of leaving primers open to the air and ammo cans would be a terrible place to store primers. Then it hit me- I had the perfect solution! I got out the vacuum sealer and went to town packing two bricks to a bag. I was thinking that I could now store them out in the garage. Garage temperatures swing from extremes of 10 to 90 degrees but is between 50-75 most of the year. We all know that powder degrades faster with high temperatures but I never hear about any storage precautions for primers. Does anybody have some wisdom on the subject?
 

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What value do the vacuum bags add? I've never heard of issues storing primers as long as they are dry unless I've missed something.
 
I store mine in a cheap cooler to protect against temperature swings, with a very large silica gel packet that I acquired at work to protect against moisture. Same for powder jugs. Of course, I don't stock as much as most here... :)
 
I generally store mine in a closet top shelf inside. Stays 70 year around.

Had thought about he food saver idea, but really didn't want to spend the money on the bags. Lol


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Mike, you're inventing a problem, then coming up with a solution. Primers do not need any type of special storage. If they did, we'd see them packaged in sealed containers with a label like; " use within __ ____ once opened"

I have primers that are well over 35 years old that if I were to load them, I'm confident they would work. They have been in climate controlled loading room conditions, simply sitting on various shelves in my loading room/spare bedroom.

It won't hurt to seal them like that, but it's not necessary.
 
Perhaps if you're in humid climate.
I'd be concerned about the possibility of static discharge from the plastic bag.
 
Thanks all for the input. I guess my main concern is corrosion of the primers, specifically plain brass ones that aren't coated. Many months ago I traded someone for some winchester LRP. I guess I didn't notice until I got home but one of the boxes had fairly tarnished primer cups. Not corroded, just pretty darn dark. I dated the box to 2007 and the box otherwise appeared to be in good shape and untampered with.

This is why i'm concerned about keeping primers air tight for long term storage. specifically because i'm entertaining the idea of keeping them stored out in the garage.
 
They do look nice I'll give you credit for that. Many of the primers I am loading today I bought 20 plus years ago. They have been stored in a cool dry place and they have all been working out just fine. That said, for those with a less friendly storage environment I sure do not see where vacuum sealing will hurt anything. Added cost maybe but if it works for someone why not?

Ron
 
I keep them in small plastic bags in a dry place not necessarily sealed, and remember RC Model
quote, God rest his soul

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Or all your primers in a glass jar!"
 
The best place to store primers is in the mfg's box that was made for them. If it was necessary to store them with an airtight seal, you would be buying them that way. Companies do as much engineering in packaging for their products, as they do for the product itself.
 
fairly tarnished primer cups. Not corroded, just pretty darn dark.
Click to expand...

That just might be the nature of Winchester primers. I've been loading some WLP that aren't more than a couple of years old that have some pretty dark looking ones. But they all go bang.

Laphroaig
 
I keep mine in the original boxes but I put the boxes in a sealed 5 gallon bucket (with a gamma lid so no worry about pressure). I am not worried about moisture ruining them. I worry more about my basement flooding.
 
The OP mentioned storage of primers under high temps. Can someone comment on that?

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I live in a fairly hot and humid state, I wouldn't ever think about storing them outside whether they were sealed like OP has them or not. Temps go from 20's to 100+ (HI of 110+). I just store them inside. Just like I do my powder.


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From our friends at SAAMI.

The commonly used phrase for powder and primers is the classic "store in a cool dry place". Cool and dry generally refers to an ambient temperature of 73 F. or less but above freezing and dry generally implies a RH of 50% or less.

Storage of Primers:
Recommended Storage of Primers
Storage cabinets containing only primers are recommended.
These cabinets should be ruggedly constructed of lumber
at least 1” nominal thickness to delay or minimize the
transmission of heat in the event of fire. SAAMI recommends
against storing primers in sealed or pressurized containers.
Keep your storage and use area clean. Make sure the surrounding
area is free of trash or other readily combustible
materials.
Be sure your storage area is free from any possible
sources of excessive heat and is isolated from open flame,
furnaces, water heaters, etc. Do not store primers where
they can be exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid storage in
areas where mechanical or electrical equipment is in operation.
Do not store primers in the same area with solvents, flammable
gases, or highly combustible materials. Store
primers only in their original factory containers. Do not
transfer the primers from this approved container into one
which is not approved. The use of glass bottles, fruit jars,
plastic or metal containers, or other bulk containers for
primer storage is extremely hazardous.
Do not smoke in areas where primers are stored. Place
appropriate “No Smoking” signs in these areas.
Do not store primers in any area where they might be
exposed to gun fire, bullet impact, or ricochets.
Do not store primers with propellant powders or any other
highly combustible materials so as to avoid involving
primers in a fire as much as possible.
Observe all regulations regarding quantity and methods of
storing primers.
Click to expand...

The quote is a partial of the link above the quote.

Ron
 
Guess I should have copied and pasted the whole article rather than the pdf link in post #8:confused:
 
Tim- I'm mainly interested in keeping them air tight to protect them against humudity and corrosion they may see being stored out in a garage for several years on end.

Laphroaig- I have a couple flats of winchester spp that are a few years old and while they aren't super bright like the new s&b's are, they are still brass color. Some of these winchester LRP in question are pretty darn dark. they look almost like winter/puddle brass. I haven't tried any yet, i'm sure they work fine but I will be using them in some light plinking 500 mag loads just as a precaution.

Reloadron- thanks for the saami link, They always have some good reading! I'll have to build a wooden storage box for them, I knew saami and local fire code suggest the the 1" thick box for powder but did not know they suggested it for primers until now. Makes sense. I currently keep all my powder indoors cool and dry and stored in a wooden box in an amount under 50lb.

I guess what i'm getting at is that I would have more peace of mind if I were able to keep some of my components outside in case of a fire. From everything I read and have experienced, primers are pretty darn resilient little buggars. Wondering if temperature swings can negatively affect them. It's not too uncommon for powder to go bad when exposed to heat but I have never heard of poor temp conditions affecting primers.
 
From the pdf:

5. Modern sporting ammunition primers will not absorb
moisture under normal or even severe conditions of
atmospheric humidity. There is no advantage to be gained
from air-tight containers. The factory containers in which
they are packaged need only normal conditions of storage.
They should be kept dry and not exposed to high tempera-
tures (in excess of 150° F). If exposed to wet conditions
or high temperatures, they may deteriorate, yielding mis-
fires or poor ignition of the propellant powder.
Click to expand...

Humidity is OK, Water is not.
 
I don't think the OP's method will hurt anything, no difference, good or bad for long term storage. Humidity is not a major (or even minor) cause of "dead" primers, and a lot of users "overthink" some storage precautions (and some just "parrot" stuff they read on forums without any experience). Primers aren't as delicate as some think and I do like the neat, clean, method the OP chose...
 
If I were storing the primers in an underground container of some sort, this would be the method I'd use. And for "normal" storage, it certainly does no harm though it may be overkill to some degree. Just my opinion.
 
I don't think my shed out back gets up to 150 degrees in the summer. And it's all metal.

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gpurp said:
I don't think my shed out back gets up to 150 degrees in the summer. And it's all metal.

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Click to expand...
While I can't speak for your shed I can speak for automobile and truck interior temperatures in sun.

At 70 degrees on a sunny day, after a half hour, the temperature inside a car is 104 degrees. After an hour, it can reach 113 degrees.” “When temperatures outside range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 to 172.”
Click to expand...

We had plenty of 90 degree days this past summer and my truck inside temperatures would hit 150 degrees F. in a short time on a sunny day.

Ron
 
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