How do you do it?

[mugsie]

How much powder / ammo do you usually have on hand and how and where to you store it?

About a week ago, the house on the street behind mine burned down. That set me to thinking, I have loaded ammo, primers and powder in the basement. If I were to have a fire I don't think the FD would even go near the house! My guns are in a safe, but not the ammo. Insurance - don't know what they would cover if the FD refused to work the fire because of the ammo.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[oneounceload]

ammo stored in a proper container will NOT explode - it will "cook off" and go poof, fairly harmless. If it is stored in tightly sealed containers then that is a difference situation, same with primers and powder

 

[rcmodel]

GI surplus .50 cal ammo cans on steel shelving.

They will spring open and release pressure without blowing up.
They will contain flying primers and brass.



rc

 

[1SOW]

I suspect the FD wouldn't refuse to "work" the fire due to loaded ammo etc. They will likely "work it" differently.

The loaded ammo and primers would be the larger problems. The quantity of each could matter a lot. Stored powder potentially isn't near as bad as a 1/2 full gasoline truck tank in the attached garage or a 5 gallon lawnmower gas can.

What an insurance company will do, unless written in the policy, is anyone's guess each occurence.

 

[joneb]

I asked a family member who is a fireman about such things, he said we are trained to deal with it. I asked him this because I was more concerned about flammable liquids and scuba tanks with 3k psi of air in them, they are very cautious with garage/shop fires.

 

[kingmt]

I have been told by the fireman that they stay away until they are sure it has been cooked off.

 

[Walkalong]

A small propane tank for soldering purposes is much more dangerous than a few pounds of unconfined powder.

I cut the hazmat labels off boxes and mark where powder and primers are, in the hope that in a fire the fire fighters may see them and be forewarned.

One of these days I am going to sprinkle the load room. We have a new project at work where some older sprinkler heads will be replaced. I am going to snag a couple. They do not bad bad, just out of style.

 

[MtnCreek]

See below from SAAMI.

http://www.saami.org/specifications...212-Facts_About_Sporting_Ammunition_Fires.pdf

 

[FROGO207]

I am a firefighter and in my reloading room the ammo is in ammo cans and the propellant is in a wooden box with 5/8 Sheetrock inside liner and vents. Black powder is in a magazine in the back yard. Large pile of ammo is in the garage locked out of harms way in ammo cans also. All the other firefighters in town reload or shoot so they all do about the same. I have a 20 LB CO2 extinguisher near the bench (door side) if needed to reduce the cleanup if needed to be used.