I was wondering how most people store their powder, primer and even loaded ammo? Is it best to keep it in a fireproof safe or does that essentially turn it into a bomb? My browning safe is rated for 90 min at 1200deg F. I know primers can be ignited by heat, How hot does powder need to get before it will ignite, I assume the primers would be violent enough to trigger the powder before it get that hot. I have read that a thick wooden container that will be opened at low pressure is recomended so it does not contain the outgassing that is produced as the powder burns. While this may not be the most secure option, I guess it would be better to add fuel to the fire than have an explosion. What are yall's recomendations?
Powder and Primer Storage
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I would not store powder or primers in a safe. Especially in large quantities of over a very few pounds.
I have a locking steel cabinet / desk I keep all my powder in. It is loose & light enough it would allow the gas to escape in the event of a fire.
I keep primers in GI steel .50 cal ammo cans.
They are designed to spring open, or have the lid seal melt and release high pressure, but will still contain the flying primer fags.
rc
I have a locking steel cabinet / desk I keep all my powder in. It is loose & light enough it would allow the gas to escape in the event of a fire.
I keep primers in GI steel .50 cal ammo cans.
They are designed to spring open, or have the lid seal melt and release high pressure, but will still contain the flying primer fags.
rc
I have 30-35lbs of different powders and around 10K of various primers, I will be moving them to the filing cabinet tonight. I guess the primers should be seperate from the powder too 
. What about loaded ammo? I like the security of having it locked in the safe but dont want a potentially explosive situation 
if there is a fire.
. What about loaded ammo? I like the security of having it locked in the safe but dont want a potentially explosive situation if there is a fire.oneounceload
member
Since I now live in wonderfully HUMID Florida, I keep them in a box in a closet under heat/air/humidity control. When I lived in very arid NV, I kept them in the garage with my reloading things
I keep most of my powder in a flimsy metal 2-drawer filing cabinet that is far from air-tight. The "overflow" is in the big bottom drawer of a cheap desk. (All powder is stored in its original container.)
Primers are stored in wooden ammunition crates I got from CMP. The lid is secured with two metal straps held down by four wing-nuts. I only tighten the wing-nuts enough to keep the lid from falling off.
Loaded ammunition is stored in military surplus ammo cans. Check that the rubber seals are still good, toss in some desiccant and you're good for years.
Primers are stored in wooden ammunition crates I got from CMP. The lid is secured with two metal straps held down by four wing-nuts. I only tighten the wing-nuts enough to keep the lid from falling off.
Loaded ammunition is stored in military surplus ammo cans. Check that the rubber seals are still good, toss in some desiccant and you're good for years.
Remo-99
Member
Safes are a really poor choice of storage for powder and primers, sure they have a high heat resistance, but in the event a quantity of powder reaches it's self-ignition temp and ignites within a confined space without being able to vent the pressure, like within a safe with heavy hinges and locking pins. Yep, you have basically got a fairy large bomb exploding.
A better choice, would be an old refrigerator (no longer running). Provides some insultation against heat in the event of a minor fire, but also opens up with fairly low pressure, if the powder inside did happen to ignite, to vent burning gasses at low pressure.
Also keeps moisture/humidity out.
redneckhunter
Member
an old refridgerater works huh ??no kind of moister displacer ?? im in east tx , lots of moister and humidity. need a lil help on this one thanks
rockhound758
Member
Drumz, I was in the same situation that you're in now, just a couple of months ago. Brand new safe, happy about it, etc., but then realized with a sinking feeling it really wasn't a smart choice for powder and primers.
I have an old vertical freezer that is unplugged and I keep some of my powder in there...the door doesn't latch, just closes, so if pressure were to build up it'd open, but it also gives some insulation. I have a container of dessicant in there as well, but the powder is sealed so that's probably overkill.
I have some of my primers in the basement in a couple of plastic bins (again, with dessicant and again, probably overkill). The rest of my powder and primers are stored in separate containers with (you guessed it) dessicant in my outbuilding at the rear of my back yard.
As for ammunition, I keep pretty much all of it in my safe/RSC...I don't think there's near the likely problem with it cooking off or anything, so I'm not worried about it.
My two cents...but in any case I'd definitely move the powder and primers out of your safe/RSC...my guess is that like me, you'll breath a bit easier once you do.
I have an old vertical freezer that is unplugged and I keep some of my powder in there...the door doesn't latch, just closes, so if pressure were to build up it'd open, but it also gives some insulation. I have a container of dessicant in there as well, but the powder is sealed so that's probably overkill.
I have some of my primers in the basement in a couple of plastic bins (again, with dessicant and again, probably overkill). The rest of my powder and primers are stored in separate containers with (you guessed it) dessicant in my outbuilding at the rear of my back yard.
As for ammunition, I keep pretty much all of it in my safe/RSC...I don't think there's near the likely problem with it cooking off or anything, so I'm not worried about it.
My two cents...but in any case I'd definitely move the powder and primers out of your safe/RSC...my guess is that like me, you'll breath a bit easier once you do.
An old non working refridgerator works very well to keep temperature surprisingly stable over a wide range of temperatures. However it does retain moisture/humidity so a dehumidifier is essential. I just use the silica kitty litter stuff which I place in a large open container and reactivate often. Just be aware that the blue crystals are NOT moisture indicators like proper silica gel. I suspect that they are there to trick you into thinking they are. So just reactivate every few months, more often if the fridge is "new" to the storage role as moisture is trapped in the cracks/crevices/insulation of recently retired fridges.
rockhound758
Member
Redneck, as noted in my last post I have a box of dessicant in my freezer...it's one of these larger boxes (although I bought it locally)...
http://www.brent-krueger.com/silica.html
These are nice because they have an indicator on them to let you know when they need to be recharged, and you recharge them simply by taking the package out of the cardboard container (VERY important step as you'll see!) and putting 'em in the oven at a certain temp for a certain time.
Also, from what I've read, if your powder is sealed tightly you don't really have to worry too much about humidity...I could be wrong so others jump in if I am, but if your powder is sealed in original containers I'd think it'd hold up to humidity pretty well. But I tend to overkill things, hence the box of dessicant...
http://www.brent-krueger.com/silica.html
These are nice because they have an indicator on them to let you know when they need to be recharged, and you recharge them simply by taking the package out of the cardboard container (VERY important step as you'll see!) and putting 'em in the oven at a certain temp for a certain time.
Also, from what I've read, if your powder is sealed tightly you don't really have to worry too much about humidity...I could be wrong so others jump in if I am, but if your powder is sealed in original containers I'd think it'd hold up to humidity pretty well. But I tend to overkill things, hence the box of dessicant...
redneckhunter
Member
thanks guys i do have a small ref. that was in my camper , it would be just right for powder . can even lock it ...
Thanks for the replies, Now I have to figure out how to explain it to my wife when she notices that the powder and primers are not in the safe. It was her idea to get a much larger (and more expensive) safe since i have a decent amount of powder/primers and she wanted it protected with the guns. This should be fun. One good thing though, i think she likes the safe more than i do since she put her guns in where she wanted them before i could put mine in.
redneckhunter
Member
lol drumz my wife puts her stuff in our safe also , not even gunrelated stuff ,lol
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