Storing primed brass question

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Citadel99

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So, I have a ton of .308, .300 WM, and .30-06 brass right now. The brass has been deprimed. Anything wrong with sizing and priming and then storing in a plastic bin until I have the right powders again? Just got the bad itch to start doing something again...

Mark
 
Nope not at all. I normally do all my case work and then prime the brass and put the primed cases in my ammo boxes ready to load powder and bullets in them when I get a chance.
 
I didn't think there would be any issues as the primers themselves are boxed in an anything but air tight manner...

Mark
 
I bulk process all of my brass (OK not some of it but most of it). This gets it all webs checked, cleaned, de-primed, sized, cleaned again, trimmed and primer pockets cleaned and checked. Them I sort by head stamp and put them in plastic bottles/tubs/boxes. And then I will prime each and put them back in the container with a copy of my check sheet with the primer type listed. These are packed away, well marked as to what they are until I want/need that type of brass for loading. I store these in my garage, split level with heat and air ducts in the garage, but I still keep them off of the concrete. Not any problem in the winter months but in the summer the warm moist air comes in and the cool concrete sweats. I don't want to chance the primers, so they are well off of the floor and fans and dehumidifiers are running all of the time.
How long do I keep brass like this? I think I have some 303 British that has been sitting for 5 or 6 years.
Did this help any?
 
I have some primers I am using from 96 .. kept them in the boxes & out of the weather so far every primer has fired (3000 plus ) had I kept them in the brass ready to load I can think of no reason for them to have gone bad from the brass.. Moisture or some oil yea that could wreck a primer but I can think of no reason being in the pocket would destroy a primer .. Some of the Surplus ammo I have shot was from the 50's ..
 
Citadel99 said:
Anything wrong with sizing and priming and then storing in a plastic bin until I have the right powders again?
Click to expand...

Not wrong at all. Many many folks prime cases ahead of time and store them.

I don't because I am not sure what I am going to load from time to time. It would be a shame to tie up a bunch or primers seated in cases that I do not need to load at the present.

I prime cases shortly before loading them. Keeps my loading option open during component shortages.
 
No problem, as long as you are loading the same load and expect to forever. I don't, because I have done it before and had to change the load, ended up with the wrong primers.....Looks like Chuck has been there too.
 
moxie said:
Unless your plastic bins are airtight, seal in Ziploc bags first. Otherwise perfect!
Click to expand...

While I might use air tight plastic containers myself, I bought some factory primed cases that came loose in a corrugate cardboard box.

Primer cartons are not sealed air tight.

Hey, witchhunter, yes, been there, done that.:)
 
Thanks again guys. I'll reload most of it all to the same recipe but, as I'm sure some of yall know, it's a timing thing. Work, two small kids, wife, a list of projects a mile long...

Mark
 
I do it all the time as well. I do all the expected brass case prep and then prime the case. I store my primed cases in seal able bags with as much air removed as possible for humidity issues.
 
The only drawback I've found is the brass will start to tarnish over time, and I don't tumble primed brass. I've got brass that's been primed for several years that I haven't loaded yet, and it will all go bang when I'm ready.

I'm still loading primers from the 1970's and have yet to have a misfire. They're all stored in their original boxes in a storage cabinet in my shop. Primed brass will store just fine, and maybe in a couple of years when you finally find some powder, just load them up and go shooting........

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I just finished loading some .270 win. brass tonight that was prepped and primed more than 2 yrs. ago. One thing I do though, is I label the container with pertinent details, such as the action that brass was sized for, and the primer used. I store them in either a baggie or plastic bin to protect them from moisture.

GS
 
When I do prime brass ahead of time, I just put the sleeve from the primer package in with the primed brass, and I mark the date I primed them on the sleeve with a Sharpie, along with the number of brass in the container. That way, I've got the brand and lot number of the primers in with the brass for future reference.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I have 2 gal. buckets with primed Brass in them that are ready for powder and bullet whenever I have time and powder so are over one year old. I do this with Range ammo only. Hunting rounds are made all in the same sitting.
 
I batch-prep in stages, and it works very well. Let me just give you one word of caution:

Partially processed brass is like passwords...you swear you'll remember them, but weeks later you don't. Drop a slip of paper in each container listing exactly what has been done so far, and what kind of primers are installed.

I guess that's more than "just one word..."
 
Like others have stated - there's no problem storing primed brass. Probably 90-95% of all my unloaded brass is primed at any given time. And, yes... always label the containers (bins, plastic zipper bags, etc.) as to what they contain.
 
Captaingyro said:
I batch-prep in stages, and it works very well. Let me just give you one word of caution:

Partially processed brass is like passwords...you swear you'll remember them, but weeks later you don't. Drop a slip of paper in each container listing exactly what has been done so far, and what kind of primers are installed.

I guess that's more than "just one word..."
Click to expand...
Yeah. I've found that Google Docs is definitely my friend for loads... But you gotta mark everything. And by everything, I mean everything.

Mark
 
NothIng at all wrong with priming brass and then storing it until you're ready to load it up. I do it all the time. As Captaingyro suggests, mark what you've done. I print labels like this and put them in gallon Zip bags with all brass whether prepped or not, just so I know what's what. As I complete each step, I just circle the finished step. When reloading, I mark the primer type and lot number, powder type, charge and lot number, etc., and keep the tag with the loaded ammo.

Here's the text of my labels:

CLEANED
TRIMMED ___________
LUBED
DEPRIMED
SWAGED
SIZED
EXPANDED
CLEANED
PRIMED ____________
CHARGED _______ GR OF ________
LOADED WITH _________________
CLEANED

QTY __________
CAL ___________
LOT # _____________
 
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