Storing primers and powder in the garage

[Blue68f100]

If you do store your powders and primers in the garage, have them close to the floor as possible. There is a large temp gradient from top to bottom. I have stored my primers in the garage for 35+ yrs with no problem. I only keep a current use quantity in the garage, < 1lb. Knowing this will be used up quickly. My main powder storage is in a spare bed room closet.

If you think about, ammo is stored in warehouses w/o climate control. For the most part the military has 30ys supply. No different than a garage. But they do qc check on powder used in their arsenal.

 

[Rule3]

So, it seems like the moral of the story is to move the powder and ammunition out of the garage and into the closet in the spare room.

Yes, I would and do. You have hotter temps than I do.

Unless of course you have 55 gal drums full of stuff

 

[dmazur]

Regarding "noisy hobby", I have managed to keep peace in the house by doing all of the noisy and/or dirty steps in the garage, and the quiet / clean steps indoors.

Since storing powder / primers isn't noisy or dirty, it is OK indoors. ( I have a couple of sheet metal powder magazines in the laundry room and the primers are stored in a bedroom closet.)

The same goes for the press itself. Quiet and clean.

However, tumbling brass and media separation is definitely noisy / dirty, so these are done in the garage.

 

[dickttx]

I have my powder and primers scattered around the house in various closets. No more than an 8# jug of powder or 2 5K cartons of primers in any one closet. That doesn't take up much space and my wife has never even mentioned it. In fact, they are always on the top shelf and she probably doesn't even know they are there. My one pound jar I use out of is in the garage on my reloading bench. My current 1K boxes of spp and lpp are in a closet accessible to the garage.

 

[gamestalker]

It's not an ideal situation by any means, but if your using it, as in it's not just sitting there for months on end, you should be ok. Other wise, find a better storage place. I live in SW Arizona also, so I know summers are definitely a problem, like a 100-115+ problem. And in a garage that I presume is closed during the heat of the day temps are going to get considerably warmer than that.

I did on two separate occasions store powders and primers in some pretty extreme environments, SW New Mexico and South Dakota. Both incidents involved several years in such extreme conditions, and everything functioned 100% normal.

I would come up with a better plan. Isn't there some place in your home where you could store them, that would get them out of that heat of the summer?

GS

 

[VrockTDSaz]

I think I'm going to put the powder and primers on the top shelf of a closet. Two separate closets. She'll be able to live with that.

The bigger problem is ammo storage, there is a lot of it and I'm not going to bury it. It's all in ammo cans, so maybe I'll just shove them in the back of the closet behind some low hanging jackets and hope she doesn't notice.

 

[RussellC]

How about use the fridge to store it, but plug in that fridge during the summer to keep it cooler. Unplug during the winter.

You know, I have seen a device for people who brew beer that may be useful here. Some types of Lager beer must be fermented around 50-60 degrees, and ANY hotter can mess them up with off flavors. Most home brewing supply places sell a thermostat designed to be used in conjunction with a standard refrigerator. Just that this device is adjustable and will keep the fridge on the proper temp. Set it for 50-60 degrees and you should be good? Unplug in winter?

Russellc