Powder and primer storage

[hundy]

For years I have stored my powder and primers in my gun safe, that is inside the house. I need to make room, and I have built some nice shelves and reloading bench in my garage.
So here was my idea (not saying its a good one) Please feel free to chime in and give me your two cents. I am actually asking.

I live in Rancho Cucamonga, Weather is hot, dry, can get very humid in summer, and can freeze a few days out of the year.

I was going to store Powder and Primers in Separate MTM Ammo Crate Utility boxes with Desiccant inside the crate, on a shelf in my garage.

Now I guess I am more worried about the primers than the powder, just because they are in unsealed boxes and the cup is open. Not sure how they will due with humid weather. Not sure if moisture would make the primer cups useless. Not to worried about the powder. they are in bottles and then crates with desiccant.

Just curious if anyone stores there stuff in the garage, and any potential issues.

Thank you

Jay

[Divernhunter]

You are over thinking this. They will store just fine even without all the extra work. I have some I am using which have been in my garage since the 1980's with no problems. Just put them in the garage and do not spray water etc on them and you are good.

The only issue I see is storing powder in a safe. You now have made a bomb. NEVER store powder in a safe! Storage containers for powder always have a weak side(usually top) so pressure does not get unsafe in a fire.

[baih777]

I keep my primers in ice chests with dessicant.

[stilly]

For years I have stored my powder and primers in my gun safe, that is inside the house. I need to make room, and I have built some nice shelves and reloading bench in my garage.
So here was my idea (not saying its a good one) Please feel free to chime in and give me your two cents. I am actually asking.

I live in Rancho Cucamonga, Weather is hot, dry, can get very humid in summer, and can freeze a few days out of the year.

I was going to store Powder and Primers in Separate MTM Ammo Crate Utility boxes with Desiccant inside the crate, on a shelf in my garage.

Now I guess I am more worried about the primers than the powder, just because they are in unsealed boxes and the cup is open. Not sure how they will due with humid weather. Not sure if moisture would make the primer cups useless. Not to worried about the powder. they are in bottles and then crates with desiccant.

Just curious if anyone stores there stuff in the garage, and any potential issues.

Thank you

Jay

I have stored my primers outside in the garage for the past 4+ years. NEVER had any issues with them. I think if they needed to be sealed that they would come wrapped in plastic with a dessicant pack inside. But since I have yet to see that happen, I do not think that there are any issues with how I store them. HOWEVER. That does bring up a question on their storage now. In all honesty it would probably be ideal to store them in some airtight container with dessicant, but on my shelf does not seem to be too bad a spot either...

Oh yeah, and I just took some of them out and made some ladders to be shot at a range and they all shot fine. Now I have excess .38 spl and .357 rounds. Well, I guess they are not excess, but I have 10 bags and I do not know whether or not to dump them all into one container or several containers based on how they shoot...

[Revoman]

Stored in garage 30 miles from the coast, cold in the winter, hot in the summer for 30+ years without issue.

Think about it, when they are manufactured, they are probably simply stored in some unconditioned warehouse somewhere. They are not as fragile as one might think.

[M1NM]

I've still got some large rifle primers my mom's uncle had - late 50s early 60s? they were in his garage till the late 70s when his widow had me clean out his reloading stuff. I'm down to a couple hundred left and they have all worked fine.

[Bigtwin]

As every one else said, I store powder and primers in my garage the same way. Never an issue.

[Sawku]

Live in Rancho too....everything is in my garage. So far so good. Reassuring to see other posts though as only few years for me. At first I stressed out and kept monitoring summer temps in the garage. Gave up as I knew I would not move them anyway.

[stilly]

Live in Rancho too....everything is in my garage. So far so good. Reassuring to see other posts though as only few years for me. At first I stressed out and kept monitoring summer temps in the garage. Gave up as I knew I would not move them anyway.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I hung a thermometer by the reloading bench and when it showed 126 degrees one day in the summer I was on the roof that weekend cutting a hold and installing a solar powered roof vent...

Has not gone above 104 since then...

[kendog4570]

Powder Mfgs recommenced cool, dry storage for smokeless. Attics, garages and sheds can get way too hot in summer months. Excessive heat can cause powder to deteriorate. You'll know it when you open a jug and it smells like vinegar and has rust in it. Don't confuse the normal solvent smells with the vinegar smell. I keep my powder in a room that stays relatively cool all year round. Have powders that I bough new in 1978 that still work fine. Picked up other jugs of powder from widows that go back to the 60's and it is fine.
Primers are quite insensitive to temperature. Moisture will kill them while they are wet, but when they dry out they will go off. Maybe not as powerful, but I would not want to stand in front of the gun! In the late 70's I had a small reloading setup in a backyard shed at the folks house. I had about 30 rifle rounds that I broke down and punched out the live primers and put them in a dixie cup. I completely covered them with WD-40 and was looking for some place to set them when I got called away or distracted. So I set the cup on top of the shed roof and forgot about it. That was in the fall. In the springtime I noticed it and it was full of water. "Oh well" I said, they are done for. Later I noticed them again and all the rain water had evaporated. This cycle happened at least twice. When they were dry, I smacked each one with a hammer on a flat steel plate. Each one went off!!
I store all of my primers in 20MM and 50 cal GI ammo cans and keep them in my garage/shop/loading room. The reason for the ammo cans is to avoid any contamination with ammonia fumes. Ammonia kills brass, and primer cups are brass, some with nickel plating. I had some gas cutting from some primers in the mid 80's and It tore up the face of the bolt in my M14 match gun. I sent the primers in question to Federal, and they called me pretty quickly (no email in those days) and informed me that they analyzed them and they were showing "stress/corrosion cracking". They asked if I had them near any sources of ammonia. It happens that I was using the room where they were stored, sitting in their boxes exposed on a shelf, for fume staining some wood with 28% Stronger ammonia. They were only exposed for 1 or 2 days total, but 28% is really strong stuff. The stuff you buy at the hardware store for cleaning is something like .2%! They said they have traced ammonia exposure to reloading setups near diaper pails, cat boxes, etc. Most powder solvents have ammonia in them, and it can attack them as well. Household brass cleaners and polish like Brasso are loaded with it.
So now I keep all primers in sealed GI 20MM cans, and keep the ones I am using frequently in a smaller 50 cal can. I still monkey around with 28% ammonia now and than, but have had zero issues with primers failing because of it.

Story time over.

[the86d]

I have a computer/reloading room, so I am in a better position for storage, but why not store in cheap ammo cans (plastic or metal) to prevent moisture while inside the crate?
(I do, but mine are in the house.)

[opos]

I bought 2 night stands (60's style...very heavy wood with 2 drawers each)..got one that my p/c sit's on and one across my office room that a tv sits on...I store primers (in their packaging) in one and powder in the 1# bottles in the other..they are about 15' apart...I leave a small crack in the drawer that is a "weak spot"..I also have them in shopping bags in the drawers...should we get a fire I can simply grab the shopping bags and toss them out the window to get them out of the house (simpler than trying to gather up a bunch of boxes and bottles)..all stored at room temp and humidity..think they will last forever.

[hundy]

Finally got around to building shelves

Thanks for all the replies and help. I finally got around to building shelves in the garage next to my bench. I put my primers in a 50cal ammo can. I brought all the powder outside from the safe. From what I read here, I can probably just store it on the shelves as is. I was thinking about get some bins to put them in, but I now, don't see what difference that would make.


Thanks for the help

Jay

[Divernhunter]

Happy reloading.
Just remember to only have one powder out on the bench at a time. I have always done this. Then got lazy and did not. That cost me a new 8lb jug of powder

[tonyjr]

I store mine in little old refrigerators - maybe 3 x 3 x 3 - primers in one and powder in another . [ not very big , but I only use H 110 , H 38 - changed to HS6 when it got scarce and now CFE pistol ]
Both have cheap locks in them [ baby master locks - you can get in boxes of 6 or more all keyed alike . ]
We all have range bags that have at least 4 lockable zippers - [ mine is a Cabella - takes 8 locks ]
Anyway the bags and refrigerators all take same key and 4 nephews , 2 nieces all have that key .
No way I am leaving powder or primers where kids can find / get at . Take out one powder and lock .
I prime cases before reloading - de-prime , clean pockets , tumble , check pockets and shell bases [ the 45 , 357 , 44 and 50 throws them and sometimes miss the bag - bending them ] - lube them and then upside down in shell trays . Into the refrigerator with primers - later they get primers back in .
FYI - I use backing soda to suck water / moisture out of refrigerators [ I also cut off the cords ]