Lowest temp for Storing Powder?

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kbm6893

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I reload in my garage, which is attached to the house. We're having a brutal winter here, but the garage is never lower than about 55 degrees. The powder is stored under my reloading bench in one of those metal garage cabinets you can get at Lowes. I know metal is not what they recommend, but this cabinet is plenty vented. Has slots on sides and back.

So should I move the powder into the house until the weather gets better and the garage is not as cold?
 
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It is cold up here all winter long, every winter. That said, all of my powder is stored in an attached garage which is maintained at 40 degrees. I'm careful to gradually temper it when moving into the basement for reloading. I believe that moisture in the form of condensation is harmful to powder, not the cold temperature.
Dave
SWCA #2778
 
powder

I keep mine in my insulated workshop along with all my reloading gear.
I have been doing this for 30 years without problems. I do not have heat in my shop. cold does not affect powder but extreme heat can make the powder have higher pressure.
 
kbm6893 said:
I reload in my garage, which is attached to the house. We're having a brutal winter here, but the garage is never lower than about 55 degrees. The powder is stored under my reloading bench in one of those metal garage cabinets you can get at Lowes. I know metal is not what they recommend, but this cabinet is plenty vented. Has slots on sides and back.

So should I move the powder into the house until the weather gets better and the garage is not as cold?
Click to expand...

I hope not! I'm just north of you and it was -6 actual air temp yesterday. The majority of my powder is stored in an unattached shed winter and summer. I haven't noticed any issues over the years.
 
So should I move the powder into the house until the weather gets better and the garage is not as cold?
Click to expand...

No. A tightly sealed original container in a dry 55 deg environment is in the "perfect" range for smokeless powder storage. Heat and moisture cause chemical changes.
 
I agree that 55 F & dry is about perfect for smokeless or black powder. I stored some my powders in the barn until last year, and down to -10 never hurt them and a couple of canisters of 748 were there for 25 or more years, and a 12 pound canister of 231 was in a wooden locker for over 20 and they are all good. Several years ago I had some Ball C-2 and H380 go bad in just a few years (3 or 4). I think there was something wrong with them when I bought them! (I never got expected results from those lots in early usage) My 1 pound cans of 748, have surface rusted the caps on so I had to cut them open (kind of scary!) but the powder was fine and loads perform as expected/compared to loads from when brand new. In times past, Black powder wasn't considered ready to use until it was on the shelf for more than six months and many of my friends preferred it to be 2 or 3 years old! The storage shed was a small free standing wooden building that resembled an out house, without seats! It was extremely well ventilated, the wind seemed to blow through it. Ivan
 
Think off the range for a moment and think field ....
Deer hunting in some parts, include stories of dragging a carcass up hill in 150 MPH winds at 300 below in whiteout conditions for 50 miles across mine fields and barbed wire .... depending on who is telling the story.
I have yet to hear of a cartridge, exposed to some of these bitter, sub zero conditions, failing.
Gun powder is some impressive stuff that way.
it remains quite stable over a range of temps that'd kill ya on either end.
The real core of the issue is performance while at a given temperature where hot conditions raise pressures some.
Storage ... the stuff is pretty forgiving as long as you can keep it sealed
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I agree that 55 F & dry is about perfect for smokeless or black powder. I stored some my powders in the barn until last year, and down to -10 never hurt them and a couple of canisters of 748 were there for 25 or more years, and a 12 pound canister of 231 was in a wooden locker for over 20 and they are all good. Several years ago I had some Ball C-2 and H380 go bad in just a few years (3 or 4). I think there was something wrong with them when I bought them! (I never got expected results from those lots in early usage) My 1 pound cans of 748, have surface rusted the caps on so I had to cut them open (kind of scary!) but the powder was fine and loads perform as expected/compared to loads from when brand new. In times past, Black powder wasn't considered ready to use until it was on the shelf for more than six months and many of my friends preferred it to be 2 or 3 years old! The storage shed was a small free standing wooden building that resembled an out house, without seats! It was extremely well ventilated, the wind seemed to blow through it. Ivan
Click to expand...

I live in South Louisiana....no such thing as 55 degrees and dry,
maybe one day a year like that. I've resorted to keeping small containers ( 8 oz. and 1 lb.) in a closet inside my heated and cooled house. Storing larger quanities in a garage and shed would expose it extreme swings in temperature and a lot of humidity.
Gary
 
Nearly everything is recommended to be stored "cool and dry". I think powder mfgs. have to say that because of those that may keep powder and stuff in their flooded basement when temps. reach 99+ day temps. and -99 night time temps...:D :D

The temp range that I stored my powder in has run from low 30s to over 105 degrees air temp (prolly hotter in the shed). No problems in many years of storing/loading modern gun powders.
 
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Consider this, Chemical Reactions generally proceed SLOWER at reduced temperatures. Since gun powder degradation is a Chemical Reaction I believe that it would be reasonable to conclude that smokeless powder stored in a shed in Antarctica would last much longer than the same powder stored in a shed in the Sahara Desert. I would not be the least bit concerned about cold temperatures above about 50 below damaging smokeless powders. However I would NOT take powder from a cold storage location and open it in a warm home until it had at least 24 hours to come up to temperature.
 
What a coincidence! ... I have a powder storage facility in Antarctica.
If anyone wants to send me their powder I'll be happy to take it.. uh.. I mean store it :D
 
I keep much of my powder in a root cellar that is no longer in use for that purpose.It has gotten to 35 below and as high as 106 here. But Humidity is truly low when it is hot. 2-6% is typical..when it rains the humidity may be 75 % LOL. I also have powder(HiVel #2 comes to mind) that I am using to load 30-30 recently. The can is dated 1937. Keep it dry and don't let it Sweat . On another note...I bought an estate of reloading stuff from a lady I know. When I got all the stuff she had filled 18 cans of powder with water because that powder might "blow up". I dumped the water out of all the ball type powders and dried it..Tried a load in the 22 Hornet with 12 gr of Lil gun..Statistically the same as the new can..seriously. I was amazed. I just had to try it. At the gun show yesterday I got 2 cans of Hercules Red Dot in the square metal cans..Paid 10 bucks for 'em. I am going to use the red dot and then sell the cans for at least 10 bucks. One can still has the metal seal on it. I dried a couple cans of green dot that lady filled with water and am going to try a load or two with it soon.. I will report on it's use in a few days.
 
Dang! Freeze dried gunpowder. What a concept.
Reminds me of the flash in the pan powdered alcohol (and gasoline) schemes that come and go.
I'll take another teaspoon full!

===
Nemo

P.S.
120 proof Knob Creek is actually pretty good without being dehydrated.
 
I don't think powder.....

don't think powder has any water in it, more like ether and alcohol depending, as long as it's not in an over sized container water/humidity shouldn't be a factor. If I had a quarter of an 8 pound jug I might consider throwing a silica pack in there or tape it to the lid if it gets freezing.
 
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I'm not going to tell you how I store my powder because that's not the question you asked.

While I'm not a chemist, I don't think subfreezing temps will chemically alter (i.e. damage) the powder. What I would be concerned with is long term storage in temps that fluctuate +/- 50*F. I would think this would be enough to cause condensation in an opened container. Again, I'm not a chemist, but I would think adding water to your powder would damage it. Hence the expression "keep your powder dry". I have zero science behind this, just what my thought filter tells me.

Why not move it into your house, and stop worrying about? Do you have so much you think there is reason to fear fire hazard?
 
MichiganScott said:
Some guys have wives. Some guys have wives that object to having gunpowder in the house.

I have one that shoots. She understands when the LGS calls up and asks if I can spare a pound.
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHA!

That's good stuff right there.

If you seriously have distribution volume, might be a good idea to climate control the storage.
 
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