Primer & Powder

[smokindog]

Given the climate of late and my views of the future, I've taken advantage of the recent availability of components and built up my stock. The original "wood lockers" made of dimensional lumber have long been full and there is no room to build more.

I'm aware of the discussions of fire codes and storage. I'm not looking for all the details of how to build stuff or anything like that. I'm simply asking if you'd be comfortable with the following proximity of powder/primers in your reloading room. Mine is climate controlled.

ADDED NOTE: this room is over top a detached garage.

The two cabinets in the picture are Seville brand from Sams.

1. Seville Classics UltraHD 4-Drawer Rolling Cabinet - Sam's Club
2. Seville Classics UltraHD 6-Drawer Rolling Cabinet - Sam's Club

These two cabinets are about 20" apart corner to corner and sit at 90 degrees to one another. The left hand section on cabinet 1 is now full of powder while the bottom 2 drawers (large and small) of cabinet 2 are packed to the brim with primers. The chromed fronts are about 24 gauge steel and the sides/bottoms are thicker with the added strength of the drawer sides.

 

[arjay]

Id be worried about all those primers in one spot if there was a fire.

 

[Collo Rosso]

My reloading room is half the laundry room...not a whole lot of room. My powder is on a shelf there but my primers are in a walk in closet off the master bedroom. Wife is thrilled...

 

[H Richard]

My primers and powder sit on shelves in my loading room. There is no danger for either. In case of a fire, the more contained they are the more it would tend to cause an explosion. Primers need impact to go off. Look at any retail store, they have hundreds of pounds of powder and thousands of primers sitting on open shelves. No problem with fire department.

 

[Engineer1911]

A breath of common sense

My primers and powder sit on shelves in my loading room. There is no danger for either. In case of a fire, the more contained they are the more it would tend to cause an explosion. Primers need impact to go off. Look at any retail store, they have hundreds of pounds of powder and thousands of primers sitting on open shelves. No problem with fire department.

A breath of common sense on powder and primer storage. If you have a house fire, the least of your worries are powder and primers. How about propane tanks, gasoline storage cans, fuel oil tank in the basement, lawn mowers, autos, and everything else that has gasoline in it.

 

[JJP161]

Primers May and generally will ignite during a fire, but as long as they are not in a sealed container generally they are not a huge issue. Just as loaded rounds will go off when exposed to fire, but as long as they are not in a weapon, again it's generally not an issue, may be rather unsettling for fire crews and they will get pelted with some debris but the bucket won't go anywhere. Now if that round is in a chamber and it goes off due to fire it will be just as if someone had pulled the trigger, the bullet will fire as Normal.

 

[JJP161]

Bullet not bucket

 

[StakeOut]

I don't know about your area but in this NW Austin Texas area I've found that supplies of primers and powder are improving compaired to a few months back but prices seem to be continuously inching up.

The Bass Pro Shop near here had a good supply of Alliant Power Pistol,Bullseye,Unique,Blue Dot and Green Dot yesterday.I even found a 14oz Hodgdon Clays on the shelf.

The local Academy Sport stores had Hodgdon Titegroup plus lots of Winchester primers and some CCI also.

The nearest Cabelas pistol powder stock was disappointing but they do show W231 for ordering online.I picked up a brick of Federal GM150M primers while I was there but there was no GM100M

 

[rwsmith]

If there is a sympathic detonation....

If one primer or a few primers cause the ones nearby it to go off at the same time even if it's not contained there will be a big and very real explosion.

That's why they pack primers so far apart nowadays.

 

[JJP161]

Very true, what I was getting at is the explosions within airtight containers now creates a bomb and has potential to cause some very dangerous conditions to firefighters. I have responded to a number of fires over the years where lives rounds, primers, smokeless powder and black powder have been present. Yes it is very unsettling to advance into a fire with 100's of rounds going off but the key is they are not in chambers, the rounds in chambers have in fact gone off and firefighters have been shot on fire scenes under those circumstances, very rare but it has happened.

 

[Engineer1911]

Very true, what I was getting at is the explosions within airtight containers now creates a bomb and has potential to cause some very dangerous conditions to firefighters. I have responded to a number of fires over the years where lives rounds, primers, smokeless powder and black powder have been present. Yes it is very unsettling to advance into a fire with 100's of rounds going off but the key is they are not in chambers, the rounds in chambers have in fact gone off and firefighters have been shot on fire scenes under those circumstances, very rare but it has happened.

My interpretation of your statement is that powder and primers should be stored in original containers and sit on a shelf.

Powder and primers should not be stored in "water proof" military ammo cans that are latched shut.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I keep my primers in their original packaging. on a shelf in a closet with a good door, a very good lock and an extra layer of drywall lining it. powder is on an open shelf in a large book case in a spare room. I live alone but my late wife had no problem with this, she was a shooter too.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Would I be comfortable with your powder and primer storage? yes! Would you be comfortable with mine? probably not! I have seen 65,000 small pistol primers cook off in a house fire, I have seen a 15 pound "keg" of bullseye burn in that same fire. I saw the Ammo cans full of ammo after the fire. Will it do your burning house any good?... absolutely not! Will it really make a difference in the outcome? also probably not, just more stuff the insurance company won't want to pay for.

The issue is can you stock up or a supply of loading supplies to outlast the next shortage or two? High heat (like the attic in the summer) and moisture, are the problems that you will need to worry about, that and the bill for stocking up!

I shoot in 3 different disciplines (Sporting Clays, Cowboy Action, & Long Range), I try to keep supplies to reload for at least one and a half years shooting on hand. In February I order the next years's supplies plus 10-15%! If I see a good deal on a large container of powder, I buy it, my only consideration would be, Can I afford it? I set things up so I'm not at the mercy of some "gun show bandit". The only real problem is, "Friends and Family" wanting to use your stockpile as their own. Nancy Reagan had the answer, JUST SAY NO!

Ivan

 

[Big Stick]

I'm sure its only a matter of time before insurance companies will require a special rider to cover damage from all the powder, primers and live rounds stored in the attic rafters by those hoarding excess, causing catastrophic failure of the building structure..... not to mention a fire hazard.... Say what you want about sporting goods stores carrying a large amount.... They also likely have a sprinkler head for every 100 sq ft of floor....

 

[joe44va]

Any of the powder companies have written about properly storing powders. Reading up on it m ay help.

 

[metalman60]

Looks good to me.

The rolling tool boxes you use for components looks good to me. I use fire proof teller cabinets purchased from an office supply house-
I also noticed on your post, a couple of pictures of what maybe your home. If this is the case, I would take them down.
Best Regards
Metalman 60

 

[Twoboxer]

. . . I'm simply asking if you'd be comfortable with the following proximity of powder/primers in your reloading room. Mine is climate controlled. . . . The two cabinets in the picture are Seville brand from Sams.

These two cabinets are about 20" apart corner to corner and sit at 90 degrees to one another.. . .

FWIW, I use two similar (though less expensive) wheeled cabinets to store those supplies. The cabinets are "lockable" in the same sense a TSA lock is actually a lock, meaning it will keep 8 year-olds out. The cabinets have more air gaps than my media separator lol.

One holds pistol powder and primers, the other rifle. IMO, this helps minimize powder/primer errors, and of course only one powder jug is on the bench at any time.

Pure happenstance has them 20' apart in the same fully climate controlled basement room. IME, this is a much "safer" arrangement than most LGS shelving provides.

Physically separating powder and primers in separate rooms would multiply the number of locations where I was storing a potential fire accelerator.

JMO.