Primer, powder storage

[Bob Wright]

Just built a really nice man cave to do my reloading and gun work. I have a variety of smokeless powders. Seems like many comments have been made on storage temperatures. Convinced I will just keep powder and primer in my spare bedroom closet in the main house, constant a/c, low humidity.
So,
Placed a call to Alliant about temp storage, but got more than I asked for. The tech told me that one safety issue he told me to practice was to never store powder next to any of my ammonia based cleaning material (or use in the same room). Hoppes, Wipe Out, or other copper strippers are ammonia based.
He told me that powder also is very sensitive and will break down if these two become exposed because powder has ammonia in it as well. Not a chemist, but was news to me. I guess the situation could be you are reloading ammo after you clean or are soaking barrels in some rifles, getting ready for another run to the range and the room has that nice odor of Hoppes or worse, a nasty ammonia stripper like 50BMG. Also, cleaning wipes soaked and sitting in the garbage can.
So, for what it's worth, thought I would share for consideration. I'm guilty of doing this on many situations and just didn't know....

 

[bob4]

Didn't know this either. All of my stuff is in one room. Although, as soon as I load my last charge the cap goes right back on. As luck would have it I just happen to clean only and that's enough for me. I'll usually load another day. Be interested in what others have to say.

 

[ar10ar15man]

my powder is in a powder room
my primers are in my hand loading room
my cleaning gear is in my shop.

 

[Buster Hemlock]

Primers and powder are in one room separated by twenty-ish feet. Cleaning happens in the garage because the wife hates the smell in the house. Maybe she also knew it was detrimental to my powder....... I'll have to thank her

 

[Wachsmann]

Same here cleaning is in the garage. Wife hates the smell.

 

[jbs2014]

Just built a really nice man cave to do my reloading and gun work. I have a variety of smokeless powders. Seems like many comments have been made on storage temperatures. Convinced I will just keep powder and primer in my spare bedroom closet in the main house, constant a/c, low humidity.
So,
Placed a call to Alliant about temp storage, but got more than I asked for. The tech told me that one safety issue he told me to practice was to never store powder next to any of my ammonia based cleaning material (or use in the same room). Hoppes, Wipe Out, or other copper strippers are ammonia based.
He told me that powder also is very sensitive and will break down if these two become exposed because powder has ammonia in it as well. Not a chemist, but was news to me. I guess the situation could be you are reloading ammo after you clean or are soaking barrels in some rifles, getting ready for another run to the range and the room has that nice odor of Hoppes or worse, a nasty ammonia stripper like 50BMG. Also, cleaning wipes soaked and sitting in the garbage can.
So, for what it's worth, thought I would share for consideration. I'm guilty of doing this on many situations and just didn't know....

How did you end up storing your powder and primers? Did it work out ok?

I store each component in a separate room as well.

I read that humidity is bad for primers so I bought an airtight plastic box and put a large
dehumidifier unit in it and store my primers in that, in their original containers.

Does anyone do anything similar?

 

[epags]

Like several posters, spouse does not like the smell, so I do all gun cleaning/maintenance in our first-floor mudroom/laundry room (where the safe is) and all reloading is done upstairs where powder and primers are stored. Annealing is done in the garage.

 

[Mark37082]

I'm not to concerned with vapors from my cleaning impacting the powder and primers. I keep the powder in a cabinet and primers in separate cabinet. I run a dehumidifier and do not clean and load at the same time. My basement stays at a reasonably cool temp year round.

 

[Bob Wright]

So little shooting and cleaning going on for me that the exposure to chemicals and powder is very limited. My bulk powders are in the main house away from my reloading room on my property.

 

[RidgeTop]

I grew up around trucks so I don't mind the smell of diesel or K-1. I either clean or load but not both at the same time. Powder is in one room and primers in another in a large wooden ammo box. Wood because It helps stabilize humidity changes. All are heated and A/C.

 

[Huntsman66]

That's interesting… I keep everything in the same room, but all stored in different cabinets and can't remember a time when I had reloading and cleaning stuff out at the same time, but I guess i will be mindful of it now!

 

[Blacktailer]

All my stuff is in a non A/C shop. Cleaners on a shelf and primers and powder in an old fridge. Still using left over powder and primers some of which was purchased in the mid 80"s. It all still goes BANG!
Have never done any gun cleaning when reloading and there is enough ventilation that I don't see that it would be a problem.

 

[Huntsman66]

All my stuff is in a non A/C shop. Cleaners on a shelf and primers and powder in an old fridge. Still using left over powder and primers some of which was purchased in the mid 80"s. It all still goes BANG!
Have never done any gun cleaning when reloading and there is enough ventilation that I don't see that it would be a problem.

Its interesting to hear all of the different opinions on powder and primers, but i still have powder and some primers that are leftovers from the 30 years ago that my grand dad had and I use them for fire forming and other things. But to be honest, they always work fine and I can't tell any difference between them and stuff i picked up yesterday.