Storing your powder?

[Darryl]

What do you use to store your powder? There is a host of regulations and I guess most of us are in violation. I've heard of people storing black powder in military ammo cans, 5 gallon buckets, even an old refrigerator. What do you use and any thought on this?

 

[mewing6003]

What do you use to store your powder? There is a host of regulations and I guess most of us are in violation. I've heard of people storing black powder in military ammo cans, 5 gallon buckets, even an old refrigerator. What do you use and any thought on this?

Not sure what the exact regulations are here, and I aint gonna ask either!

I use one of those home fire safes. A larger one, it can hold upto 10 cans of powder. About as safe as I can manage without buying one of those industrial hazmat storage things like the gun store has to have.

 

[roundball]

What do you use to store your powder? There is a host of regulations and I guess most of us are in violation. I've heard of people storing black powder in military ammo cans, 5 gallon buckets, even an old refrigerator. What do you use and any thought on this?

Well I'm certainly not in violation...BATF regs (and the Patriot Act added nothing new) allows for the private storage in a single residence of up to 50lbs of blackpowder for recreational purposes without any unique requlations.

I store a case of Goex in the same approved heavy duty cardboard shipping carton that the Goex distributors use to ship it us from all across the country.

When I get a case, I check to ensure the caps on each can are sealed tight, then I seal them in large ziploc bags as added protection against any possible kind of humidity, and the carton sits out of the way under a table in a protected corner of a storage room in my house.

Each State's Fire Marshall's Office can impose additional regs so you might want to check with them to see if they've added anything more for your state than what the BATF regs call for...ie: North Carolina uses Federal regs as they are.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Hey There!

Some threads on the subject as kicked around eariler this year.

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/ubbthr...true#Post108871

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/ubbthr...true#Post100676

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/ubbthr...=true#Post91830

 

[2172]

In a locked wooden box in a storage building on my property about 75 feet from the garage of my house, and about 125' from the "inhabited" areas of the house...it is dry, and if the stuff ever blows, which I don't expect, I believe it'll blow the stge building and not much else..Hank

 

[TANSTAAFL]

You are on the right track, I would never confine BP in a sealed steel or other metal container, I would not wish to have a boom become a bomb blast.

 

[laffingman67]

Right on Hank. I store mine the same way. Outside in the storage shed. :thumbsup:

 

[fatboy]

Years ago my Dad had a good friend who was a gunsmith and he said he kept all his powder in a wood cabinet,was suppose to be safer according to the Fed's at the time than in a metal container

 

[roundball]

You are on the right track, I would never confine BP in a sealed steel or other metal container, I would not wish to have a boom become a bomb blast.

Well, not all metal containers are problems...remember that that the cans of BP are already in metal cans...but they have a designed relief point built into them so they'll 'burst' then burn, rather than explode like a bomb.

GI Ammo cans are strong and air tight to protect their contents, but are also designed to burst apart easily...the removeable tops pivot on 3-4 tiny hinge pins that shear off in the event of a mishap, so as not to 'contain' the explosive force;

Metal BP storage magazines have a similar function designed where the thin lightweight lid simply bursts off the main storage box;

From what I've read about BP storage, it seems the primary effort is always to protect the cans from physical abuse and harm, in a manner that does not tightly contain the contents if something should happen...
:m2c:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I store mine in the cans, in the cardboard shipping case they arrived in, in a closet, on the top shelf. I keep two partial cans in a cupboard with my hunting bag refill supplies for refilling horns. I have horns hung on pegs in a couple rooms. If I had kids at home I'd be a lot more cautious about leaving blackpowder sitting out available.

 

[rmonday2]

Being a contractor in the state of Tennessee for many years, I have shot my fair share of dinomite.

The standerd storage and transporting magazine is a box made of 1/4" steel and lined with 2" of oak on all 4 sides, bottom and lid. The lid should be made with enough lip to allow for the lining of wood. The wood of the lid is what will contact the box it's self and prevent any sparks from opening and closing. The wood in the lid will keep the container from being air-tight, but this desigh is intended to vent excess heat.

Thought this may be something some of you may or maynot would like to build in the future.

Heck, I'd sleep with it under my pillow to keep it safe eace:

 

[oomcurt]

I dunno...I normally only perhaps have less than 5 pounds of bp on hand at a time...but even if I had 25 pounds I would store it the same as I have always stored smokeless powder..on a shelf in my den/office. We no longer have kids around but..we did at one time..and back then I may have had perhaps over 30 pounds of different smokeless powders on hand..stored then on shelf also..and..never ever did I lock my guns up. No way in hell would I do this..I just may at some time need one in a hurry and sure do not want to waste time trying to unlock some dang box or cabinet. 'Course things are different today with kids..seems there is some damm "theory" that one cannot tell kids what to do or smack them if they disobey one. Our kids knew better than to try something. Trust me.

 

[Maestro]

... I have horns hung on pegs in a couple rooms.

Hey Stump... I assume these are filled with powder (otherwise, why mention it) - I've been doing this too but wasn't sure if this was a safe practice... I mean, they're not hanging over a fireplace or anything.
::

 

[loishd]

Roundball,
We as a club have all permits and inspections to meet the Ohio laws for blackpowder storage. We have a powder magazine which is metal but just recently the inspector has informed us that we have to line the entire inside with wood. Our guess is this will help reduce the shrapnel effect in the event of an explosion.
Also in your earlier post you mentioned putting all your cans in plastic bags. It has been my experience that first, the sealed bags can create their own dampness in changing conditions, and second I have seen these bags develope a great deal of static at times. Depending on the grade of powder this could be a hazard. The advice I have been given is that the cans by themselves in a dry storage will last a very long time. I know of one club member that has shot 35+ year old powder with no problems.
:imo: :results:

 

[Bob J]

Does anyone have opinion on using a small freezer (unplugged) to store 5 or 6 cans?

 

[roundball]

We as a club have all permits and inspections to meet the Ohio laws for blackpowder storage.
We have a powder magazine which is metal but just recently the inspector has informed us that we have to line the entire inside with wood. Our guess is this will help reduce the shrapnel effect in the event of an explosion.
Also in your earlier post you mentioned putting all your cans in plastic bags. It has been my experience that first, the sealed bags can create their own dampness in changing conditions, and second I have seen these bags develope a great deal of static at times. Depending on the grade of powder this could be a hazard. The advice I have been given is that the cans by themselves in a dry storage will last a very long time. I know of one club member that has shot 35+ year old powder with no problems.

Curious when you referenced 'inspectors' if you mean some sort of Ohio State inspectors, what inspectors, etc.

The little metal storage magazine I referenced is one like is sold by the Maine Powder House, etc...nothing as large as what you store at your club I'm sure.

Interesting about the wood lining being used to reduce shrapnel...I've read stories of wooden sailing ships that commented flying wooden splinters being blasted apart by cannon balls hitting the timbers was the most devastating cause of death and injury to the sailors...go figure.

Yes, whenever I bag-seal the cans from a new case, I take them out of the cardboard shipping carton, leave everything sitting around for a couple days in the house to completely let any moisture dry out and stabilize the temperature, then I bag them 3 cans to a gallon size freezer ziploc, pressing the air out, etc.

I order Goex by the case, shoot a can a month, so the longest any cans stay in plastic is only a couple years...so far there's never been a hint of moisture.

But to be honest, I'm not sure I'll bother wasting my time doing the ziploc thing on my next case anyway...go through it too fast...and stored in the house it's in a climate controlled environment anyway.

PS: I've seen some pretty convincing experiments during the past couple years supporting the claim that static does NOT set off BP after all...have you seen those?

 

[roundball]

Does anyone have opinion on using a small freezer (unplugged) to store 5 or 6 cans?

From everything I've read and come to learn about that, I am convinced an old refrigerator or freezer would be an ideal powder storage unit.

Could lock it with a bar/hasp, have one of those warmer rods inside to keep it dry...construction is strong enough to protect the powder, but soft enough metal not to be solid containment, and would very probably protect it from a house fire if it was in a garage or basement, etc.

 

[loishd]

Roundball,
Yes we are inspected by both local and state fire marshals as well as an ATF agent. Our permit allows us only to keep up to 50# at any given time. We only sell to club members but we must keep records of each and every pound sold, to whom and when as well as recording the tracking number on the bottom of each can. If you are unaware each batch of powder produced has trackers within the powder. In the event it would be used illegally they can trace back its origins from the residue.
I have heard of the old ships splittering as you mentioned. I think that the combination of the wood lining and the metal casing may help reduce that effect. :hmm: Can't say I want to find out on a personal experience.
I have read some articles that static will not ignite blackpowder but I feel that if it is a fine enough grain that there is always the chance. The old saying goes
"never say never" comes to mind. I store mine in a 50 cal ammo box and I keep only 8-10 pound at a time since I have access to more on a monthly basis. I do have a variety from 7,4,3, & 2 Fg.
Thanks for the chat!!

 

[Deadeye]

I keep mine in an old (unplugged) refrigerator, helps keep it at a constant temp and humidity and it's in a seperate
building from my house.

 

[bshultz]

Store mine locked in my range shed in ammo cans.