Where do you store your powder?

[smoothshooter]

Is there a "best practice" for storing bp? I just keep it in my gun safe.

BAD CHOICE !!!

 

[smoothshooter]

Is there a "best practice" for storing bp? I just keep it in my gun safe.

For larger quantities I would not put it all in the same place.

 

[smoothshooter]

Learn your state and local laws. In NY State, it's 5 lbs maximum, in original containers or in horns, with those in a wood box with 1/2 thick walls, painted red and marked Low Ex. That box is to be kept on the ground floor or in the basement, within 10 feet of an exterior entry.

Massachusetts limits individuals to 2 pounds.

Realize that if something *does* go wrong, and your powder is illegally stored, either by method of storage or quantity, you will be liable for any damage or injuries in an accident,

- and possibly extra hassles from the insurance company.

 

[smoothshooter]

In the USA do you need a licence (or even a license) to buy black powder? And is there a limit on how much you can posses? I suppose like most things there it depends on the state.

No license that I am aware of. Most of the free-er states seem to have a possession limit of 25 to 50 pounds.

 

[smoothshooter]

In the manufacturers container each of which is in a segmented woden box out in the converted piggery in the garden.
I wonder about the sanity of those storing explosives in their house!

The natural gas that heats most of our house is more dangerous than black powder.

 

[smoothshooter]

Black powder licence in the UK is really just a means of keeping tabs on who has it and that it's stored responsibly.

Don’t kid yourself.
It has little to do with safety and a whole lot on WHO has it so it can be confiscated immediately along with the guns at the first signs of any anti-government civil unrest.

 

[smoothshooter]

The video is good but didn't show what would happen if the ammo was inside a steel ammo can.

When cartridge ammo cooks off, if not located inside some kind of durable barrier, the bullets rarely go anywhere, but the empty brass may travel several yards.

 

[smoothshooter]

" I don't understand the thought about storing powder in a wooden box."

Me too, it's mentioned here a lot.

Any answers?

it needs to be in a container that will blow apart easily ( whoosh ) before internal pressure can spike to the level of a detonation ( BOOM !! ).

Remember : Whoosh vs. BOOM.

 

[William Lincoln]

The wooden box comes from the Federal Government guidelines for Powder Magazines.
Federal limit is 50 lbs. Fla state is 25lbs, New Mexico I'm checking into. But check into
the local fire rules or Fire Marshall rules that is often lower. Also, municipalities have
their own rules. So, while you can haul a bunch by Federal Law, where you are going
might not be so hospitable. Big consideration was said above: child safety and fire safety.

 

[leadhoarder]

I believe wood is used because it is non sparking, offers some short term fire protection, and yields somewhat readily if or when the powder ignites.

 

[FishDFly]

It's shipped in card board box, that is what I use.

 

[Tumbledown]

Wood is naturally insulating. A one-inch thick box wall takes a few minutes to butn through, so it's also a bit of a flame retardent.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

In the manufacturers container each of which is in a segmented woden box out in the converted piggery in the garden.
I wonder about the sanity of those storing explosives in their house!

Seeing as black powder is not an "explosive" I don't think it's insane to keep it in the house.

 

[Woody Morgan]

Seeing as black powder is not an "explosive" I don't think it's insane to keep it in the house.

I beg to differ, sir. It is indeed classified as an explosive. Check the jug.

wm

 

[FishDFly]

When all else fails, read the instructions on the back of the powder container for storage instructions.

 

[Woody Morgan]

When all else fails, read the instructions on the back of the powder container for storage instructions.

Turn in your Man Card on the way out, Mr. "69 cal".

wm

 

[Greg Blackburn]

Some of my training is in chemistry and black powder is definitely not an "explosive."

For a material to be "explosive" it must be able to do as much damage unsealed as it can sealed (in a tight container). Unsealed, black powder goes up in a whoosh and one can literally, stand next to it and assuming long pants, feel no effect. The same is not true for say, TNT, sealed or unsealed.

The change in how black powder is marked is fairly recent and given the US govt. has a tendency to change classifications for political reasons, I suspect that was the cause for the change.

 

[Tn poor boy]

I keep mine in the out house lol

 

[Woody Morgan]

I keep mine in the out house lol

Great. Holy black AND methane. They'll see that one from the ISS.

wm

 

[Greg Blackburn]

When all else fails, read the instructions on the back of the powder container for storage instructions.

If I recall correctly, it's to the effect, "store in original container?"

I keep mine in a cool, dry place.

Funny story: as late as the 1980's local coal mines were fairly lax on their powder (AKA dynamite). Miners could and did bring home excess to clear stumps and rocks from their yards. A friend in high school told me how his dad "packed too much dynamite" under this stump they were fighting and "blasted it over the house, across the road, and into a field."

You'd have to know his dad.........I could totally see him doing that!

That was the friend that introduced me to black powder and hunting.