How much powder is legal?

[skizzums]

wow, that interesting stuff, i assumed it would just degrade over time and lose effectveness, i had know idea it would turn to a bomb

my powders rarely last more than three months, even so, after i open i put one of the new silica stickers on the bottom of the lid

all my stored ammo gets sealed with several silica packets, i found a whole box of packets next to the dumpster at my work

not sure if any of this makes a dff, just makes me feel better

so what is the consensus on stored, loaded ammunition and how long it lasts?

[olddav]

Interesting info.
I tend to look at how much is wise, not how much is legal, but legal limit is important too.

[royesses]

Got his from SAAMI:
11-3.7 Smokeless propellants intended for personal use in quantities
not exceeding 20 lb. (9.1 kg) shall be permitted to be stored in original
containers in residences. Quantities exceeding 20 lb. (9.1 kg), but not
exceeding 50 lb. (22.7 kg), shall be permitted to be stored in residences
where kept in a wooden box or cabinet having walls of at least
1 in. (25.4 mm) nominal thickness.

[Clark]

You can keep more in your vehicle.

But I have seen the fire chief, aren't they all fire chiefs?, come into a gun store and each time find a violation of too much powder. They never do anything.

This is like the difference between the 1989 Bush ban and the 1934 gun control act. There is a world of difference between felony to manufacture and felony to poses. I see violations of the former and none of the later at every gun show.

The powder limit, NFPA495-85, is fire prevention guidelines, not felony to poses.

[Clark]

Here is a pic of a mom and pop ammo manufacturer.
The 100 pound canisters are filled with AA2200 bulk [not canister grade in the canisters] and kept in truck semi trailers.

He says to use N130 data, not AA2200.

That is like the pull down bulk 4895 I got from hi tech. The grain size and shape match 4895, but the speed [velocity and pressure that I can see] and density match H322 in the Quickload library.

[Slamfire]

Half of all the surplus IMR 4895 I bought went bad. The reason is, it was tested and rejected by Army Ammunition specialists as being too old to keep. You must assume that all pull down powders were at the end of their shelf lives.

Gunpowder stored in bulk is the greatest risk of autocombustion. If you look at this Army document, you will find a comment about gunpowder being safe in the case but unsafe once taken out of the case and mixed in bulk. This is the "five inch rule" that I mentioned earlier.

Field-Portable Propellant Stability Test Equipment
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues...t_stab_eq.html

For those who have bought surplus powders, use the stuff up. Use it soon, don’t sit on it and expect it to last forever. Those powders are already 20 to 50 years old.

[Old 454]

Personaly I am of the don't ask don't tell crowd.

With todays crowd of people that see what you have in your reloading room/garage think you might be some kinda nut and try to turn you in, then you have to explain why you have so much ammo, powder, primers etc.

[PoiDog]

Old 454, I have to agree. I've had members of my own family ask me if my handloading was legal.

I can only imagine what an uninformed passerby might think, or do if he saw the average loading bench.

I like to fly under the radar.

[Clark]

I had a mouse knaw through the side of a jug of my pull down 4895 from 1969 ammo.

I hope he got heart burn.

[bt380]

Lymans 49th edition, p65 has information about storage and also references NFPA 495. References also include primers in relation to proximity and other materials.

[Buzzard Bait]

When the fire is out it will be less than 50 lbs of powder

[Kevin Rohrer]

I have about a dozen one pound containers that are, for the most part, only partially full.

You call that "a lot"? I have more than that setting on one shelf.

The answer to your question is: As much as you have room to store. It is not the government's business to set a limit on your possessions.

[skizzums]

I had my house painted last year, although they werent in the basement, they called defacs over seeing my lead smelting operation and my my loading room with all the guns. Funny(not really)

Lets just say they got some bad reviews on angies and yelp

[John C]

What is defacs?

Also, what were the specifics of their report? What did defacs do?

[skizzums]

i dont know about any report, they said that they got a call about unsecured firearms and possible explosives around children, which is bs cause they all stay in the finished basement room which is under lock and key

i asked if they had a warrant to come into my home and they said no, that they were just following up on a complaint

i just explained to them the situation in my home without inviting them in and they said all good, they just had to follow up, never heard from them again

i cant be 100% on who made the complaint, but the timing was perfect for house painters
could be the neighbors with the obama signs in their front yard, who knows

[reynolds357]

DEFACS is Georgia's Department of Family and Children's services. Worthless as tits on a boar hog. They harass parents for trying to rear children in a traditional manner (spanking), and it takes an act of congress to get them to take a baby out of a crack house. (just my opinion from having dealt with them 17 years as a police officer)

[Old 454]

that's just the type of things I am talking about, damn nosy people with nothing else bettor to do but stir the pot then hide behind the curtains and see what happens.

[crashxl]

Originally Posted by reynolds357

DEFACS is Georgia's Department of Family and Children's services. Worthless as tits on a boar hog. They harass parents for trying to rear children in a traditional manner (spanking), and it takes an act of congress to get them to take a baby out of a crack house. (just my opinion from having dealt with them 17 years as a police officer)

Same problem in Tennessee.