Question about primer/powder storage???

NCMountain · January 5, 2010, 08:47 AM

Do you guys store them both in the same area or separate? I have never read anything to indicate if it is okay or not to store them together or in the same area.

Ksmoker · January 5, 2010, 08:49 AM

They all lay in the same area in my basement, just keep them dry & cool as far as I know.

Uncle Buck · January 5, 2010, 09:12 AM

I keep my primers in a sealed box and my powder on the shelf. Both are in the same room, but different locations in that room.

I really have no reason to do so, just years in the military in which I saw they would store fuzes in a different bunker than the actual bombs.

snuffy · January 5, 2010, 12:15 PM

Nope! Primers are constantly plotting to blow up spontaneously, but more so when stored next to powder!

Of course I was kidding! But to hear some people, you'd think they do just that.

I store powder and primers where ever I have room for them, mostly on a shelf, out in the open. If it happens they are close together, so what?

NCMountain · January 5, 2010, 01:43 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I do have my primers right beside the powder. In a wooden box lined with Spanish cedar.

Keeps moisture away and just looks nice.

Toolman · January 5, 2010, 09:11 PM

I keep my primers & powder in the same locked enclosure, but they are separated by 1" of drywall. Loaded ammo (except for H.D.) is kept in a separate enclosure, but readily available.

gun44 · January 5, 2010, 09:20 PM

about 10 feet from my powder for years, and never a mishap! Keep them cool and dry, and you probably wont have any problems.

PCJim · January 5, 2010, 09:36 PM

Mine have always been stored together.

Dropping a pack, box or case of primers that remain in the factory packaging will not set them off. About the only thing that will set them off, other than a direct strike, is a fire. Same for powder. In either case, if there's a fire it won't matter whether there's powder with your primers or not. It's going to be one hot fire.

drail · January 5, 2010, 09:36 PM

Keep them in a container that will vent the pressure in case of a fire. A GI steel can filled with primers can make a very impressive bomb if heated enough.

Crashbox · January 5, 2010, 10:30 PM

I currently keep my primers in a cardboard box on a far corner of my reloading bench and the powder inside an old dead refrigerator (I keep my unprimed brass in there too) about ten feet away.

I will probably build something more substantial, i.e., fire-resistant, for the primers in the future.

Jim243 · January 6, 2010, 01:47 AM

Personal preference, Primers in a divided storage bin over my reloading bench by type, powder on top shelf of closet divided by Mfg and number (about 15 feet apart).

Jim

Sidewinder72 · January 6, 2010, 04:32 AM

I store mine together and have had no problems. But never put socks and underwear in the same drawer.

spacecoast · January 6, 2010, 07:46 AM

My powder and open boxes of primers are stored together in a cardboard box under my desk. Unopened primers (~8,000 or so) are stored in another box right next to it.

shafter · January 7, 2010, 12:52 PM

Go for it. You aren't afraid of assembled cartridges are you?

James R. Burke · January 7, 2010, 05:06 PM

I always wondered about that myself, and I got the answer.

snuffy · January 7, 2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Go for it. You aren't afraid of assembled cartridges are you?

That really drags it down to basics don't it?!

Thanks for the clear thinking, I'll use that the NEXT time this question comes up! And it will, always does!

zxcvbob · January 7, 2010, 05:24 PM

In a big cardboard box behind the woodstove, next to the bucket of firecrackers (nobody would think to look for them there)

Just kidding!!

Most of the powder is in a double-wall cardboard box out in the garage, except for a few pounds in the house near the reloading bench. Most of the powder is out in the garage in a heavy wooden cartridge box -- except for a few hundred in the house near the reloading bench.

Slamfire · January 7, 2010, 07:46 PM

I don't think having primers and powder in the same room is a problem, but I learned something about ammunition storage from an insensitive munitions expert.

It is bad practice to mix explosives inside bunkers. This includes ammunition. It is also bad practice to store other chemicals, metals, with explosives.

Apparently the stuff outgasses and the combination of chemicals in the air have created conditions that caused bunkers to go

Kaboom!

January 5, 2010, 08:47 AM	#1
NCMountain Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: western, NC Posts: 121	Question about primer/powder storage??? Do you guys store them both in the same area or separate? I have never read anything to indicate if it is okay or not to store them together or in the same area. __________________ Ruger GP100 4" SS; Ruger LCP; http://ncmountaingunner.blogspot.com/

January 5, 2010, 08:49 AM	#2
Ksmoker Member Join Date: December 6, 2009 Location: NE Kansas Posts: 74	p&p They all lay in the same area in my basement, just keep them dry & cool as far as I know.

January 5, 2010, 09:12 AM	#3
Uncle Buck Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: West Central Missouri Posts: 2,592	I keep my primers in a sealed box and my powder on the shelf. Both are in the same room, but different locations in that room. I really have no reason to do so, just years in the military in which I saw they would store fuzes in a different bunker than the actual bombs. __________________ Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.

January 5, 2010, 12:15 PM	#4
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Nope! Primers are constantly plotting to blow up spontaneously, but more so when stored next to powder! Of course I was kidding! But to hear some people, you'd think they do just that. I store powder and primers where ever I have room for them, mostly on a shelf, out in the open. If it happens they are close together, so what? __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 5, 2010, 01:43 PM	#5
NCMountain Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Location: western, NC Posts: 121	Thanks for the feedback. I do have my primers right beside the powder. In a wooden box lined with Spanish cedar. Keeps moisture away and just looks nice. __________________ Ruger GP100 4" SS; Ruger LCP; http://ncmountaingunner.blogspot.com/

January 5, 2010, 09:11 PM	#6
Toolman Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 514	I keep my primers & powder in the same locked enclosure, but they are separated by 1" of drywall. Loaded ammo (except for H.D.) is kept in a separate enclosure, but readily available. __________________ Crime Control. NOT Gun Control.

January 5, 2010, 09:20 PM	#7
gun44 Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 125	I've stored my primers about 10 feet from my powder for years, and never a mishap! Keep them cool and dry, and you probably wont have any problems.

January 5, 2010, 09:36 PM	#8
PCJim Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Location: FL Posts: 570	Mine have always been stored together. Dropping a pack, box or case of primers that remain in the factory packaging will not set them off. About the only thing that will set them off, other than a direct strike, is a fire. Same for powder. In either case, if there's a fire it won't matter whether there's powder with your primers or not. It's going to be one hot fire.

January 5, 2010, 09:36 PM	#9
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	Keep them in a container that will vent the pressure in case of a fire. A GI steel can filled with primers can make a very impressive bomb if heated enough.

January 5, 2010, 10:30 PM	#10
Crashbox Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2009 Location: Lynden, Washington Posts: 199	I currently keep my primers in a cardboard box on a far corner of my reloading bench and the powder inside an old dead refrigerator (I keep my unprimed brass in there too) about ten feet away. I will probably build something more substantial, i.e., fire-resistant, for the primers in the future. __________________ Four Rugers, three SIG Sauers, assorted rifles. NRA, GOA and SAF Life Member.

January 6, 2010, 01:47 AM	#11
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	Personal preference, Primers in a divided storage bin over my reloading bench by type, powder on top shelf of closet divided by Mfg and number (about 15 feet apart). Jim

January 6, 2010, 04:32 AM	#12
Sidewinder72 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 130	I store mine together and have had no problems. But never put socks and underwear in the same drawer.

January 6, 2010, 07:46 AM	#13
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	My powder and open boxes of primers are stored together in a cardboard box under my desk. Unopened primers (~8,000 or so) are stored in another box right next to it.

January 7, 2010, 12:52 PM	#14
shafter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Posts: 1,624	Go for it. You aren't afraid of assembled cartridges are you?

January 7, 2010, 05:06 PM	#15
James R. Burke Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec Posts: 1,897	I always wondered about that myself, and I got the answer.

January 7, 2010, 05:24 PM	#17
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	In a big cardboard box behind the woodstove, next to the bucket of firecrackers (nobody would think to look for them there) Just kidding!! Most of the powder is in a double-wall cardboard box out in the garage, except for a few pounds in the house near the reloading bench. Most of the powder is out in the garage in a heavy wooden cartridge box -- except for a few hundred in the house near the reloading bench. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth Last edited by zxcvbob; January 7, 2010 at 05:38 PM.

January 7, 2010, 07:46 PM	#18
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	I don't think having primers and powder in the same room is a problem, but I learned something about ammunition storage from an insensitive munitions expert. It is bad practice to mix explosives inside bunkers. This includes ammunition. It is also bad practice to store other chemicals, metals, with explosives. Apparently the stuff outgasses and the combination of chemicals in the air have created conditions that caused bunkers to go Kaboom!