Powder Storage

[Cinchy]

I read an article last week about powder storage & the effects of heat on the powders life span. I tend to stock up on the types of powder I use most, so sometimes I have several #`s sitting around. I have a 12x24 reloading room in the end of my garage, & it does get quite hot in there in the summer time! While the article talked about heats effects on powder, it didn't mention or give any ideas of good ways to protect it? I am just curious how people are storing or protecting powder from heat?

 

[MagnumManiac]

I keep my powder in an esky.
It stays the same temp inside year round.
It is actually temp swings, hot to cold and back again that degrades powder.
You will here of people pouring out powder and 'drying' off the ether smell. Don't do this, the ether helps keep the powder inert in storage.
Just try to keep your powder at a constant temp. If it's hot in your area and gets very cold too, try an esky, they work very well keeping a constant temp inside.

Cheers.

 

[DocDoc]

Hey Mag, I had to look up esky, to find out it was a cooler, actually a cooler brand down under. Learn something every day.

 

[RT2506]

I keep my powder in my basement loading room inside an old NON RUNNING refrigerator with a very low watt (3 or 4 watt I think) night light bulb burning in it to keep moisture low. The temp swing in the basement is between 65* and 75* year round. The refrigerator is pretty much air tight which keeps out moisture if any moist air gets in then the heat from the bulb will dry it plus it keeps the inside pretty much the same 70* all the time. In the event that the house would burn the refrigerator would protect the powder for quite a while and if it did get hot enough to cause the powder to ignite the pressure would push the door open and not explode. I keep my primers in the upper freezer compartment and the powder in the main compartment. Garages and out buildings that are not temp controlled are BAD places to store powder. Powder that is stored in the manner that I store it will last a loooooooog time because I have some that has been stored a looooooog time 20 years or so and it still shoots as good as when it was new.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Hey Mag, I had to look up esky, to find out it was a cooler, actually a cooler brand down under. Learn something every day.

Sorry, I was speaking 'Aussie' on you 'Yanks'.
Shrimp? Nah Prawn.

Cheers.

 

[Cinchy]

I had been wondering about an old fridge, I used to keep my welding rods in an old mini fridge with a light inside to keep them dry. The extra space a large fridge takes up is not ideal though? I`ll keep thinking , & watching for other ideas lol!

 

[User4302021]

Many have used old fridges and deep freezers to make wine cabinets and humidors, I don't know why it wouldn't work for powder.

 

[Bbear]

Cardboard box for the 1 pounders and in their canisters for the 8 lb-ers. All stored in a closet in the house.
I lost 8 lbs of Green Dot and 4 lbs of other assorted powders when the garage caught fire. Smoke and water damaged them all.
Fortunately, the approximately 50 lbs of other powders were in the house and escaped damage.

 

[Pem Tech]

In all embarrassment I stored mine in milk crates in an open garage, untouched for ~7 years. I now store them in my temp controlled workshop (still in the came milk crates). Loaded up some 5.56 with 16 year old Accurate 2230(?), H4895 and BL-C powder over new CCI primers. All components functioned and all loads shot well with the Accurate winning the day on accuracy. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[MNbogboy]

The sealed plastic bottles are suseptible to the atmosphereic conditions whenever they are open. Humid air goes in on humid days and the humidity is absorbed by the powder. On dry days the humidity of the powder is absorbed in the air.
Keep the bottles closed as much as possible.
Most powders are actually pretty stable. Some body must have tests based on the conditions during loading (ie; temp, relative humidity, powder (same lot) storage conditions. Wondering how much difference there really is. Velocity, sd, or whatever.

Mmm maybe time for another test??

 

[RT2506]

I NEVER leave the lid off of a can or powder any longer than it takes to pour out into the receptacle I will be using for loading that batch at that time and I don't stop my loading process and take a lot of time leaving that powder sitting in the open air. Learned the hard way once a long time ago trying to get a muzzle loader sighted in on a humid day. I was shooting pyrodex loose powder and was just sitting the cap back on the bottle instead of tightening it down. Rifle started out shooting consistently but all of a sudden it started shooting all over the place then started getting a couple of hang fires. Leaving the cap just sitting on the can and not tightening it down to seal it allowed the powder to pick up the moist air and cause the problems.

 

[Dosh]

Here in southern Az we don't worry much about humidity. Heat is our nemesis. Keeping powder in the house in the controlled temp is imperative. 115+ will ruin most powders. Saw the result of heat several years ago when a guy shot a couple rounds of factory ammo left in a pickup for 13 months here in the Az heat. He had to have a smith open the bolt.

 

[jrock]

Everything in the house in a lockable cabinet. Keeps the kids out.

 

[Tidus56]

I keep mine in my unfinished basement. It's in a locked wood cabinet. Temp ranges from 65F to 71F, I like many others open it bare minimum.