How do you store your powder

[Dave B]

I have been keeping my powder in a wooden lock box. I have never had large quantities laying around but feel like I need to stock up. I want to know more about the powder that shows up in a plastic bag. I have saved all my old cans from ages past that I could decant in to the appropriate grain cans or I even have a wooden Keg that could do its part as powder storage. How bout it, what are you guys doing for your storage?

[Majorjoel]

Hi Dave, I have an old Kelvinator refrigerator in my shop that used to be my beverage cooler. Many years ago the fridge quit working and the cost to repair or dump was more than I wanted to pay. It is one of the late Kelvinators with a large top freezer section that will hold more than 25 lbs of black powder. The lower compartment I use for power tool, lead, and sand paper storage. The outside metal surface is a great magnetic bulletin board for plans and projects.

[The Original Griz]

I keep mine in one of the red locked powder storage boxes like you see in your local gun shop. I bought it from Dixie Gun Company, I would like to take your question one step further, if you don't mind. Would it hurt to store BP in an out building that is unheated? Temps could go up to 90 in the summer and as cold as -10 in the winter, stored in the red metal cans. Would the powder be alright after a couple years of those kind of conditions?

[William Worth]

For about the cost of a new centerfire rifle, I built a reinforced concrete structure out in the pasture with a steel fire door and two dead bolt locks.  If it were to get hit by lightning or something... ...the door would blow off and direct the force in the direction of the open pasture.   The structure is partially shaded at the toe of a north facing slope.  I used lots of foundation sealer and have minimal ventilation to try to avoid humidity "excursions".  I keep propane tanks out there as well to get that away from the house.  It is located such that I can keep an eye on it without being right on top of it.

This started out as a partially buried structure in the slope of the hill, but that turned out to be a mistake and humidity stayed too high.  So I dug it back out to expose it to better ventilation.

[SCLoyalist]

I store mine in an unheated shed under the conditions Griz talks about.   I have about a dozen cans of Goex 3F that have been out there for 3 years and can see no deterioration - powder pours freely and goes 'bang' like it should.   I also have a similar number of cans of Jack's Battle Powder, which is a Goex product but no graphite glazing that have been stored out in the shed for 2 years.   Recently I noticed that the Jack's powder was beginning to form into little clumps of powder.   

Since black powder is a chemical mixture, not a compound (okay, I guess the KNO3 ingredient is a compound), the stuff should still be good as long as it doesn't soak up moisture. 

[SR James]

Mine is stored in an unheated, uncooled shed.  The powder is in its original containers (either plastic or metal cans) stored inside surplus 20mm ammo cans.  Some of it has been out there three years with no problems in summer heat of many days well over 100 and winters below freezing.

[hanshi]

Mine is stored in military .50 cal. ammo boxes in the basement.  This is against all recommendations but it's the best option I have.

[hlary]

is powder really being shipped in plastic bags now?

[Hank*in*WV]

Yes, but don't fret. They're safely wrapped in a cardboard box.

[Roger Fisher]

This question was answered at great length a while back so its in the archives....

[Dphariss]

is powder really being shipped in plastic bags now?

I bought a 25 pound keg at Friendship about 1969, DuPont FFF. Inside the steel keg? A plastic bag.
So its not all that new.
Dan

[stoat]

I store mine in a wooden cabinet in the basement.
I usually only have 2 or 3 pounds.

A long time fireman told me he stores his in an old refrigerator.
He says he's seen many fires where the outside of the fridge was really
charred but the inside was like new.

[heelerau]

I store mine in a tin lined wooden box out in the workshop, it has been stored like this for the last 20 odd years and is fine (goex in original tins)  The smokless is stored in an aircraft type sealed ammo box, suspect if would be a great IED if we ever have a bush fire go through the place. Have plans to build a wine cellar/magazine out in the horsepaddock some time.

Cheers

Gordon

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have enough powder poured into cans to satisfy my needs for shooting, and the bulk is stored in my outbuilding, unheated or air conditioned.  The humidity here is low except for some oppressive days during the summer, and the bulk powder, in plastic bags and cardboard boxes, is unaffected.
A friend who supplies our powder stores his in a freezer.  He says that the house can burn to the ground around the freezer, yet his meat and the powder will be unharmed.  Another friend of mine who lives in a mobile home (trailer) just recently lost everything in a fire.  His bulk powder burned, and most of his cans went too, but many survived.  But the thing that lifted the roof off was two 20# propane bottles stored in his bathroom.  His toilet must have burned up on re-entry, because it has not been found.

[LH]

I've got some big ammo cans I use for whats not in the house.  I keep five or ten pounds in the house though.  Those big ammo cans were for AAA or something,  they'll hold about 15 or 20 lbs of powder and are air tight with clamping latches on both ends of the top. 

[Dave B]

Thanks for the reply's. I  have been considering what kind of storage I would need for my getting a bigger supply of powder and you all given me some great ideas. Thanks again for the input.

[LH]

I was out hunting this morning and found a scorched looking ceramic commode laying in the creek???   
 

[Daryl]

I use a latching 14" square ammo with the lid just sitting on top for black powder. When I have a 25 pound box of powder, it remains in the plastic bag, inside the cardboard box until I get around to pouring it off into 1 pound cans. These are then stored in the ammo can.