How do you store your powder?

[OutdoorDad]

Doing a little cleaning up in the basement/workshop/sanctuary today.

Ive got a couple of lbs of six or seven different powders. Only one has been opened.

I was just lining them up on a shelf. But a few months ago, I put them in a plastic bin. Today, to satisfy some OCD issue I was unaware I had, I put them all in 1 gallon ziplock freezer bags inside the plastic bin.


How do you currently store powder? And did I just waste some ziplock bags?




.

 

[451_Detonics]

In a couple different powder magazines. These will allow the burning powder to vent if it should ever come to that keeping the storage containers from becoming bombs. Other than that just cool and dry.

 

[bmbutch]

Plastic totes under desk (keeps it out of sunlight & temp. controlled). Also allows quick review of Inventory / Hoarder status.

 

[DoctorThunder]

I use a weathertight plastic container with a big bag of silica gel.

http://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-boxes/clear-watertight-totes/12d?productId=10026213

 

[oldpink]

In a plastic tote with a lid in my basement, away from moisture.
I have a can of 800-X that's now well over 20 years old, and I recently made up some 10mm loads with it, and every one went *bang*.
Ditto with the .45 Colt loads made up with a 25 year old can of Unique.

 

[kennedy759]

in the original container in a cabinet in my gun room

 

[Bennettjh]

In my ammo cabinet with a Rust Blocker Shield. Cool, dark, and dry.

 

[romack991]

on a shelf

 

[shibumiseeker]

Waste your bags? Nah, they are cheap nd if they make you happy then great. Need the bags? Nope.

My powder is on the shelves of my intermittently heated shooting shack, in the basement of the house, in the mostly unheated shop, and in a powder magazine outside. I am currently using some 1963 or 68 I can't remember off the top of my head H110 that was stored since bought new way back whenever in the basement of an acquaintance who died three years ago. This stuff is so old it is in paper bags from the factory. Best as I can tell it is pretty similar to current production H110 and any difference is hard to distinguish from age or just change in manufacture over the years as has happened to many powders.

 

[6mm Shoot]

I vacuum pack it then it gets stored in 50 caliber cans. I have one can that I keep opened cans of powder in that I am using. It has worked out well so far. I have some powder that is 10 years old that is still good.

 

[Broom_jm]

In a sealed 55-gallon drum, next to my furnace?

Seriously, folks worry about this too much. Powder comes in containers designed very well for the job. Other than that, cool and dry is all ya need.

 

[Dundee]

on a shelf

This way

 

[Cemetery-man]

Vacuum packed.

 

[17 squirrel]

Waste your bags? Nah, they are cheap nd if they make you happy then great. Need the bags? Nope.

My powder is on the shelves of my intermittently heated shooting shack, in the basement of the house, in the mostly unheated shop, and in a powder magazine outside. I am currently using some 1963 or 68 I can't remember off the top of my head H110 that was stored since bought new way back whenever in the basement of an acquaintance who died three years ago. This stuff is so old it is in paper bags from the factory. Best as I can tell it is pretty similar to current production H110 and any difference is hard to distinguish from age or just change in manufacture over the years as has happened to many powders.

Yep.. Me to, I store boo---koo powder in a office supply metal cabinet in a unheated shop, its heated only when I'm working in it. And like shib above I use powder that my Grandfather bought in the Fifty's through the seventys still. I have had only one canister go bad and it was pulldown 50 bmg from Talon and it happened to most of that lot they sold.
I have some BP in paper bags but no smokeless, I have pounds and pounds of Hercules powder in paper cans that is 20 to 30 years old and shows no signs of breaking down.

 

[vinconco]

I've been storing mine in an old refrigerator for about 20 years. It keeps temps and humidity relatively stable in my reloading room which is NOT climate controlled.

 

[Leo]

From another angle, Fire code states that a box built of 1 inch nomiminal dimension pine with a lid will not hold pressure in is a proper method. I built a wood box that the lid just sits on tip with stubby brackets to keep it from sliding off. My OCD came out and I lined the box with fire code sheet rock, since I had it left over from a remodeling job. I do nothing about any additional "sealing" of the jars. The old cardboard and metal canisters would sometimes get moisture problems as they decayed, but modern containers could probably get rained on with no worries.

When Hercules powder data was in little booklets, they always had description of storage containers. I checked and the website has similar information. The box description is near the bottom.

alliantpowder.com/getting_started/safety/storage_handling.aspx