Outside Powder Magazine

[Doctor Bill]

Folks, I got a question.  In the process of moving north and giving up our house in East Tennessee, I lost my walk-in vault and powder storage magazine.  The vault can be replaced with a big safe but what to do about powder storage?  Since I shoot BP at times I have considerable amounts of powder in my possession.  What seems to be a reasonable and prudent, as well as cost effective method of powder storage?  I could always go with the concrete block building outside the house but then I need to worry about keeping it locked and making sure it was marginally environmentally controlled.  Anyway, what do you other folks do?

Doctor Bill

[Dick Dastardly]

Lucky, I suppose I am.  But if I had to keep a good amount of Holy Black on hand and didn't have a pole shed a hundred feet from my house, I'd probably dig a hole.  In the hole, I'd put a box (pick yer construction) and make sure it was not obvious.  I'd put my Holy Black in that box and never worry a bit about it.  You cud even put a nasty skull and X bones on it to keep out the superstitious.

Mostly, honest folk ain't threatened by BP.  It's only the left wing liberals and uninformed frantic moms that make noise.

Hide it, use it, shoot it.  Sc#$w those that make a stink.  Let the white smoke roll.

DD-DLoS

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Words of wisdom from DD!

[El Paso Pete]

I got a small weather tight barn in back of the house.  It is unheated and I have no problem storing BP there.  I have shot BP 45 years old stored like this with no problems. 

However, I would not recommend makin a shed to store BP out of concrete blocks. 

El Paso ( who thinks powder magazines should be made of wood) Pete

[Doctor Bill]

Well, If I go the concrete block route, I plan on using a steel security door and a lightly attached roof.  At least it looks like I won't have to worry about keeping the building environmentally controlled.

[Old Top]

Dr. Bill,

Sounds as if you have the right idea, in case of a problem vent it up.

Old Top

[El Paso Pete]

I was thinkin more a condensation and moisture problem with a concrete block building.  In Wisconsin, spring and fall we get some big temperature changes overnight.  I've seen water just runnin down the inside of concrete walls in unheated buildings.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

I use a very LARGE reinforced 50cal ammo box for my BP. GOEX cans and Pyrodex bottles fit in there quite nice.

But, keep nitro in a locked metal footlocker.

Both are in the basement where its cool and dry and are stored up against  the corner of the concrete walls.

I only have 5 lbs or so of BP onhand at any time...not much more if that.
I have managed to burn off all but 7 other types of powder. (Trailboss, H4895, IMR4198, H335, PowerPistol, A2400, and Bullseye)

Primers I just store on the shelf...but away from anything that might crush them.

[Marshal harpoluke]

 

Keep preaching da holy Black DD.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy again, Doc!

I don't know what the upper temps are where you moved to, but I'll throw this at ya ta chew on a bit.  (Homespun mode : off)  I'm NOT an ammo expert, but I know a bit about ammo storage. 

Powder used by the military and by the manufacturers is stored no higher than 70 deg. F, and at pretty dry conditions. (I don't remember the rel. humidity figure, but it is less than 25%, if I recall.)  Heat is the problem, not cold.  Many (or most) powders will have degraded performance in cold conditions, but go back to normal when they warm up.  Overheating them, on the other hand, starts to cause a change in the chemical formula and they tend to get "hotter."  This CAN lead to problems if you're loading to the maximum, tho our Cowboy loads (which aren't very often loaded all the way up) might be a bit hotter but not much.  I had some powder (Pyrodex, Goex 3f, Bullseye, Unique, and IMR 3031) stored for nearly 8 years in 50 cal. ammo boxes in a friend's garage.  (I didn't realize what danger it was for the Pyro. & the Goex being stored in TIGHTLY enclosed cases until after I had come back from Germany and had the powder in my possession again.  Nothing bad happened and I have since then learned!!!  At least I knew to put all the primers and percussion caps in separate boxes and not with the powder! )  Anyway, when I got to shooting with these powders, the Bullseye was noticeably more "vigorous", shall we say.  The percussion caps also were affected; some being OK and some barely working.  I now use them only as display caps in a reproduction Eley cap tin with my cased 1860 (Uberti) Colt.  Back to the Bullseye:  I suspect that the big change in the Bullseye was due to the fact that it is a double-based powder.  (Nitrocellulose granules/flakes, then coated with a nitroglycerine solution for hotter, faster burn.)  The actual change was about 10 to 15%.  If I wanted a load of 5.0 grains, I threw 4.5 or 4.6 gr.  It's about the same difference as using a Magnum primer where a standard primer is called for.  Oh, the Bullseye, which then had a reputation as being kinda dirty changed:  it got VERY dirty.  The other powders weren't nearly as noticeably affected.

Now you can use this information as you see fit.  The performance figures and other aspects came from extensive studies while I went to M1 & M1A1 tank Master Gunner school, and the experience was mine.  Like El Paso Pete, I have some Ammo (22 shorts) which was made in the 1930s and they didn't seem to be affected.

Sorry if I "preached" or told you what you already know.  I tend revert to my Master Gunner teaching mode when I talk about these subjects.  Since all tank main gun ammo is double-based or triple-based you can see how important it was (is) to us Tanker types.  As I said, I'm not an expert, but I do have a bit of experience in this subject.

What does this mean to you?  Your idea of a block building with a light roof is probably a good one.  Just try to keep it a cool as possible and keep storage times to as minimal as possible.  You might want to call Hodgdon and talk to one of their techs - they're happy to answer questions.  And since they manufacture smokey-less powder as well as Pyrodex, they probably would have some good ideas for you.  (913) 362-1307; e-mail: help@hodgdon.com or website: http://www.hodgdon.com