Best way to store primers

[Gatorade]

Thinking of stocking up on some primers as I am running low and if they get scarce in the next few months I want to make sure I have some on hand when I need them. Thinking of storing a few thousand. As we all know when reloading in batches of 500 a few thousand is not a lot and doesn't take up that much space. I was thinking an ammo can with some silica gel packs. I live in South Florida so think 90 degree days with 85-100% humidity on a daily basis. These are going in a detached non air-conditioned garage. So keep that in mind as well. Any thoughts to a lining inside the ammo can? I have seen everything from tin foil to plastic wrap to brown paper bags. Not sure if any of those are good, bad or indifferent.

Just wanted to get some ideas that are out there.

Charlie

 

[led]

I use .30 cal ammo cans for primers. All my can's have a nice sturdy rubber sealing ring. I would also put a dessicent in the can to absorb water.

Later,
Stephen

 

[DeletedMember275]

Should your garage ever catch fire, your primers-in-an-ammo-can will become a small bomb. Just sayin'.

 

[john guedry]

I live in south east La. I reload in a room off my garage,no heat or a/c. Primers stay in original boxes in a wooden cabinet. Never had a problem.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Should your garage ever catch fire, your primers-in-an-ammo-can will become a small bomb. Just sayin'.

Hi,

Amen to that!

Ever notice when ordering online that boxed primers are "haz-mat" controlled, while you can ship all the primed cases you want w/ no haz-mat fee? My primers are stored in their original boxes in a deep dark corner of the house. And I tend to keep a lot of sized and primed brass "ready" which cuts down on the number of boxed primers. I could be wrong, but it seems that might be a tiny bit safer?

I get the kind of heat the OP mentions, but not the humidity. A wooden box, built to the specs of a powder magazine (sides and/or top that can blow out easily) w/ a generous number of dessicant packs would probably be a better choice than the metal ammo cans...

Rick C

 

[Jimbo357mag]

If at all possible keep your powder and primers stored in original containers in A/C. Something like a filing cabinet works well.

 

[Rainman]

I use a wooden box with the primer boxes in zip lock bags to keep out moisture in an unheated (but dry) basement.

Stay away from anything that could contain the explosion (the ammo can) should you have a fire.

Dan

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

Just don't latch an ammo can lid. If there's a fire and chain ignition, the lid will blow open like the ammo blow-out panels on an M1 Abrams. Throw some dessicant in there, too. Should keep safely real fine.

 

[mikld]

Primers aren't nearly as delicate as a lot of folks think. I keep my stash (stuff I've stored for future use) in original boxes and in a Tupperware style tote. I've lived in a beach area in So. CA and super rainy Oregon coast, and have never had a problem with primers getting damp, even when left out in their box (brick of 1k) for a month or so...

 

[AGE Ranger]

I started reloading in the 80's while in the military in FL, since then I've lived 5 other states. I've always keep my primers in the original box in a cabinet either in my garage or basement. I always have close to 1k of each type I use. Never had a problem same as gun-powder.

 

[gfw1985]

We have a FoodSaver vacuum storage system that I have found a ton of uses for. Ours uses the roll so you can make any size bags you want.

 

[GP100man]

Vacumed sealed is good ,I put a desicant bag on the outside then wrap with saran wrap .
Not a problem yet !

From the soggy NC coast .

The biggest thing in humid climates is temp. stability so they don`t condense moisture & start corroding on the exposed brass cups .

If ya wanna see just how tuff primers are take a few & soak em in water/oil then dry em & see how many don`t pop !

 

[gramps]

I second the vacuum storage for long term especially in the OP's situation. Good luck, and keep your powder dry!
gramps

 

[Gatorade]

Thanks for the great info guys. Yes I do have them in the original boxes as well as my powders. Where I work we get probably a hundred of those dissicant packs over the course of a few weeks. Yes humidity is my main concern so wrapping a brick in plastic wrap with a dissicant pack should do the trick. Then probably either MTM plastic can or Rubbermaid type container with a couple more dissicant packs thrown in as well. Hurricane season is here so I am in prep mode for the non perishables and having a few thousand primers stashed beside that stuff is comforting. If anyone has any other input please keep it coming, knowledge is gained a little at a time and I am always open to it.

 

[anachronism]

Ammo cans have teeny-tiny spot welds holding the hinges on the lid & also on the body of the can. It looks like these are there to allow the lid to blow off in the event of an internal explosion. I've tried to research this on the ninny-net, but can't find design specifications for ammo cans anywhere. Oddly, the big cans, and the small cans both have exactly six of these little welds.

 

[BB Rvlr]

My primers are an example of how insensitive they can be to storage conditions:

*15+ years old
* -10 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit
*low humidity to wet basement

(No I'm not recommending these conditions!! :shock: )

Never a misfire that could be attributed to primer deterioration.

Maybe a chronograph or the RCBS lab could show that my primers need to be destroyed but to me they seem to be working fine.

 

[rugerjunkie]

Im in the ammo can group. If the house catches on fire I seriously doubt I'd be anywhere close to those cans anyway and there is a lot more to worry about at that point. Maybe someone can do an experiment to see how big the boom is from a can full of primers! My guess is that it wont be as spectacular as some think. Mythbusters anyone?

 

[captainkirk]

Im in the ammo can group. If the house catches on fire I seriously doubt I'd be anywhere close to those cans anyway and there is a lot more to worry about at that point. Maybe someone can do an experiment to see how big the boom is from a can full of primers! My guess is that it wont be as spectacular as some think. Mythbusters anyone?

I'm with you. They do make these cans for storing AMMO in, right?

captainkirk

 

[98Redline]

I had a long hiatus away from shooting due to getting married, job, move, etc....

All of my reloading stuff was boxed up and sat in an unheated garage or basement for about 15 years.
In amongst all of the presses, dies, boxes of bullets, etc... were 5 boxes of primers. Sort of a mixed bag (CCI and Win, small and large). When I got back into reloading I tried a sampling of all of those primers. I was sure they were going to be useless or degraded to the point of squibs or hangfires. Not a single less than perfect ignition in the lot. I have since used up all of those primers.

I would say that they would be fine stored in their original box open to the air. I don't think you need to seal them for long term storage.

 

[hammie]

Keep primers cool and dry. In the phoenix summers, temperatures can reach 115 F and my garage temperature gets even higher when a hot car is parked inside. So I store powder and primers in the house away from any ignition source.

The master bedroom has a platform bed and I store powder on one side and powder on the other, with two wooden partitions and a space between. I've explained to the wife that in the event of a fire, the explosion will automatically eject her and the mattress through the french doors and out into the yard, thereby saving her life.

I guess it is human nature to be ungrateful. Whenever I remind her of her safety system she just mutters and growls at me.

 

[45acp230]

I have an apt.-sized fridge my son no longer needed when he finished grad school. The fridge holds 38K of primers and if there's ever a fire in my garage, the front door pops right open-no containment. I keep my powder in a full-sized spare fridge in another corner of the garage. Seems to work very well for me. Hank in Va.

 

[mattsbox99]

I'd need a lot of ammo cans.

Mine just stay on a shelf in the basement. It does get humid there, but I've never had a problem. If my house ever goes up, I'll just tell the FD to stay back a little further.