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Author Topic: Where do you store your powder?  (Read 1105 times)

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Offline Rickk

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Where do you store your powder?
« on: March 27, 2006, 02:06:26 PM »
While I do have a basement full of smokeless powder, and a couple of cans of 2f and 4f for my rifles and handguns, this cannon thing has me looking at buying black powder in quantities way bigger than should really be in the basement.

Before I place an order for 50# of stuff, I am building a magazine out back to stick the stuff in.

It is 4x4x7 feet, 8 inch thick concrete walls, 3.5 inch concrete roof, with a 1 inch thick steel door. I believe it will meet BATF class 4 requirements when completed.

It is not quite done yet... hard to pour concrete in the winter. Completion date whould be in 3 weeks or so. I'll take pictures and post them at that time.

Anyway, how does everyone else store powder?
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Offline GGaskill

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2006, 02:10:02 PM »
An out building with the cans spread around instead of concentrated.
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Offline Cannonmaker

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2006, 08:01:14 PM »
In a out building, and I once told the fire chief that if it catches on fire to get the xxxx out of the way and let it burn. Lots of ammo to start poping also.

 I have been on house fires and camp trailers on fire where the ammo starts to pop.  It's quite interesting. Once we had a fire where the owner was not home. a wooden out building was very hot, spontianous combustion was about to set it a blaze.  knowing the owner, I figured we had better cool it down.  When he got there, sure enough, about 50 lbs of powder, about half was BP. good thing we cooled it down.
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2006, 01:22:40 AM »
I live 20 miles from RAAP - the Radford Army Ammunition Plant - where they make the gun powder and solid rocket propellent for the military.

Each of the buildings is built such that 'if' there is an explosion the blast goes primarily UP.  That is to say, strong walls, roof that is expendable.

Look at the layout of the blackpowder manufacturing plants - MANY MANY square miles of room - just in case.

Look also at the concept of the old summer kitchen - where the wood stove being so dangerous was in a separate building - so that if it caught fire it wouldn't burn down the house.

I'm motivated by a picture published 20 years ago of the open foundation of a house - bits and pieces all around.  No one ever found out what happened.  All the reloading stuff was in the basement.
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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Double D

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2006, 04:19:15 AM »
In a storage locker in the middle of Idaho.
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Offline Cat Whisperer

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2006, 05:52:40 AM »
Quote from: Double D
In a storage locker in the middle of Idaho.


Is that far enough away from you now?
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Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Will Bison

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2006, 08:12:28 AM »
I keep BP in an old fridge in my barn. The really dangerous stuff like gasoline, spray paint and like items have a seperate little shed waaaay out back.

Other than a major structural fire, BP is not all that bad compared to other things we normally have around the house.
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Offline EL Caz 66

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The fridge
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2006, 01:54:34 PM »
I have only 2 pounds of BP..... so the fridge is a good place to keep it cool ?
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Offline accuratemike

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2006, 03:29:40 PM »
We use an old (IE not working) fridge to store welding rod at work. They are fairly weather tight. The doors (nowdays) don't have latches. May make the explosion less eventful. MIKE
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Offline Evil Dog

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2006, 03:49:37 PM »
Hmm..... guess I must be in the minority.  On top of the gun safe.
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Offline Santa Dave

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powder storage
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2006, 08:06:38 PM »
About 36 inches from my head as I sit at the computer- on the top shelf in my "office" (She who must be obeyed calls it my junk room)
 :) Dave
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Offline Double D

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2006, 09:03:37 PM »
Quote from: Cat Whisperer

Is that far enough away from you now?


Far enough away that I don't expect raiders...but then there are a couple here on  this board who know that Idaho is not at the end of the road but rather at the start!

I have back in my old law enforcement day attended far to many house fires and seen ammuntion and powder go off from the fire. The cartridge cases rupture and pop.  The greatest danger comes from the primer being violently expelled, but a firefighters coat and eyeshield should be adequate protection from that.  

Smokeless Powder usually just burns very intensely and gives off a noticeable increase in heat . Black powder is defintely more intense in small quantities and a quicker burn.  They do nothing to help put the fire out.  Paint, propane and gasoline cans are more dramatic.

The most violent I saw however was at a house that burned and belonged to a fellow who was a trap shooter and did a lot of loading for the trap club.   The 8 lbs kegs of powder going up were quite spectacular, especially when two or three of them went together or one right after another. The were like huge flares suddenly igniting.   But when the  several hundred thousand shotgun primers went off it was a true explosion.  The volunteer fire chief pulled his crew off and let the house burn.  There were primers scattered every where and they went off for hours.



I was quite a ways from the fire and got peppered with debris and spent primers and had my ears rang. It was an underware changing moment.

I think that the fellow had the powder spread the around the shop or the results migh have been different.
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Offline bloomautomatic

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Where do you store your powder?
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2006, 03:38:36 AM »
I don't know!!!

Seriously, I went looking for my only can of BP the other day to start messing with my BB mortar and I couldn't find it!  I have a few more ideas where it might be.

I used to store my smokeless powder in the basement.  Most I ever had at one time was ~450lbs in Gov't Suprlus 150lbs kegs.  It was for a group buy for the big bore shooters.  WC-820, best powder ever for .44 mag!

Being I only have one can, once I locate it, it will probably stay in one of the cabinets in the gun room.

Vince
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