Just a quick question that I couldn't find the answer for by doing a search.Can primers be stored safely in metal military 50. cal boxes ? They cam closed on a gasket seal, and I assume they are fairly air tight. I bought a bulk quantity of Fed GM 210 & GM 215 primers that I want to store so they last. Any feedback would be appreciated.
For many yers I did as you are suggesting nd never found it to be a problem as to the uniformity or longevity. It did however concern me that the primers were in a metal container should a fire hav consumed the house. I no longer store quantities of powder or primers for that reason.
Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set.
Sako, I to am concerned about fire, but decided to buy some powder and primers in quantity while us free Americans still can. Also, if a fire breaks out in the house, the loss of the primers and powder would be my last concern.I just want to find the best way to store this stuff safely, and so that it lasts along time, because of the upfront cost of components.
I once read an article (in G&A I believe) on how one could "kill" a primer in order to safely dispose of it. After much trial and error it was discovered that despite what you do to them, you never can truly "kill" one. That being said, I don't think a little bit of moisture is going to significantly affect a primer, but then I don't store mine in fifty caliber ammo cans. I guess if my house ever burns, my first phone call will sound like this: "Hello Mr. Insurance Adjuster. Guess what....."
Praise be to the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
Posts: 427 | Location: Clarkston, MI | Registered: 06 February 2006
Like others, I have used GI ammo cans to store and protect primers since '65. NEVER had any go bad in storage.
Some magazine articles have correctly stated that it is hard to kill a primer reliablaly. That said, it doesn't mean it can't be done! A box of caps stored in high humidity for years may not all go bad but it is likely that a few would. Keep them dry and cool and your primers will last for decades. An ammo box in good shape works great for that.
Posts: 1615 | Location: South Western North Carolina | Registered: 16 September 2005
Posted 20 October 2008 06:39 Hide Post I would think that would be fine. You just dont want any moisture with them. Posts: 12 | Location: sw kansas | Registered: 25 April 2008
quote:
Posted 20 October 2008 06:39 Hide Post I would think
I store primers (in sealed plastic containers with a small dessicant packet) in a refridgerator at 6 degree C to avoid temperature variation and slow down chemical deterioration. Primers over 40 years old behave exactly the same as when they were new. About 10 years ago the fridge died and because the weather was very mild I didn't bother about it for almost a month, the primers were sealed or so I thought. When I finally got round to getting a replacement fridge for the garage I noticed that 1 of the containers had a cracked lid and melting ice from the freezer had dripped on the lid and filled the container with water. The container held 2000 CCI 250 primers and almost a thousand # 34 primers in unlabelled packaging but which I was told was Winchester. I was going to throw the primers out because afterall they had been soaking in water for weeks but I decided to dry them out and see what happened. I simply drained them and let them air dry in the shade for a few months, the ambient temperature being in the mid 20 to 30's C. After that time the CCI primers looked fine though the cardboard box was a bit curled. The ?Winchester primers had random tarnishing/staining of the brass cups. Some looked perfect and others perhaps the adjaceunt one would be tarnished, some quite badly.I tried a few test loads and they worked just fine. I relegated the primers to practice loads and while I haven't chronographed loads or done extensive target type tests with these practice loads, I have used up most of them and every single one of them went bang and behaved just as I would have expected. So I don't think moisture is anywhere near the threat that we have been led to believe.
I simply drained them and let them air dry in the shade for a few months, the ambient temperature being in the mid 20 to 30's C.
Ozzie, You make a good point. But, I think the key to your good results lies in the wise way you delt with the soaked primers.
If you had attempted to fire a few at the time, I really doubt you would have had such a good record tho. Fact is, once the water has evaporated it's gone, it can't do any damage then!
Posts: 1615 | Location: South Western North Carolina | Registered: 16 September 2005
My understanding is that priming compound is produced in a water based slurry for safety and injected into the cups then allowed to dry out. So I assume that all I did was repeat the process in a sense. I agree that had I tried to fire them wet then the results would have been erratic to say the least not because of chemical change but because of unpredictable changes in sensitivity. However my experience makes me doubt that moisture in the sense of humidity would make any difference to primer performance. However I expect that excessive humidity might tarnish unplated primer cups over a period of time.
