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Summer heat and powder/primers

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15 March 2005, 20:46
ruger22com
Summer heat and powder/primers
I reload in a 12x16 machine shop/building I have built recently behind my house. This is going to be my first Alabama summer in this building, which is ONLY air conditioned while I am out there (or would cost a fortune!) As the summer temps will no doubt climb to 100-110 in the shop when I am not there, is this hot enough to be a concern with smokeless powder and primers?
I keep both in seperate expandable military storage wood boxes with about three pounds of powder and 800 primers at any one time.

Does anybody think this is dangerous, or should I move my stuff inside the house during these summer months? I have searched all over and cannot find data on what temp will cause powder to ignite.

Comments? Thanks!


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16 March 2005, 00:22
Stonecreek
While you would ideally prefer to store your powder and primers at an even 72 F and 50% humidity or some such, I have experienced no problems with components stored in un-heated or cooled buildings for years at a time. Bruce Hodgdon stored much of his surplus powder in grain elevators and rail cars in the early years.

There is no danger of ignition from normal environmental temperatures, and I am more suspect of varying humidity being a cause of degradation than high temperature.

The small quantities you intend to store would present no physical problem in moving into the house; what kind of problem your spouse might present is beyond my speculation.
16 March 2005, 00:34
ruger22com
Thanks! I don't worry too much about our HIGH summer humidity as I keep the bottles closed and use it up pretty fast (a pound every two weeks).

I might move them indoors in august as what "honey-bunny" does not know, won't hurt her (and neither of us smoke anymore).

Thanks...


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The ONLY on-line store to specialize in Ruger 10/22 upgrades! And home of the Yellow Jacket Bolt Buffer!