is it ok if i store my box of primers and powder in the garage? that's where my bench is. i keep them separate, but is it ok to have them in the garage like in the summer time? would humidity ruin the 2 things?

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Originally posted by beretta9289:
is it ok if i store my box of primers and powder in the garage? that's where my bench is. i keep them separate, but is it ok to have them in the garage like in the summer time? would humidity ruin the 2 things?

Two words to remember when storing powder and primers, cool and dry. I store powders in their original containers. Likewise primers, only in an airtight container.

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cool and dry

and lets add well packaged. These things come in excellent packages and should be kept in well covered, packaged boxes that protect them from the elements.

Powder and primers will last for fifty (and more) years this way.

right, i store the powder in it's original container, but it is ok to keep it in my garage? i'm guessing not. might throw it in an ammo can to keep it dry for sure and keep it in my room since it's cool in here. alright well thanks.

The garage may be too humid. It is better to keep them in the house in climate control they will last until you get ready to load and a long time if necessary.

Beretta9289, Neither has a shelf life but like craigster said and vapodog echoed;
"COOL AND DRY"

aight, i guess i'll go fetch the primers from my bench.don't have any powder cuz i just lost my job. any one wanna donate a few bux to me for some H4831? ha, jk. wish we had an extra room i could use for a gun room. i told my dad that i want a gun room for me n my bro when we hopefully start building a house in a year or so. i'm 16 btw, i'm not 45 yrs. old n still livin w/ the parents lol. well thanks again for the tips.

Do it however you wish. Here's my exp.

Married a bambi lover in Nov 74, quit reloading in summer 74. Put primers as they came, and powder in 1 & 4lb cans and 8# in a cardboard oatmeal box wrapped with duct tape in a big wooden box, and pushed it under the work bench in Dad's garage.

In 92, he got the powder out, added it to 5 sticks of dynamite and blew a small spring to develope the water. There was 18# smokeless powder, mostly 4831 I'd paid 50 cents a pound for. At the blast, rocks 3' in dia went over him hiding behind a boulder 100yds away. When the sky had cleared he went to check things out. Found a good sized pond and quite a water flow. Just loaded up the loader and took it back without using it to dig the pond with. This tells me the powder was still good.

In 95 I started loading again and discovered the price on powder had gone up to $15. So that pond/spring deal cost me over $400.

Loading lots of ammo just to shoot up for practice. I loaded about 700 primers and never had a single misfire.

Ok, I'm in Pueblo CO, the garage was adobe w/stucco outside and unheated on concrete floor under a plank open bench along with other assorted junk. It's up to you on judging this. But, it all seemed to work fine for me. Figure from mid summer 1974, until 1995. A full 21 years storage and it was still good in such a half assed storage system. Don't think anything halfway decent would hurt anything. I'd just leave it in your bench myself.

Cool and dry is the thing, like has been said.
We had temps from -35 to 108 during this time.

George

I have some primers that are CCI BR small rifle primers that are 25-30 years old that I just recently found in a box. I've now shot 150 of them in my .223. They have all gone bang and the rifle shoots consistent .35-.45 for 5 shots in a HB varmint rifle. Actually letting powder get too little humidity is bad as well, since it will dry out, weigh less while the energy potential remains the same. The result is it takes more powder to weigh 64 grains, raising the pressure. Once several years ago, someone did an article in Handloader I believe and the pressure and velocity change was considerable. As a side note that may be pertinent, I've noticed more consistency in velocity(pressure) when changing to a new powder lot by resetting my powder measure to the same volume rather than re-weighing and loading by charge weight. Try this sometime, you may be surprised in the result. Someone, who was a long time loader, can't remember who, told me this years ago and my tests have proved it as well.