Best way to store Bulk Black Powder and smokeless

robhof

As a teen my brother and I bought a 10lb or so jug of B/p and kept it in our bedroom with our guns. Now I keep my powders in a metal cabinet in my work shed. I still had a lb or 2 of the original powder in a .75cal cannon box that I made many years ago and had forgotten about til we were cleaning out my parents house and found it. It still works as well as it did. This stuff is at least 40 years old.
 
If the law makers had it their way everything would be illegal...

I keep all my powders in their original containers & then seal them in vacuum seal bags, then have the ones that I'm not using right now in a Copper lined Powder magazine...
 
Unless you allow it to get wet, I don't see how you could possibly ruin black powder with age. Charcoal doesn't deteriorate with age, saltpeter doesn't deteriorate with age, and neither does sulfur.
 
Raider, what does the copper lined do in the event of spontaneous combustion? I keep my powders in a gun locker, with the lids on tight, yes the locker has vent holes, and no its not a safe.
 
A friend of mine built it for me 20 years ago based on what he had learned from touring old Naval ships like the USS Constellation where they would line the powder room walls with Copper to prevent a inadvertent spark while in the room.

My magazine is copper, then 3/4" pine plank, & then 1/8" Steel shell w/ 2 locks.
 
Nate1778 - What is this 'spontaneous combustion' you refer to?

The main hazard you need to protect the powder from is fire, with sparks a low order hazard as well. The magazine needs to withstand fire (and thus very high temperatures) for a sustained period of time, like a half hour. Electrical spark is not an issue with the powder itself, since commercial powders are coated with graphite to eliminate resistance. However, the powder can contain some impurities that are resistive and thus subject to heating by a spark, which would result in ignition of the powder. The copper protects the powder from electrical discharges.

Your box with the holes in it provides zero protection from fire and is thus a time bomb.
 
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What is this 'spontaneous combustion' you refer to?
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The point in temperature in which a chemical or chemicals meet their flash point. Once at or above a flash point (~392F for gun powder according to Goex MSDS forum), all bets are off, the product can spontaneously combust




Your box with the holes in it provides zero protection from fire and is thus a time bomb.
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Yes I know it will get to the locker if the house was engulfed (its in the cellar), hopefully God willing I will have gotten the family out by that time. Hey if I can get everyone out, all the rest is just stuff, it can burn to the ground.

Also with a safe, or bunker one would think that if the flames got hot enough and the powder did eventually go up, wouldn't it be more of a bomb then the powder bursting the factory can and burning in a vented cabinet. Just seams to me with the right amount of powder and a sealed safe a big BOOM is possible. If you read the above MSDS there are requirements for evacuating an area with "Heavy" encased powder and "Non Heavy" encased. Basically 1 mile evacuation for Heavy encased. Of coarse the 2500 ft for the other is enough to keep a firefighter away.......: )
 
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