Ammo on the reloading bench

dearslayer

dearslayer

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Just curious because I was having this discussion at work with a few fellow enthusiast, but what is considered safe storage of ammo when reloading. If I quit a reloading session should I be locking up any loose ammo that's on the bench. If there are no firearms accessible in the house and all are locked up and secure, is leaving live ammo on the bench to resume reloading, say the next evening, considered unsafe in the eyes of the law. I was always under the impression that as long as there are no firearms around then ammo could be left out. In saying this I would also add that there are no children. Also my ammo is locked up for the most part but when reloading there are times when you have to walk away or be interrupted for one reason or another. In my situation for instance my reloading area isn't a locked room but just a corner in the basement.
 
AFAIK Your ammo should not be readily available to others in your household who have no PAL/RPAL.
If you have a partner living with you without a license I'd say clean up once done.

Legal or not, if you somehow would get charged with careless storage of ammunition it will be time consuming and costly to fight this.


With reloading it's good practice to only start when you know you have uninterrupted time to finish and do this with your full attention so it is less likely you will make a mistake.
 
^that. It's a pile of components until loaded, then it's ammo and the rules apply. You're responsible for it, but your priority might be how it's stored when you, the PAL/RPAL holder are not in the house.
 
I would agree with last 2 posts. I won’t charge and seat bullets unless I can finish the batch and put it away properly. Even though my wife has her PAL.

EDIT: I won’t charge and seat because I don’t want to make a mistake, not because I’m concerned about the police raiding my basement in rural AB lol.
 
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Me and my wife are both PAL holders. Just the two of us in the house.
When we're at the point of loading powder and bullets, we know how long it will take for the quantity we're doing and ensure ourselves that we have the time to finish.
Once they're done, they go into our locked ammo box in a locked closet.
 
What are you worried about? A raid on your house the moment you stepped away from a reloading session? Pack it all up again if you're worried.
 
well its obvious that having a room for guns and ammo is very advantageous.

I have several hundreds of cases on the bench in various stages of case prep.

and more thousands of fired cases in bins sorted, that may one day I might get around to doing something with.

Loaded ammo goes into the ammo storage area, next to the powder and primer storage area.


my opinion for what its worth, if your interrupted and leave some ammo on the bench as a temporary situation, its not in storage, its in use.
 
These posts make me wonder how often police vist your homes, where you get paranoid about leaving out some reloading gear while you go take a s.hit
 
I don't reload but I'm in my 70s and both I and my wife have had heart attacks. If that should happen again and EMTs & Ponies (usually around here it's Ponies & FD b4 EMTs arrive) respond they could 'wander' and find 'anything'. That's why I always lock up guns & ammo if I'm physically able. As 'bertn' said - "... Legal or not, if you somehow would get charged with careless storage of ammunition it will be time consuming and costly to fight this. "
I don't want to 'lose' my toys, OR the $$ to fight Lieberal BS.
I guess some of you don't have those concerns so ...
 
FatCatsDad said:
These posts make me wonder how often police vist your homes, where you get paranoid about leaving out some reloading gear while you go take a s.hit
Click to expand...

Sorry but where in my post did I say I was paranoid?? It was a simple question relating to a discussion is all. It stemmed from a recent YouTube video of the guy here in Canada where the cops paid him a visit about something his kid said in school. Runkle also did a video on it. The question came up about the stupid things the cops could try to charge you with weather legal or not. Also I thought my question was about ammo not reloading gear. Thanks for your input just the same.
 
Ammo locked, powder locked and labeled, hopper empty.
More concerned about the fire department then I am the cops coming by.
 
FatCatsDad said:
These posts make me wonder how often police vist your homes, where you get paranoid about leaving out some reloading gear while you go take a s.hit
Click to expand...

While it’s extremely rare for a police visit, the word paranoid is a bit extreme I would think. A sudden unanticipated death or a red flag call will have the police there and in the case of an unanticipated death like a heart attack or other cause of death the police will be snooping around as it’s required for them to do so. One can be sure that if they see unsecured firearms or ammunition there would be an issue.
It would just be prudent (not paranoid) to have the ammunition secured properly.
 
Don't think I've ever stopped mid way through a reloading project for more than a few minutes / half hour. If I had any notion that I couldn't do "it all" that day or particular time, I'd only prep and powder so many, then clean up once I was done that amount. IF...for some unforeseen reason I HAD to quit right now...loaded stuff would be put away and the rest cleaned up till the next time.
Been doin it since the 70's...nuttin's changed...lol
 
There are no requirements to lock up your ammunition, you have to store your firearms so they cannot be easily accessible to ammunition unless the ammo is locked up with the gun.

The rules for ammunition storage are part of the Natural Resources Canada rules, not firearms law.

Below is what is written online.

So you decide who has access but no there is no stipulation on a PAL being required.

So if you authorize everyone in your house to have access then all you need to do is lock your door when you leave.

Do not store them close to sources of ignition or flammable substances.

Storing ammunition

If you have an explosives licence, ammunition (small arms cartridges) must be stored in the magazine specified in your licence.

If you do not have an explosives licence, ammunition must be stored in a dwelling (such as a house, apartment or cottage) or a storage unit.

Storage requirements for users

You are permitted to store up to 225 kilograms of ammunition (the mass of the explosive excluding the packaging, container, shell casing or projectile) in a dwelling (such as a house, apartment or cottage) or a storage unit without a licence. To store more than 225 kilograms of ammunition (the mass of the explosive, excluding the packaging, container, shell casing or projectile), you must have an explosives licence.
Dwelling

You must store the ammunition away from flammable substances and sources of ignition. You must ensure that it can be accessed only by people you have authorized.
Storage unit

You are permitted to store the ammunition in a storage unit if:

The storage unit must be in a dry place, away from flammable substances and sources of ignition.
The storage unit must be constructed and maintained to prevent unauthorized access and protect the contents from weather.
The storage unit is a container, it must not block exit in case of fire.
The storage unit is not a container, all exits must be kept clear.
The shelving in the storage unit is made from a non-sparking material (for example, wood or painted metal).
Only propellant powder, primers (percussion caps) and/or black powder cartouches are stored with the ammunition.
Ammunition, propellant powder, primers and black powder cartouches are stored separately (for example, on different shelves or separated by a wooden barrier).
The storage unit is monitored when it is unlocked.
The storage unit is kept clean, dry, organized and free of grit.
Any spill, leakage or other contamination is cleaned up immediately.
You take steps to minimize the risk of fire in or near the storage unit.
You post a sign that displays the words “Danger — Fire Hazard/Risque d’incendie” in letters at least 10 centimetres high on the storage unit in a clearly visible location. The sign must also prohibit smoking using letters or a symbol at least 10 centimetres high.
 
Fox has it right. Ammo does not need to be locked up.

I often have brass in various states of completion on my bench. My biggest worry is the cat knocking stuff over!
 
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