Storing Powder and Primers

HeavyTread

HeavyTread

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Apologies in advance if this has already been answered. I've looked at the stickies and searched the forum.

Regarding the safe (and legal) storage of powders and primers, I get that you need to have a 'substantial' magazine, that's clean and locked, etc., and you need to have separate storage for powders and primer.

So what do reloaders in Canada generally use that's both safe and complies with the regulations? I'm unable to find any ready-made commercial products and I don't have the resources to knock something together (I live in an apartment, without access to basic woodworking tools like routers).

I was thinking of 'hacking' something to work, like:

  • Plastic tackle boxes with inner trays/shelves removed
  • Pelican cases (maybe drilled to ensure it will vent properly in case of a powder fire)
  • Plastic coolers, drilled for locking

I was also thinking of something like a Plano ammo box Plano ammo box (plastic) or a plastic tool box

What do other people use?
 
Last edited:
I keep my powder on a shelf. In its original containers.
I keep my primers on a similar shelf. In their original packaging.


Crazy... I know.
 
667 said:
I keep my powder on a shelf. In its original containers.
I keep my primers on a similar shelf. In their original packaging.


Crazy... I know.
Click to expand...

Best method I've found, although I do keep my powder and primers on opposite ends of the shelf, you can never be too careful.
 
I keep my powder on my bench and my primers in a drawer. All in the packaging it came in so nothing gets mixed up. If the original packaging is good enough for shipping its good enough for storing.
 
I found a small bank of employee-style lockers on kijiji for free. The locking part was gravy, I just liked the idea of the organization that they came with. So, my powders and primers and projectiles and sorted brass and other related stuff are in there.
 
HeavyTread,
Do not be guided by what others do.

Based on an answer sent to us by "Wali Sagaf" as indicated below, some guidelines:
"Reply to your inquiry/En réponse à votre demande
Hello ######,
Thank you for your inquiry. The storage of powders and primers is covered by Part XII of the Explosives Regulations. I have taken the liberty of including Bulletin #8 to this email as it summarizes the requirements for ammunition, powders and primers. A separate storage unit is required for your powders and your primers. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Thank you,
Wali Sagaf, EIT
Inspector of Explosives, Central Region / Inspecteur des explosifs, Région centrale
Explosives Regulatory Division / Division de la réglementation des explosifs
ESSB / DSSE - MMS / SMM
Natural Resources Canada / Ressources naturelles Canada
Telephone/Téléphone: 613-948-5187
Fax/Télécopieur: 613-948-5195
Address/Adresse: 580 Booth Street, 10-D5-4, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E4


The following information was quoted from the " Explosives Regulatory Division", BULLETIN No. 8

... Section 17: Possession for personal use: "Propellants not exceeding 10kg in their approved cannisters.... may be stored on residential property. ......The outside of the magazine must be marked with the word"EXPLOSIVES".

Section 18: Propellant not exceeding 75kg in their approved cannisters.....locked magazine ... at a safe distance from living quarters and dwellings ....

NOTE: Total explosives under paragraph 17 and 18 must not exceed 75kg.

PRIMERS: Section 23: A reasonable amount for own use , not for sale, may be kept..... in a locked container marked "EXPLOSIVES".

Section 29: b) In addition to that (powder)contained in the cartridges already made, there shall be no more than 2kg of propellant at the place (? Reloading bench??).
 
Hi All,

In addition the abovementioned requirements, I was also informed (sorry, I do not have that source, so cannot call it gospel), the container has to be sturdy, contain no ferrous metals (iron and steel), be movable so as to be carried out of a burning house, and needs ventilation holes. Sturdy was quantified as 3/4" Ply or similar wood. A brass or aluminium hasp was recommended (Lee Valley has several model/sizes brass hasps, but quite expensive).

Use this info as guidelines, as I am no legal expert. However, other than me believing it is risky (I dare not say stupid so as to offend people I do not know) to have several different canisters of powder and primers above your working bench, within easy reach of making a mistake, it is illegal. And this does not even refer to you insurance. My insurance requires me to remove all powder and primers from my progressive presses each time I stop reloading. I do not know if this means when I stop to use a toilet or to have lunch.

But then, I am trying to become a Canadian citizen, and do not want to break the law and be sent away from Canada after spending time in jail. In the end you must do what you want to. The law does not require me to wear a condom when I shower, so I do not wear one. The law does not require me to have a trigger lock on a Non restricted rifle or Antique shooting toy when legally transporting these, so I do not fit trigger locks. The law does require me to keep my powder and primers separately, in a prescribed container, so I do that. It is that simple.

RSA1
 
Do not be guided by what others do.
Click to expand...

Right, so the guidance about the portable, locking box with non-ferrous hardware and all that jazz is what I had already found, and I was looking for commercially available boxes that fit those requirements.

It sounds like most folks either aren't aware of the regulations or don't much care, which would probably explain why there isn't a readily available commercial solution or a hackable equivalent :)

I'm going to go peruse my local Canadian Tire and see if I can find a decent lockable box to use. Failing that I guess I can hammer together the worst box in history with some wood and nails ;)
 
HeavyTread said:
Right, so the guidance about the portable, locking box with non-ferrous hardware and all that jazz is what I had already found, and I was looking for commercially available boxes that fit those requirements.

It sounds like most folks either aren't aware of the regulations or don't much care, which would probably explain why there isn't a readily available commercial solution or a hackable equivalent :)

I'm going to go peruse my local Canadian Tire and see if I can find a decent lockable box to use. Failing that I guess I can hammer together the worst box in history with some wood and nails ;)
Click to expand...

Just for the record, I'm aware of the regulations and just don't care.

I don't know about other Fire Department's, but my local department doesn't consider smokeless powder and primers a serious threat, if they know a burning structure contains powder and primers they will not try to remove them.
 
Just for the record, I'm aware of the regulations and just don't care.
Click to expand...

Heh.. I should have included that as a third possibility :)

I live in a small condo, and only plan on having a pound or so of powder on hand at any given time. So for me the precautions are more about adhering to the letter of the law than for fire safety. For instance, there are a ton of flammable and otherwise hazardous solvents and other chemicals sitting under my kitchen sink, but I'm not overly worried about those.

My building is also subject to twice-yearly fire alarm inspections, where security guys will actually come in with a master key and check alarm function. So if anyone happens to see my reloading bench and clues in to what it is, I want to be able to say that I'm 100% in compliance with the regs.

Just in case anyone in the future comes looking for the same answer: I've decided to get a local wood cutting service to cut me sheets of plywood or MDF according to plans I found from a British shooting supply place that has put together a DIY box to meet their local standards. The standards appear to match the Canadian ones. I can then just screw the MDF sheets together, add brass hinges and lock fittings, etc. and be done with it.

Below are the plans. One nice thing is that they include dividers for storage of multiple containers.

Large box
Small box
 
As long as you can sleep at night...

That said.

The propane tank or can of gasoline you keep in your garage for the lawn mower is far more dangerous than any amount of powder/primers you store at home.

If people observed/obeyed every little gov't department reulation there is... You wouldn't leave your bed for fear of violating one or ten of 'em.

Keep Calm.... Reload on.
 
Small tip if you are going to do this, powder can be hard to find and scarce. When you find you're good powder, do not buy a pound, try to buy 12 pounds. At worst store some at someone elses to feel better. I always have 10-12 pounds in my metal green lee chest.

EDIT : btw i have always stored primers and powders in metal containers, and now that i see people worry about it get'S me wondering, it's normal to store these in metal containers right?

HeavyTread said:
Heh.. I should have included that as a third possibility :)

I live in a small condo, and only plan on having a pound or so of powder on hand at any given time. So for me the precautions are more about adhering to the letter of the law than for fire safety. For instance, there are a ton of flammable and otherwise hazardous solvents and other chemicals sitting under my kitchen sink, but I'm not overly worried about those.

My building is also subject to twice-yearly fire alarm inspections, where security guys will actually come in with a master key and check alarm function. So if anyone happens to see my reloading bench and clues in to what it is, I want to be able to say that I'm 100% in compliance with the regs.

Just in case anyone in the future comes looking for the same answer: I've decided to get a local wood cutting service to cut me sheets of plywood or MDF according to plans I found from a British shooting supply place that has put together a DIY box to meet their local standards. The standards appear to match the Canadian ones. I can then just screw the MDF sheets together, add brass hinges and lock fittings, etc. and be done with it.

Below are the plans. One nice thing is that they include dividers for storage of multiple containers.

Large box
Small box
Click to expand...
 
Modern smokeless powder isn't even classed as an "explosive" so why do the regs tell you to mark your little storage box "EXPLOSIVES"..?
Silly regs...
 
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