Storing Powder and Primers

Modern smokeless powder isn't even classed as an "explosive" so why do the regs tell you to mark your little storage box "EXPLOSIVES"..?
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At a guess, because some bureaucrat somewhere thought 'wow, sounds like something that goes boom', and gave it to the explosives guys to regulate, and those guys can't be assed to build special regulations for things that sound like explosives but aren't.

If it were me writing the regulations for it, I'd probably advise people to put it in something that gives it reasonable protection from stray sparks, matches and cigarette butts, and that is designed to vent appropriately in the unlikely event it actually does start to burn.

You know, something like the packages that it comes in. :)

I've built a model of the small storage box plans in SketchUp. I'm going to have the wood cut and will will post price info and pics later, if anyone's interested.
 
Hi 667,

The smokeless propellant we use for reloading is not and explosive in terms of its chemical properties, but according to the abovementioned "Bulletin", on page one in definitions, it states... "Explosive means a substance made .....and includes gunpowder, propellant powder ...." We have the same situation with the "Prescribed Antiques" which are not firearms, but shooting toys. This is the letter of the law, not logic, but still the law.

Regarding some of the other comments above, I personally am just too much of a coward to publically state that I am breaking a Canadian law regarding firearms and explosives.

RSA1
 
Laws and regulations aren't the same...

What penalty is there for not following these NRC regs.?
 
Find a lockable steel cabinet at a used office furniture outlet as did I.

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667 said:
Laws and regulations aren't the same...

What penalty is there for not following these NRC regs.?
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I am choosing to obey the regulations, just in case I should ever have a house fire , and have to file an insurance claim. I don't want to give the insurance company an excuse to deny a claim.
 
RSA1 said:
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??).
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Wait,what? What regs are these? I thought the regs said something like a "reasonable quantity" of powder. 10kgs is nothing for a serious reloader.
 
What i use:

surplus 105mm wooden crate, $25 at princess auto recently. just put some shelves in it, already has brass hinges/latch, i added the lockable latch.





Before this big guy i was using 2 wooden ammo crates, surplus 7.62x39 and a 7.62x54r crates, just add the hinges and a lockable clasp, easy storage and you get a reason to hang some surplus on the wall.
 
So, by law, you would need a room for your firearm, another one for your ammo, another one for your primer and another one for your powder...So If I want to be a firearm owner and a reloader I need a 4 bedroom. lol
 
surplus 105mm wooden crate, $25 at princess auto recently. just put some shelves in it, already has brass hinges/latch, i added the lockable latch.
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That's actually damned closed to what the regulations state. Pretty good for essentially free.
 
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I just recently built 2 wood boxes, managed to get 2 complete boxes from 1 3/4" sheet. Plus the dividers. Took a long time to cut the grooves for the dividers as I did not have a dato blade. If I can find my planes I will post them.
 
Dake21 said:
So, by law, you would need a room for your firearm, another one for your ammo, another one for your primer and another one for your powder...So If I want to be a firearm owner and a reloader I need a 4 bedroom. lol
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Not at all, you can legally store them all on the same room, and still comply with the regulations.
 
Following up here. My search for something that fits the regs located here and is ready made turned up zilch. CNC cutting was fun to look at but seems to have a minimum charge and isn't geared toward economy. Also, as I might have stated earlier, I live in a small apartment and don't have access to serious woodworking tools, so building something from scratch is a bit difficult.

I wound up going to Home Depot and buying two $12 sheets of 3/4" MDF, then having the guys there cut it into panels for me. Some brass screws, hinges and a clasp later and I'm good to go. For the curious, here was my materials list:

4 x 3/4" x 20" x 12" MDF (top, bottom, front, back)
2 x 3/4" x 12" x 10.5" MDF (left and right) (get 4 of these if you want internal divisions)
2 x brass hinge kits (I used three hinges)
1 x brass locking hasp
4 x #8 5/4" brass screws

I also got some weather stripping for the lid (not sure if I'll use that) and self-adhesive felt feet so I don't scratch up the laminate flooring in my apartment. I actually wound up with 2 extra 10.5" x 12" boards, so I just jammed them into the box to create some dividers.

The Home Depot guys will cut your MDF as accurately as they can with their big wall saw, but it's always going to be a bit rough. When I gave the guy measurements in millimeters he just laughed and said he couldn't get that accurate. But the cuts he made were plenty accurate for the rough box I wound up throwing together on my kitchen floor with nothing but a cordless screwdriver.

In retrospect, I should have used something other than MDF, since it doesn't seem to hold wood screws very well and is heavy as hell. I also started out with larger screws (you can see some cracking in the pics). But I think I wound up with something that should meet the letter of the regulations for a total cost of about $60 and some time. I just have to spray paint it, put the word 'explosives' on the front, and add a brass padlock, and I should be in complete compliance with the regs.

I realized many people in this thread don't really care about the storage regulations -- this is for the people who do. If anyone else wants more info, feel free to PM me.

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I use old kitchen cupboards. With an extra-safe drywall back and cheap non-ferrous pot metal hinges.;) Cost? about 6¢ worth of screws to fasten them to the wall above the bench.
 
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