thanks all

Why do you HAVE to put them in the garage? Temperature/humidity swings are not good for primers. unless in a complete vacuum there will be condensation issues with large swings of temperature. If left in their factory boxes/containers they are completely safe and not a hazard.
 
Should be fine, I'm not sure I would bother wrapping the storage box in plastic....

From 94 to 2009 I did all my loading in the garage (heated with a propane BBQ when needed). I stored all my components in there as well.

In all that time I used maybe 1000 primers, bought them in late 92 early 93 at a gun show. Stored them in a garage with 3 different IMR powders.

I never saw a change in colour or consistency of the powder or primers. All loads concocted in the garage worked as they were expected, velocity, consistancy and accuracy (hunting accuracy not BR). I also never had a mis-fire with any loads made from those components.

YMMV,
Cheers!
 
TO iceman they are in there bottles and boxes,and then in a wooden box to saftey standards,then in garbage bag taped to make a seal,but they will be in total cold all winter
 
TO iceman they are in there bottles and boxes,and then in a wooden box to saftey standards,then in garbage bag taped to make a seal,but they will be in total cold all winter

I don't like the sound of what you say you have to do. Can you elaborate on why you have to do this? From there we may be able to help you further by suggesting better alternatives. Did your wife come down hard on you or something?
 
I have to settle something with my house insurance,but until it's settled not taking any chances,all reloaders should think about this one
Let's say serious **** happened to someone I know.
so back to question,cold etc. what do you think ?
 
I'm not sure wrapping them in plastic is a good idea as it will promote condensation, even with relatively small changes in temperature. I bought some Wolf primers at a gun show one time and the outside of the box showed the effects of humidity and only 30% would fire so I disposed of the remaining primers calling it a lesson learned.
 
I received this from Mike Daly of Hodgdon when I queried Hodgdon re: storing reloading powder outside in the winter.

"Outdoor storage in the cold is usually not a problem..." "All powders are engineered with a specific amount of moisture in them. If it gets as cold as -40F it is possible that the inner structure of the powder could be damaged increasing the burn speed."
"Overall I don't think you would suffer any problems with your outside storage"

He went on to warn about loading in the winter - to let the powder sit in the house for 24 hours before using it.

I stored my powder outside all last winter. Brought it in May and loaded up some 6.5x55's, some .30-30's and some .30-06's. When fired all performed perfectly and shot to the same point-of-aim as previously loaded ammo.
 
I have to settle something with my house insurance,but until it's settled not taking any chances,all reloaders should think about this one
Let's say serious **** happened to someone I know.
so back to question,cold etc. what do you think ?

I have heard of wawaneesa cancelling policies because of this.....

So I called my broker to find out what exactly my insurances policy on this was. My policy is with SGI Canada. They have no problems with me storing powder, primers or ammo inside my house, as long as I stay with-in legal limits. During the discussion my broker asked " how much guns and gear do you have?" When I told her she suggested am extra rider on my insurance to ensure the replacement value of all my "stuff" is covered. For an extra $100 a year I now have $100K of insurance to cover just my firearms and related gear.

Total cost of my policy to replace an 1800 sqft house and or garage and all items with-in is still less than $1000/yr.

Needless to say, I won't be switching insurance carriers anytime soon......
 
I have to settle something with my house insurance,but until it's settled not taking any chances,all reloaders should think about this one
Let's say serious **** happened to someone I know.
so back to question,cold etc. what do you think ?

Can you say how much powder and primers you have to store? If it is not a lot, I don't see the big deal. I myself, only have on hand 2000 primers at most and 10 lbs of powder at most. I don't reload for pistol or AR (bolt action rifle only) and thus don't need a huge stash of primers and powder.
 
Cold will not damage primers, propellant or loaded ammo but, as noted, may affect the performance of the latter (if fired v cold).

Heat on the other hand, can be very damaging. It speeds up what amounts to a normal (albeit very slow) chemical decomposition process. If your stuff is still out in the garage next summer and it gets very hot, it would not be good for it.

Moisture is not that serious. Take a round, drop it into a glass of water, wait a week and it will normally fire. If it can handle that, what do you think a bit of airborne moisture will do? If the garage is not soaking wet, there should be no need to take extraordinary steps like wrapping it in plastic.

Ideal storage, of course, is dry and cool.
 
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