Cheaper powder

[S.A. Boggs]

Jeff has some great buys on powder now, especially in 48lb quantiles. Many people can't afford the outlay of several hundred dollars for a large quantity of powder, nor a safe place to store it. I no longer can make the rounds of gun shows to buy "cheaper" powder and I refuse to pay $30-$40 locally per pound for powder. With shipping and hazmat Jeff's powder comes out to about $16.00 per pound which is pretty good. In the last 40 years I have bought a great deal of powder from Jeff, mainly surplus. I try to follow the old adage of "Buy it cheap and stash it deep!" is good advice.
I have a couple cases of woven poly sandbags that I am going to fill and build an 8x8 powder house up on my hill to house my powder. It will have a solid exterior metal door with a plywood roof. I am going to affix grounded lightning rods for extra protection as well. If anything should happen the burning gas will be exited hopefully upward into the air and not outward. I had thought of placing 1" pvc pipe down 12" into the ground with one pipe inside and the other exiting about 30 feet away from the building with a curved inlet and a screen to keep critters out. @ the top of the roof is vented so that hot air can exit and cool ground air will hopefully be pulled inward. To protect the bags I am going to place T-111 siding painted white. This should help to keep the interior cooler then the outside temperature.
Inside my reloading room I have repurposed an older fridge/freezer for my powder and primers. I can keep the primers in one compartment and any kegs of powder on the other side for safe storage. If needed I can plug the fridge in and lower the temperature as well. Warm temps are not good for either and this is "just if needed". I figure I will not have to buy powder/primers for some time.
Sam

[bruce]

Sounds like with the quantity of power you will be keeping on hand long term you'll need to be very particular. Cool is important. Heat is never good for powder or loaded ammo. Look forward to further posts as you progress with your powder house. Sincerely. bruce.

[M1Tommy]

First, YES watch out storage temps. I once had a tearful afternoon of pouring out one full and one almost full jug of milsurp powder onto my yard because I stored it in a place that got really hot over 2 Summers. Well, the grass grew really well, there..................

I have a 'good bit' of once fired LC brass that needs some. How about Jeff's "Reloader 15" with 165-178 grain bullets?

Tommy

[Sunray]

"...need to be very particular..." Yep. Consistent temperatures and humidity levels is most important.
"...up on my hill..." High up likely isn't a good idea. Even with the lightening rods. Neither is a plywood roof. Sand bags will likely attract moisture too.
You'll probably find there are local ordinances pertaining to powder magazines, including their design and how much powder you can have with and without one.
"...an older fridge/freezer for my powder and primers..." That'd be a bomb. Fridges and freezers tend to be solidly built and air tight. And, when running, are kind of moist. A plain wooden box or shelving unit does none of that. Nails are better than screws for that too.

[S.A. Boggs]

The location is due 1, security as it is closer to the center of my property and easy for me to get to, not so for others. 2, has to be a designated distance from roadways and residences as well as bullet resistant. 3, Standard roof construction with 1" roofing and non metallic roofing. An alarm will be placed onto the door for anyone trying to gain entrance, as well as one of my recording cameras aimed at the front of the magazine. Solar powered motion lights as well to help guard the doorway. The sandbags will be filled with a composition of local clay, small gravel and cement packed into the sandbag and tamped in place. To keep the bags from moving I will place on each layer of bags barbed wire for and aft- port and starboard. The construction that I am using has already been tested by others to construct homes.
The fridge is held by magnetics nothing more and opens pretty easy. I will have a wireless gauge that will transmit to a monitor on my bench telling me the temperature and humidity inside of compartment with a set alarm. I have had this alarm for a number of years, wish I could remember where I got it.
Sam