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Thread: storing BP and loaded rounds

  1. #1
    brgreen is offline
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    storing BP and loaded rounds

    Greetings to all:

    I am moving to eastern TN in May and the thought has occured to me that I need a place to store my ammo and BP in the new house. It is a rancher with an insulated garage (the tempature still changes with the weather) and a crawspace. I have been pondering whether to store the ammo (plastic water tight box) and BP (4 cans in a surplus ammo box) in one of the closets,garage, or crawspace. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

    Thanks in advance

    Bryan Green
    #10952
    3rd Alabama Infantry, CSA

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Chester VA
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    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    I live in central Virginia. My ammo and powdre is stored in my garage. It is unheated in winter unless I am working in there. It is air conditioned in summer. I have had no problems over the past 30 years.
    Fletcher Pastore
    Cockade Rifles

  3. #3
    Ron/The Old Reb Guest

    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    Bryan
    Go to an appliance store and ask them if they have any old refrigerators or freezer that do not work any more. Most of the time they will give it to you just to get rid of it. Drill a couple of half inch holes in the back of it. Put it in your garage or and out side shed. Makes a perfect fire proof power safe. Puting the power in surplus ammo cans helps also.

  4. #4
    Southron Sr. is offline
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    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    I think Ron has a wonderful idea on storing black powder in an old refrigerator. I would also recommend adding a hasp to the door so it could be locked with a padlock.

    That would keep curious kids and other unauthorized people out of your powder supply.

  5. #5
    Ron/The Old Reb Guest

    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    I did not put that in my original post. But I have hasps on the doors to lock them. I break my power down into one pound cans and put them in ammo cans. One other thing if you can fine a refrig with a freezer on the top with it's own door. It makes a good place to keep your caps and primers. Just be sure to drill a couple holes in the back. The holes will let out any pressure that might build up inside and pop the door open in a fire.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    I am moving to eastern TN in May and the thought has occured to me that I need a place to store my ammo and BP in the new house. It is a rancher with an insulated garage (the tempature still changes with the weather) and a crawspace. I have been pondering whether to store the ammo (plastic water tight box) and BP (4 cans in a surplus ammo box) in one of the closets,garage, or crawspace. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.
    Depending on just how large a crawlspace this house may have (i.e. 18'x24', 24'x24', etc), it may well afford you the opportunity to excavate it out from the basement side and install a walk-in arms vault with a full-height vault door, perhaps even a small test-fire range. I’ve been toying with a similar idea of converting a 42-inch sanitary sewer that runs through my property into an underground 50 yard range by installing a new junction box on the line at the proper distance from the last manhole (and hanging targets at the manhole). It’s just a working hypothesis for now, until I can work out the details with the city engineering department. Probably will install a granulated rubber bullet trap so I can recycle the lead.
    First Cousin (7 times removed) to Brigadier General Stand Watie (1806-1871), CSA
    1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles | Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1862-66

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    I have a four drawer, locking, metal file cabinet that I once used in my office. The drawers are large enough to accommodate a keg of powder, if one chose to do so. I prefer to store mine in one pound cans, for ease of use. I keep the heavy stuff in the bottom drawers, and lighter items such as caps, primers, etc. in the top two drawers. These file cabinets are not airtight, so ventilation is not a problem. I keep mine in my workshop which is both heated and air-conditioned. I think the old refridgerator is a GREAT idea!
    H.Dryer, 2343V
    Norfolk Light Infantry

  8. #8
    Southron Sr. is offline
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    Re: storing BP and loaded rounds

    Dear Richard:

    Aboput 30 years ago I visited a well known Skirmisher and Gunsmith in his home in Pennsylvania and saw this for myself. He lived in a surburban neighborhood and he had actually DUG A TUNNEL that ran from his basement, under his front yard, under the paved road and finally stopped up under his neighbor's front yard. This was his UNDERGROUND FIRING RANGE.

    He rigged up some pulleys and an "endless clothes line with an electric motor. On the clothesline he hung a small target frame. So by pressing the "On" button on the electric motor he could actually bring his fired target from the butt area of the tunnel to his firing line. Then he could replace the fired target with an unfired one and with a press of that button, send the new target back downrange.

    He told me that he could shoot everything in that tunnel from muskets to his 45-70 Gatling Gun and his neighbors never heard the sounds of his shots!

    By the way, he also installed a ventilation system in that underground range to remove the smoke generated when he was practicing with Skirmish arms. NOTE: All underground ranges should have ventilation systems!

    But Alas, when he built his underground range he neglected one thing: He did not "shore up" his tunnel. One Fall there was about two weeks in his section of the country where it rained every day for several weeks. His tunnel CAVED IN! Needless to say his across the street neighbor was very unhappy with him-not to mention the city road department!

    So it seems to me that an underground firing range in one's basement would be a great thing. You could practice any time you wanted to and get pretty good with your musket, carbine and pistols!!!

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