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View Full Version : How dangerous is modern reloading powder?



Mark Ducati
11-23-2011, 02:49 PM
I'm not talking about black powder, but the powder we use to reload modern bullets?

What I mean is suppose a room caught on fire and it got to the plastic container that the gunpowder is in, would it flare up like fireworks or would it Ka-Boom like a bomb?

I started thinking about this... I'm grateful for our gun rights, but was thinking that that's a heck of a lot of powder one container (and I've seen some containers that are quadruple in size!)... I don't want to give the democraps any ideas, but I'm surprised they haven't limited how much powder you can buy on the fear that somebody could use that powder to make pipe bombs.

Dafapa
11-23-2011, 03:03 PM
Modern smokeless powder isn't technically an explosive. That is, it doesn't detonate (or so I'm told). It just burns very intensely and generates a lot of gas. I think the plastic canisters its sold in are designed not to "explode". If you stored the powder in a tightly sealed metal, glass, or wooden container, and it caught fire I think the pressure might be enough to cause the container to "explode" and spray fragments everywhere. Unless its tightly contained while burning (like in a cartridge) it shouldn't go bang, just burn very intensely.

I once made a couple of batches of bad reloads and had to tear them down to get my components back. The powder I extracted was a mix of two kinds so I couldn't even think of re-using it. It was maybe 1 or 2 good handfulls of powder. I dumped it into an aluminium foil pan and burned it outside. It generated a white hot spout of flame about 6" in diamater and about 7' tall. I had never burned that much powder at one time before, and was very much taken by surprise at how violently it burned. Bottom line, I don't think its really an "explosion" hazard if stored properly. I would say it is certainly a fire hazard.

Gunreference1
11-23-2011, 03:13 PM
Mark, you might find this link helpful.

http://shakeypete.blogspot.com/2005/06/gunpowder-overview-of-modern-smokeless.html

My recommendation is keep it in a dry, cool place. No direct sunlight. Just my $0.02.

Steve

Mark Ducati
11-23-2011, 03:15 PM
Thanks Dufapa and Steve, that makes me feel better about keeping the gunpowder (locked) in my basement.... I've never seen gunpowder lit with a match before and was simply wondering how "explosive" this stuff is (and no, I don't intend to dump some in the driveway and light it just to see what it does).

I initially thought it might be better in the locker/cabinet in my garage where we keep some extra gasoline... but I think I'll keep it in the basement as the temps/humidity is more evenly controlled with the house's AC.

I know that it should probably be obvious that this stuff doesn't detonate like TNT, but hey, I'm new to reloading and just wanted to make sure I was being as careful as I should be.

shorthair
11-23-2011, 04:01 PM
I didn't read all that but I've read that an old freezer with a lid that can blow off is good to go. Is that right?

Helen Keller
11-23-2011, 04:52 PM
no explosion like blackpowder.

Almost a semi-slow burn to just a flash.






I used about 2lbs of crap/mixed reloading screw-up powder this summer to solve my yellowjacket problem. no boom unless it was totally contained. The containers are made to split on the seams.

Flinter
11-23-2011, 05:16 PM
Black powder will give you a fast "swish".

Smokeless, like the others have said, is more of a long white hot burn.

In my opinion it's less dangerous than canisters of propane.

Partisan1983
11-23-2011, 11:18 PM
Black powder will give you a fast "swish".

Smokeless, like the others have said, is more of a long white hot burn.

In my opinion it's less dangerous than canisters of propane.



FAR less dangerous than canisters of propane!!!!

Trust me on this one.

Schuetzenman
11-24-2011, 01:15 AM
no explosion like blackpowder.
Almost a semi-slow burn to just a flash.

This. Modern smokeless powder is very slow burning when not contained and it's hard to get to light up. It's many time safer than a can of gasoline as it has no fumes to get out. Now if it is stored at high temeperatures it can go sour and become acidic. If it goes that way it will start to smell like vinegar and it can become self igniting and explosive at that point. AS long as it smells like Ether it's fine. The only smokeless poweders that I ever heard of going acidic and critical and self detonating was WWII surplus 4831 powder pulled down from 20 mm AA shells. I actually had 8 lbs. of this stuff at one time. I met a shooter at a competition that had been injured by it going off in his basement. He had scar tissue from the fireball that came down the hall at him out of his basement. He was blown through some sliding glass doors as well as the burns.

I returned from the shoot and sprinkled that surplus powder over the lawn as it does have nitrogen in it and would work as fertilizer. It smelled like ether but I decided it wasn't worth hanging on to it. If it went bad and I forgot to check it, it could go off and blow up my home. Plus I had black powder in the same powder storage container, could set that off and it would definitely blow up with a boom even if the othe was more a big fire ball vs. a blast.

groovy mike
04-03-2012, 07:37 AM
It is not any more "dangerous" than a hammer or that big tank of fuel oil in nearly everyone's basement. And yes, there are already rules on teh books on how much powder you can have without storage concerns being addressed.

printerman
04-12-2012, 12:29 PM
The analogy used by Lee Precision Dies is as follows ......

"It's much more dangerous to handle or store gasoline than modern propellant powders."

Common sense rules with almost every aspect of firearm safety ! (reloading powders as well)

I store mine next to the fireplace by the candles and matches .....

old Grump
04-12-2012, 03:19 PM
I used to do demos on that when I was giving newbie classes to new shooters. a dab of black powder, PB powder and 4350 powder and light them off in ash trays right in front of them to demonstrate the different burning rates.

Then outside for the range session take a few shots with the 22 pistol at a 200 yard target to demonstrate the difference it makes when the powder is contained and under pressure. Double lesson on how powerful the 22 was and not the harmless pee wee caliber they thought it was. I still had some 4350 over 25 years old that was still good when I used it up 12 years ago.

There is 26 pounds of various kinds of powder just outside my bedroom in a cabinet and I worry less about them than I do the 3 gas cans I keep in the garage for my yard equipment. Now that crap is scary.

Helen Keller
04-12-2012, 04:11 PM
There is 26 pounds of various kinds of powder just outside my bedroom in a cabinet and I worry less about them than I do the 3 gas cans I keep in the garage for my yard equipment. Now that crap is scary.

same here, I have about 19lbs in my reloading room.




I'm more concerned about gas or all the cleaning supplies I bought at the grocery store.