Primer shelf life
- Thread starter Snoooy
- Start date
Have some from ‘74 I just fired off. Stored properly they ain’t going old. You will first.
A PRIMER ON PRIMERS
While searching around for some info I stumbled on to this thread and its too good not to share. Taken from the following and posted by Frisco Pete http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0 CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRIMER - A PRIMER ON PRIMERS Based on an article by John Barsness - GUNS...
www.snipershide.com
from an article i read
"STORING YOUR PRIMERS
Primers can be damaged by extreme heat, cold, and humidity. Therefore proper storage is necessary. We have seen primer shortages and therefore runs on primers by people stocking up for the future. What would be the use of having 20k primers if you don’t store them properly and they deteriorate?
Heat dries out the priming compound making it brittle and subject to disintegration during the seating process, causing a misfire. Further, the primer can still detonate if you try to disassemble misfired rounds and punch out the “bad” primer. That is one reason that de-priming “live” primers is discouraged. High humidity can cause the priming compound to be too wet to detonate properly as well. Therefore you should take pains to store primers in a cool, dry place. No garages, attics, sheds, or damp basements. Desiccant in the larger container that holds your primer boxes is probably a good idea if it is humid where you live.
Metal ammo cans are popular for storing various items like ammo and brass among reloaders. However they should not be used to store your primers in (or your powder as well). If anything sets off those primers (or lights off the powder), the metal can just adds shrapnel. Of course you shouldn’t store primers and powder together for obvious reason.
There are watertight plastic ammo cans like MTM’s Sportsman’s Dry Box [#SDB-0] or their military-sized (AC30C & AC50C caliber) O-ring sealed plastic ammo cans available, or you could use some type of wooden box etc. that would be a better choice than the usual G.I. steel ammo can for your primer storage."
ozgunlobby.com
"STORING YOUR PRIMERS
Primers can be damaged by extreme heat, cold, and humidity. Therefore proper storage is necessary. We have seen primer shortages and therefore runs on primers by people stocking up for the future. What would be the use of having 20k primers if you don’t store them properly and they deteriorate?
Heat dries out the priming compound making it brittle and subject to disintegration during the seating process, causing a misfire. Further, the primer can still detonate if you try to disassemble misfired rounds and punch out the “bad” primer. That is one reason that de-priming “live” primers is discouraged. High humidity can cause the priming compound to be too wet to detonate properly as well. Therefore you should take pains to store primers in a cool, dry place. No garages, attics, sheds, or damp basements. Desiccant in the larger container that holds your primer boxes is probably a good idea if it is humid where you live.
Metal ammo cans are popular for storing various items like ammo and brass among reloaders. However they should not be used to store your primers in (or your powder as well). If anything sets off those primers (or lights off the powder), the metal can just adds shrapnel. Of course you shouldn’t store primers and powder together for obvious reason.
There are watertight plastic ammo cans like MTM’s Sportsman’s Dry Box [#SDB-0] or their military-sized (AC30C & AC50C caliber) O-ring sealed plastic ammo cans available, or you could use some type of wooden box etc. that would be a better choice than the usual G.I. steel ammo can for your primer storage."
Choosing the right primer.
I was reading this article last night and found it informative and thought that I would share. It is a couple of years old but I think it is still relevant. It is an American article and talks about their powders etc. Based on an article by John Barsness - GUNS magazine pg 26 May 2009. [JB...
ozgunlobby.com
6 months. Sell all primers now before they go bad.
If stored in a stable environment they will last just about forever. I'm still using some from the 70's.
One "trick" taught to me by a great uncle.
Closets in your house are generally not very affected by the HVAC system, so they are quite temperature stable. More so if you find one that is not on an exterior wall of your abode.
Place primers, powder or other shit that is compromised by temperature swings in one of the OG Styrofoam coolers. Place a dessicant bag in there, too, for good measure. Tape the lid closed. Label the contents and tape that to a visible spot. Place the cooler(s) in the closet.
Primers are good for decades even when not stored under ideal conditions. Powder even more so as long as you have never cracked the seal. Storing them like this, that shit should still be good when some archaeologist unearths your bones.
Closets in your house are generally not very affected by the HVAC system, so they are quite temperature stable. More so if you find one that is not on an exterior wall of your abode.
Place primers, powder or other shit that is compromised by temperature swings in one of the OG Styrofoam coolers. Place a dessicant bag in there, too, for good measure. Tape the lid closed. Label the contents and tape that to a visible spot. Place the cooler(s) in the closet.
Primers are good for decades even when not stored under ideal conditions. Powder even more so as long as you have never cracked the seal. Storing them like this, that shit should still be good when some archaeologist unearths your bones.
There are people still shooting surplus ammo from WWI! I’m using surplus powder from the Korean War period! memtb
Come to think of it.....have some 44 Turk that's still good...
Their corrosive nature may help..
Good to know all those Fed 215M are still good!
Their corrosive nature may help..
Good to know all those Fed 215M are still good!
Oil contamination is probably the most harmful thing to primers.....other than complete water submersion! memtb
D
Deleted member 173458
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thanks for the infoA PRIMER ON PRIMERS
While searching around for some info I stumbled on to this thread and its too good not to share. Taken from the following and posted by Frisco Pete http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0 CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRIMER - A PRIMER ON PRIMERS Based on an article by John Barsness - GUNS...
