maintaining the right level of humidity
Often, professional hunters, military or police are faced with the so-called “misfires” of cartridges for firearms, which indicate damage to the cartridges or their unsuitability. Such problems are less likely to occur due to factory defects and more often due to improper storage of ammunition or gunpowder. Speaking of improper storage, we are talking about observing the climatic regime in places where explosives and gunpowder are stored. In this article, we will tell you how to properly store ammunition, what is the optimal microclimate, and why it must be strictly maintained.
Gunpowder storage rules and consequences if they are neglected
Gunpowder and ammunition should be stored in sealed glass or tin containers. Temperature and humidity are also very important for long-term storage of gunpowder. The temperature regime in the room should be unchanged. If, however, sudden changes in temperature regularly occur in the room, then it is more likely that the gunpowder will be taken in lumps and will burn longer. The peak temperature for storing gunpowder is +65 o C.
The ideal air humidity should be 40%. Wet gunpowder, not able to lead to a shot. It is not recommended to use previously damp gunpowder, since it is difficult to determine how dried gunpowder will behave. Dried powder can misfire or burn too quickly, causing the barrel to burst. The moisture content of the gunpowder itself should not exceed 0.1% – with such parameters it leaves the manufacturer’s factory, and they must also be maintained if you do not want to lose your investment in the purchase of gunpowder.
How to store gunpowder so that it is dry?
It must be kept in hermetic packaging, at a constant temperature with a constant regulated humidity. Also, the room should be free of fungus and mold. Such a room can ruin gunpowder. In the case of cartridges, green corrosion will appear on them, and the metal will be damaged, becoming unsuitable for a shot. By the way, humidity should not exceed the norm in residential premises – find out why.
Which rooms are suitable for storing ammunition
Where you should not store ammunition in the cold. Not recommended places for storing cartridges in winter: basements, garages, car trunk. Low temperatures can permanently damage powder or reduce its performance.
There is no recommended special room. It can be a weapon room or a warehouse for storing ammunition, it doesn’t matter – the main thing is the presence of an optimal microclimate. With constant temperature and humidity, your gunpowder will remain the same as when you bought it.
Rules for storing gunpowder indoors. Sealed factory containers do not guarantee the complete safety of cartridges, since they also tend to get damp. A temperature difference, for example, from +15 to +25 degrees, leads to the formation of condensate on the surface of a tin container, which subsequently lends itself to corrosion. Cold metal is most likely to form condensation on its surface. Therefore, proper storage of ammunition must be carried out in sealed packaging. Do not try to use oxidized cartridges, even if the formation on them is small. These rounds are likely to be useless and cause the weapon to jam or malfunction.
Can gunpowder be stored at home? Not always. But at home, you can achieve a constant temperature and humidity control. Storing gunpowder at home is a very responsible business. Since, first of all, gunpowder is an explosive, and at high concentrations it can explode quite unexpectedly for the owner. You have to be especially careful with smoke powder, because this type of powder is less stable than smokeless powder. It is this type of gunpowder that is used in shotgun cartridges.
How long can hunting cartridges be stored?
If there are no signs of corrosion on the cartridges, they do not overheat, do not have signs of mechanical damage and are kept in a room with a constant microclimate, then such cartridges can lie for decades.
Equipment for the proper storage of gunpowder
The best solution is to use a gun safe dehumidifier. These devices will not only dry the air and the gunpowder itself, but also maintain normal humidity. After all, the influence of too dry air is also dangerous for gunpowder and for placement in the dryer will accurately maintain the parameters you set.
Some might think that using a heat gun is the best solution, as they heat the air in the room and dehumidify it. But buying such a device for storing gunpowder will be a huge mistake. They will greatly change the temperature and dry the air, there will be a constant temperature difference. Regarding dehumidification with a heat gun – everyone knows that they dry the air a lot, but imagine what will happen to hot dry powder. It is necessary to treat this problem very scrupulously, creating a mild and correct microclimate. Only dehumidifiers are suitable for the careful storage of ammunition, because they are designed to maintain the right level of humidity and temperature.
Dehumidifier options that can be used:
Budget option – household dehumidifier and air conditioner. This is an acceptable option, but not the most convenient. A condensing type household dehumidifier will maintain the desired air humidity with minimal energy costs. But it changes the temperature in the room (it heats up during the dehumidification process), so you need to install an air conditioner for cooling. But here it is important to install an inverter air conditioner, since it will independently respond to a rise in temperature, and lower it to the desired parameters, and also due to the fact that it works to constantly maintain the temperature, which means there will be no sudden jumps. A non-inverter air conditioner works according to this principle: it turned on, cooled the room quickly and with high power, and turned off, then quickly cooled again, and turned off – due to this, a sharp jump will occur,
