The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Probably been answered before but I couldn't find anything searching.

In advance of FEO visit for my renewal I wanted to find a definitive answer to how primers should be stored. Do they need to be locked up at all?

Closest I could find was the sidebar in this from the Herts Police - https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... yTwyCiHUms

Can anyone point me to the relevant bit of legislation or guidance?

Thanks

I think that this is one of those questions that have differing answers depending where you live.

Personally I keep primers and any primed cases locked in the ammo safe. On the basis you need an FAC to buy them then I feel they should be locked away as a matter of common sense and good practice.

Alan

Best to get your firearms certification department's view on it, especially as they are ones who will be inspecting at renewal.

AFAIK there is no legal requirement to keep them locked up, although you may chose to.

Considering i have thousands of rounds of S2 shotgun ammo in non-locked locations throughout the house it seems a bit redundant to put a few rifle primers in my ammo safe

I'd be wary about putting primers into a steel safe. These are a very powerful primary explosive in bulk and should they ever detonate en masse, a metal cased enclosure will increase the damage and blast effect by providing a hard containment. (Same reason as why black powder mustn't stored in metal cabinets and propellant powders of any type aren't packaged in steel cans anymore.)

For obvious reasons, primers shouldn't be stored alongside powder containers.

Laurie wrote:I'd be wary about putting primers into a steel safe. These are a very powerful primary explosive in bulk and should they ever detonate en masse, a metal cased enclosure will increase the damage and blast effect by providing a hard containment. (Same reason as why black powder mustn't stored in metal cabinets and propellant powders of any type aren't packaged in steel cans anymore.)

For obvious reasons, primers shouldn't be stored alongside powder containers.

You are doing exactly that and more when you lock ammunition in your steel gun safe so clearly it's not an issue to be concerned about. I've never heard of primers spontaneously combusting - they need impact or very high heat to set them off. If your primers do explode spontaneously in your safe you should be more concerned that your house is on fire.

Black powder is a different kettle of fish - it's an explosive. Modern ammunition contain propellants.

Having said that primers should always be kept in their original packages as they are designed to resist chain fires if somehow subjected to impact. Mine are locked up in an aluminium flight case on a shelf in my locked gun room. No FEO has ever made any noises of complaint nor made any alternative suggestions to date.

Dark Skies wrote: Black powder is a different kettle of fish - it's an explosive. Modern ammunition contain propellants.

............ and just what is the active component of a primer? Propellant or explosive?

Chapter and Verse from SAAMI.

Recommended Storage of Primers

Storage cabinets containing only primers are recommended.
These cabinets should be ruggedly constructed of lumber
at least 1” nominal thickness to delay or minimize the
transmission of heat in the event of fire. SAAMI recommends
against storing primers in sealed or pressurized containers.
Keep your storage and use area clean. Make sure the surrounding
area is free of trash or other readily combustible
materials.

Be sure your storage area is free from any possible
sources of excessive heat and is isolated from open flame,
furnaces, water heaters, etc. Do not store primers where
they can be exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid storage in
areas where mechanical or electrical equipment is in operation.
Do not store primers in the same area with solvents, flammable
gases, or highly combustible materials. Store
primers only in their original factory containers. Do not
transfer the primers from this approved container into one
which is not approved. The use of glass bottles, fruit jars,
plastic or metal containers, or other bulk containers for
primer storage is extremely hazardous.

Do not smoke in areas where primers are stored. Place
appropriate “No Smoking” signs in these areas.
Do not store primers in any area where they might be
exposed to gun fire, bullet impact, or ricochets.

Do not store primers with propellant powders or any other
highly combustible materials so as to avoid involving
primers in a fire as much as possible.
Observe all regulations regarding quantity and methods of
storing primers.

[my italics]

From:
http://www.saami.org/specifications_and ... rimers.pdf

I've never heard of primers spontaneously combusting - they need impact or very high heat to set them off

Nor have I, nor does BP do so. The reason for storage in easily fragmented wooden units / cupboards etc is to protect anyone in the vicinity of a fire, in particular firefighters entering a building on fire, from a possible explosion caused by the fire enveloping the primer storage are and its heat causing mass detonation.

It conjures up an interesting scenario in my head of householders standing outside their burning dwelling listening to possibly thousands of rounds of ammunition going off in the confines of Home Office approved steel cabinets and saying "at least my stash of primers may yet be saved, so there's that". :)

I think if storage of primers were a real issue our frequently overbearing government / police would have some official guidence laid out for us by now.

It's only fairly recently that primers can only be bought with a flourish of a FAC to close the glaring loophole of all the components required to churn out ammunition for possibly illegal manufacture for illegally held firearms. Prior to that there was little interest by the Home office.

Here's an interesting scenario............a fire starts in a downstairs room in your house, for whatever reason. The fire brigade are called, they arrive and start to put out what appears to be a routine domestic fire when a carton of 5000 primers goes off, taking out most of the windows and part of the outside wall, causing a large chunk of the roof to collapse.

What do you tell the insurance company?

Pete