Storing propellant used in reloading

I recently encountered the idea of using "beverage coolers" to store the kinds of propellants used for reloading ammunition.

Several advantages were cited.

They are cheap and can often be found for less than $5 at yard-sales, often MUCH less.

They have lids that "blow off" which greatly reduces the risk of an explosion in the event of a run-away thermal event due to the powder going wonky. It very rarely happens but it is memorable when it does.

They reduce the temperature extremes experienced by the contents. High temperature leads to issues with the repeatability of the propellant's performance and, theoretically, can impact its chemical stability.

The propellant can be stored with dehydrating agents like the desiccant silica gel (or fresh Plaster of Paris powder or cornmeal/rice you toasted in the microwave to dry it out) if you are concerned about H2O interacting with your propellant.

But that's not all...

Burn-rate chart. This one from Hodgdon. The order will vary slightly from one version to another.

One of the classic "reloader's errors" is to mistakenly grab a powder with a similar name but a grossly different burn-rate. An example would be Accurate Arms #7 and Reloader 7. If you use the first in a recipe calling for the second then very, very bad things will happen.

Having multiple coolers and segregating by powder burn-rate can add one more layer of protection against that error.

 

For example one could have one cooler designated for "Fast pistol/shotgun powders"

Another for Medium-fast pistol, 20 gauge and heavy 12 gauge powders

Heavy autoloader pistols and heaviest shotgun loads

 

 

Magnum pistol and small rifle powders

 

 

Small-to-medium rifle powders.

 

 

Medium-to-heavy rifles and light (rifle) Magnum powders

The idea is to separate similar-name-different-burn-rate powders to reduce the error of grabbing the wrong powder. There is the secondary benefit of reducing the consequences of grabbing a different-powder-with-very-different-name.

The powders within a category are NOT interchangeable but if you happened to grab the wrong powder within-a-category you are very likely to get a softer failure-mode. You might have a cartridge that is difficult to extract rather than shrapnel exploding inches from your face. On the other end of the mismatch you will get a lower muzzle-velocity but are unlikely to get a bullet stuck in your barrel or a delayed ignition.

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Some reloaders error-proof by using very few powders. For example some reloaders suggest that you could survive with just Alliant Unique and Hodgdon Varget powders (or a similar spread in burn-rates). The Unique is a flake powder while the Varget is an extruded powder looks like tiny beer-cans. You can tell by FEEL as well as by sight if you are using the right powder.

The third technology in powder manufacturing is "spherical" or "ball" powders. If you felt a need for a slower-burning powder than Varget for your magnums or for the heaviest bullets in your 6.5mm Creedmoor you could add a spherical powder like Ramshot Hunter or Accurate MagPro to maintain the ability to discriminate visually and/or by feel.