Thread: Gunpowder Storage - Residential laws

So I have just signed a new tenancy agreement for a house today and came across the clause below;


"The tenant agrees neither to keep nor store any heating device or fuel for the same in or about the premises nor to store any potentially
combustible substance in on or about the premises unless the storage complies with the Dangerous Goods Regulations 1976. The
tenant agrees not to do anything that would render the premises uninsurable, or cause the insurance premium to be increased."


I reload and generally have at least 2 or 3kg of powder on hand. I also plan to have a workshop in the garage and will be storing several different solvents and flammable liquids (small quantities totaling most likely less than 10L)

I cant for the life of me find any dangerous goods regulations relating to residential storage and my understanding was that below certain quantities (I believe petrol for example to be less than 15L) there are no special storage requirements.

So does anyone know anything about this subject? Can you point me in the direction of some guidelines or regulations?

I do not plan on buying a certified dangerous goods cabinet but I will be doing what I reasonably can to store it safely (locked and labeled cabinets away from ignition sources, fire extinguishers nearby etc) and as far as I can tell currently, that will be well within the storage requirements of the Dangerous Goods Regs

Thanks for any advice

I believe powder is no more explosive than lawnmower petrol, or less volitile. My insurance company does not mind, I'm sure this goes for near all home owners that reload.
Two options.... Explain to landlord get him to tell insurance company, he may moan anyway
Or say nothing as you don't need a dangerous goods licence, there probably is some kind of limit, a few kg won't matter.
Sorry I don't have exact figures or details.

very interesting.... iv wondered this but never got around to looking into it. At one point my corner of the garage must have had 80 litres or more of various fuels/solvents. plus spare lpg bottles, then a shit ton of powder and fireworks..... would have been spectacular to see it go up at night time!

FishnHunt - New Zealands Famous Hunting and Fishing Forum Since 1995 - Rifle powder storage.

I had my insurance company throw a wobbly when the were at my house for another reason and saw my reloading set up in the spare room. Had to move everything to the outside shed more than (can't remember) metres from the residence.

You can legally have 15kg of smokeless propellant powder in your house. It is much safer to store it in a cupboard where the temperature never gets too hot (cool is good) BUT NOT in a tightly enclosed container like a safe. Powder burns briefly in an open space and the factory containers are designed to burst open readily to allow this - they do NOT explode in a fire. If your powder is stored in a strong enclosed container and there is a serious fire then it will act just like it does in a cartridge! Black powder is an explosive and will explode in a fire. Somewhere outside the house (eg: a DRY garden shed) is better for black powder, and in small quantities. Smokeless powder and loaded ammunition are much safer than many normal household products. Hairspray is probably the most dangerous in a fire as it explodes with a massive fireball (20-30 feet in diameter). I did a series of controlled tests of all such things many years ago for a Court case after the Police found some smokeless powder after a search. My test results stunned the Court and showed that powder was the most benign of the flammable substances tested.

Originally Posted by gundoc

You can legally have 15kg of smokeless propellant powder in your house. It is much safer to store it in a cupboard where the temperature never gets too hot (cool is good) BUT NOT in a tightly enclosed container like a safe. Powder burns briefly in an open space and the factory containers are designed to burst open readily to allow this - they do NOT explode in a fire. If your powder is stored in a strong enclosed container and there is a serious fire then it will act just like it does in a cartridge! Black powder is an explosive and will explode in a fire. Somewhere outside the house (eg: a DRY garden shed) is better for black powder, and in small quantities. Smokeless powder and loaded ammunition are much safer than many normal household products. Hairspray is probably the most dangerous in a fire as it explodes with a massive fireball (20-30 feet in diameter). I did a series of controlled tests of all such things many years ago for a Court case after the Police found some smokeless powder after a search. My test results stunned the Court and showed that powder was the most benign of the flammable substances tested.

I would love to have seen those tests....But only because I would get into trouble if I tried them myself.....

Originally Posted by timattalon

I would love to have seen those tests....But only because I would get into trouble if I tried them myself.....

@timattalon Nah mate just do it

Interesting.
At the start of the season I may have more than 15 kg of powder.

I store 15 kg is one detached building and the balance in another - so that there is no more than 15 kg in one building at one time.

Of course this doesn't could powder loaded into cases, sometimes there can be up to 6 kg in cases with primers and projectiles.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

@timattalon Nah mate just do it

Or not.

Teach that plane to fly so low....looks well hit with luck its full of press looking for there next misspelt, wrong facts story, record that reloading bench should be ok though