Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Since PMs are up this week-end I picked up another 1K of misc rounds that I like.

I can see the day coming SOON that we can not just walk in and buy ammo with out an ID check, waiting (cooling off? :rant: ) period, watch list database or something. Also picked up 4 more 20 rnd clips for my 9mm Beretta 92FS.

I know this has been talked about here, but what is a reasonable shelf life for ammo? Anyone actually shot any (10-15.....20 yr) old stuff?

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Good question....I'm interested too....

Where's Rev or Wallew?

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

i've been shooting up ammo i bought in the early 80s with no problems at all. ww2 ammo is still available and is being used by target shooters.
kept cool and dry good modern ammo can last decades.i date every box i buy and keep them in ammo cans and rotate my supply by shooting my oldest ammo first.
also have beretta 92fs's and 20 and 30 round aftermarket mags and you should definitely make sure they all fit and function reliably in yours.pmi and triple k have been my best and usa magazines have been the worst.
a beretta factory 20 rounder will be hard to find and pricy but gunbroker.com usually have some on auction.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Modern ammo - shelf life is probably longer than your lifetime unless you do something foolish like spray it with WD40.

Store it cool and dry and it should be fine

I guess some of the powders could start breaking down - but that'll be after you're dead and gone.

A good bit of WW2 stuff will still fire fine and much of that stuff had corrosive primers.

Powders and primers are so much better from say the sixties on - that I would not be concerned

As long as you avoid corrosive primers - stuff going back to the fifties and sixties is still fine today

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

I fire 55 year old ammo in my CZ52 WITHOUT any issues whatsoever.

But, like has been said, if you DO shoot milsurp ammo, you need to be aware of things to look for.

Bulging cases, primers backing out or loose bullets are all signs that the ammo was not store properly.

Kept cool and dry, in properly dried cases, can last for many decades.

You can find milsurp ammo on the web.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

I bought a couple cases of shotgun shells from a gun store going out of business in the mid 70's.....every now and then, I shoot a few. Never had a misfire, and these sat in the original cardboard case in my basement under less than ideal conditions for years.

I suspect as long as you keep it dry, and away from oils, it will outlast you.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

I've shot a lot of 20- and 30-year old milsurp with no problems. As long as it was stored reasonably well and you are mindful of what Wallew noted above, the age of the ammo shouldn't be a problem. We shot up some shotgun shells my dad had been storing in his closet since the late 1960s and early 1970s with no problems last year. I've heard of people shooting ammo that dated to the late 1800s. If kept properly, the age of ammo shouldn't be a problem.

Note on those 60s/70s shells my father had: My father had asked a cop he met at a diner what he could do with old ammo, thinking there was some way to turn it in and have it disposed of. The cop told him not to even try, that the procedure was so paperwork intensive and he'd be treated with such suspicion that he'd have to be crazy to go through it. It took me several weeks to talk my father into giving me the shells. He just couldn't believe 30-year-old ammo wouldn't be a problem.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

As the others here (who beat me to it :wink: ) said - the shelf life is basically longer than your shelf life - as long as you keep it dry.

But - for the record - a couple of years ago I called some gun stores and asked them the same question..........no one knew!

So, being a professional pain-in-the-ass.......I actually spent a few horus on the phone and called Winchester (just them cause I had their number) and asked them.

They told me the same thing you've heard here - how ammo from World War 2 still works fine........

So not only have you heard this from those here - you've heard it (granted, 3rd hand) from the second hand who talked to the first hand who makes ammo!!

Cheers!

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

A friend came out with a bunch of WWII .45 for plinking. Maybe 5% didn't fire.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Two years ago, I did target practice with some cheap 22 ammo that I purchased on sale in the early 1970s and then stored in dry places but with no other special precautions. I had one misfire out of several hundred rounds. I would guess that it might be better to worry about other issues instead! :coolbeer:

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

we found some 45-70s from ~1910 (they sold them in 5 round metal tins back then). all 5 fired fine.

if you really want to make sure they last a long time just vacuum seal it in bags.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Corrosive primers do not shorten shelf life. In fact, many of them are more shelf and field stable than what we have now. "Corrosive" simply means that the priming compound uses hygroscopic salts that attract water--and that together your barrel is much more likely to begin rusting in as little as a few hours after shooting if you don't wash them out. The Soviets had large deposits of chromium, and used it to line their barrels, rendering them much more resistant to corrosion.

The reason they are more stable has to do with the requirements imposed on modern primers: Most of the lead poisoning risk isn't from the bullet, but from lead styphenate in the primer. Other older primers had mercury compounds. So-called "green" primers aren't as toxic, but they also aren't as stable or reliable.


This is a good "primer" on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_cap

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Get some of those 30 and/or 50 cal surplus ammo cans. For a little added protection, throw in 1 or 2 of those little moisture packets that come in vitamin or pill bottles. Then find a nice, cool dry place such as a closet to store them. You definitely don't want to store your ammo where it can get direct exposure to moisture or any place that sees wide swings in temperature.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

GD,
Well, you just shot probably about $100 worth of ammo in those five shots. If you had the tin it came in, then at least double that amount.

OK, I didn't make this clear. If it's REALLY OLD ammo, say pre-WWII, take it to a gun show, look for the guy selling ammo and ask him how much. If you don't feel you got a straight answer, email me. I'll respond, generally within 48 hours (I do get out every once and a while, tho not often).

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

i am the guy at the gun show selling the ammo, and the guns, and the reloading supplies. we shot it just to see if it would still fire. and don't worry, i have some more.

:bull-smile:

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

I believe it kills the primer.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

WD 40 does INDEED get into the primer. It gets into everything, so DO NOT use WD 40 on your weapon because of this reason.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Since .22lr is loosey goosey in the case it tends to degrade faster than other ammo. I don't know if it is oxidation or moisture getting in but you can spare yourself some of this trouble by keeping it sealed in an airtight ammo can with a dessicant pack, which is a good practice with any other ammo too. Quite a bit of milsurp and Russian ammo is available ready to go already sealed in an air and water tight tin straight from the factory.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

Mercury from some old primeing compounds can degrade the brass over time. I bought some French 30-06 surplus from the early 1950's a few years ago. VERY dangerous stuff!!! The first round fired had a hairline crack that I missed, the second blew gas everywhere and had almost split in two.

Re: Shelf Life of Ammo
 

I'd throw some dessicant (crystalized silica gel) in there to be sure. Any trapped air could still contain humidity that could be absorbed by the ammo.