A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

Many of us here like to stockpile ammo at this time because it seems to be a good investment since ammo prices are only going up. Some of us may want to sell some in the future. But I just tried that and found a problem. Ammo starts to show its age after awhile.

I asked a local dealer if he'd want to buy some of my .22 ammo. He said he'd give me $18 for each brick of Remington Thunderbolt, but not if it was starting to show signs of corrosion. Well, my ammo is all in a box in a bedroom closet, away from any of the elements. I opened a box and discovered that the shell casings are starting to darken. They aren't the bright, shiny golden color that they were when new. I guess this is what happens with age. They are about 10 years old.

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

Propper storage in an air tight container (mil ammo can) will preserve ammo for decades. Also, a dealer will rip you off just like a used car lot. Go to Gun Broker or a local gun show and you will get a premium.

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brass discolors, so what...discoloration is not corrosion...dealer is just looking to low ball you...also, rotation applies just like anything else...sell him some nice shinys minus the powder...

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What you're seeing is the brass oxidizing. Throw some oxy-absorbers in with the sealed ammo can and your ammo will be in the same condition it was in when you put it there.

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bet that tarnished ammo will go bang long after we're all gone.

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I think most people stock pile ammo in hopes to barter with it or use it post SHTF not use it as a medium of exchange before that.

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This should be next to the post " A reason not to stockpile food"!
If I ever see that post I know I better buy more food fast.

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There is still plenty of ammo from WWII that was being sold last year, and still worked fine.

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I guess I don't see your point, so what the brass is a little tarnished. Is he telling you that that makes it bad?



Hmmmmm,,,,,,




GRP

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

Rim fire ammo, esp. bulk has a tendency to have a certain % go bad as it ages because the primer is in the rim and can actually get knocked out of the rim in certain spots over time. I have a nail keg of .22 ammo that my grand dad had in his hardware store in the 50's and at this point about 3 out of 10 rounds won't fire on the first try, but if you rotate the round so that the firing pin will hit a new spot it will usually fire. Center fire ammo is a whole different ball game. If you keep it in sealed spam cans or military ammo cans it will last well over a century.I have 30-06, .303, and 8mm ammo that is over a century old at this point and have never had a misfire out of it. I have had surplus ammo that was stored badly that has had problems but, that is the exception not the rule.

That fella is trying to give you what that ammo was going for 3 years ago, screw him. that's perfectly good ammo. Its worth 30 frn's a brick now at least, maybe more depending on availability in your area.

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I don't think he is talking about darkened brass.
I think the corrosion he is referring to is the white powder that forms on old lead. Look at some old lead pistol bullets and you will see what I mean. Also sometimes brass gets that green slime corrosion if it has been in contact with tanned leather. He wouldn't be able to sell cruddy looking ammo. However, If I were you I'd sell it to me!

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Like with emergency food supplies, one must rotate ammunition, first in, first out. Further, proper storage techniques will make ammo last much longer than one decade.

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No reason to stockpile food if you have ammo.

If you have food, and I have ammo, now I have ammo AND food!:applause_

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Since I see no sarcasm in your post, it will be your type that I take great pleasure in sending on a dirt nap. You should be ashamed. Bx3

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I don't like the sound of that. The chemistry of oxygen absorbers mixed with oxidizing propellants sounds like a recipe for misfires.

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Shouldn't be a problem at all. Oxy absorbers are fine iron or iron oxide particles, maybe a wee bit of salt as an accelerator, and a bit of inert filler (to keep the reactive particles separated), and maybe (not sure about this one) some carbon particles. They're all packaged in a plastic pouch with holes to let the contents react with free atmospheric oxygen.

Your powders are encased inside the loaded round, so the two reactive materials are not in direct contact. I sort of wonder (doubt) if they even would react if mixed together at room temperature. Hmmmm... That might depend on the propellant chemistry itself (how "free" the oxygen is to being ripped from the propellant molecule by the iron or iron oxide particles).

Now if you're talking about some more "fun" materials like perchlorates or organic peroxides, then all bets are off as to room temp reactivity. Those can easily react with or be catalyzed by iron oxide or simple fuel sources like confectioner's sugar at room temp, sometimes with "exciting" results.

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That is a SHAMEFUL and FOOLISH post!!!

If you really have that attitude, you won't last!

I hope you were just being "cute." :s15:

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In the 70's my grampa gave me a few hundred rounds of .22LR from the 40's... worked fine... but he kept it in old sealed mason jars.

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What's really sad is that that will be a reality - whether we like it or not.

Food, water, medical equipment, PMs but no guns & ammo = NO PREPARATIONS.

Only a select few of us will cooperate with others on a voluntary basis. The rest will return to the law of jungle - you have it, I want it, you can't defend it, now I have it.

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

IIRC, you're a cop, right?

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

I don't think he was being cute. I think he was playing the devil's advocate.

Play a little bit of fallout 3. You don't wander the wasteland with a 50lbs bag of rice. You scavenge and kill anything that interferes.

Your reaction is the exact one that needs to hear this, because like it or not, Mike C or not, it may happen.

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

It probably will happen, I'm a realist. I think it is also realistic to think that a fair proportion of people with that type of SHTF plans will end up very dead, at the hands of people with food and guns.

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Those with a 90 day supply of food and water have a 50% chance of surviving. Most people will starve off in that time.

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This is assuming that society breaks overnight.

More likely is that things slowly go downhill in fits and starts. A lot of the people who stockpiled PMs will sell them for personal emergencies and not THE emergency. Likewise with firearms which will be tragic.

Stored food is a different scenario. We will start to see shortages of certain food items from time-to-time. Some fruits and veggies will get very expensive out of season.

How many people think they will see ration cards in their lifetime?

As it gets worse and worse there will be new laws and rules to incrementally accomodate the slide. Stuff like, no driving on Sundays to combat global warming or other such silliness.


Now if a friggin meteorite smacked the earth and we experience a year of freezing temps. Yeah, if you haven't stockpiled food then your pretty much FUBAR'd. More likely our cheese will slowly slide of the cracker.

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This is not the first time Mike C has talked about his "plan b" murder you, then steal your stuff.

http://goldismoney.info/forums/showt...89#post1674589

Problem is that if Mike C finds out who any of us are, surmises that we keep our PM's at home (if you don't hold it, you don't own it), then why should he have to wait until the SHTF to stop by your house on a foraging trip?

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You wouldn't last long around THESE parts... :36_1_30:


they have special treatment sessions for people with your stance...
in some countries they will beat up the thug, while the woman of the house boils up a large pot of rice to the sticky point...lets just say you would be marked for the rest of your life. :36_1_25:

good luck "taking what is mine".

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C'mon over Mike C.....I have a surprise for you. I make no claim to be the biggest, baddest, cat in the jungle, but trust me, there would be a hefty price to be paid for trying. I shoot for a major firearms manufacturer and instruct the SRT training for some of the local PD's dynamic entry teams (putting between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds down range annually). Care to try me out??? Funny thing is, you wouldn't know this if I hadn't told you. Wanna bet there aren't others on this board who are even more qualified than me to neutralize a potential threat and exercise a tactical option??? I would never be so bold as to call them out. I was always taught to never fear a loud-mouth in a bar, but rather, to fear the quiet man minding his own business just sipping his beer ...he's the one that'll clean your clock every time if you get uppity. Why don't you crawl back under your rock troll. Your comments sicken me. You're just another gun store commando...probably not even a cop...I'm guessing mall security guard...am I close tough guy???

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Interesting conversation, but I think the point was missed by more than a few. The dealer obviously only wants bright brass, because that is what sells. Fin. Dull brass he'd have to sell as surplus/old stock at a lower price, and with shelf space costing money .... It's not a case of him ripping anyone off. He's probably offering a decent price compared to what he buys at from wholesale .... which is probably quite a bit lower than any of us are getting it at. You can't really expect him to pay retail.

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo
 

Since I reload, I tend to keep my components apart until I really need them. That way, I can tumble the brass, re-prime it, and charge it when I need to and not fear the dreaded "aging ammo" issue. I only load around 5,000 rounds at a time, and leave the rest unassembled. However, if stored correctly (sealed ammo cans as an example), it can keep for several decades as long as you are dealing with non-corrosive ammo.

YMMV

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I thought dealers tend to shy away from buying "pre-owned" ammo, for liability issues?

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Must be a Chicago or L.A. cop.

And some wonder who will collect guns if the time comes. It'll be guys like this.

I can hear their defense now. "I was only following orders."

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I had reloads sitting out in the storage building for 10 years and they shoot just fine. I was more concerned about the stored powder and primers, also largely ignored with no precautions taken to protect them. Again all are just fine.

Thanks to this forum, I stock piled deep over a year ago, 100's of dollars worth of 9mm and 45ACP factory ammo and fully used up all my reload supplies. I just check Walmart, and nothing on the shelves and the price is double what it was a year ago.

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Makes sense to me! I'm just getting prepped to start rolling my own, and see the sense in your approach of keeping "raw materials" stored away and only combined when needed. :wavey:

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Ran a bunch through the M1 carbine.
bang, bang, bang.

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I've shot Turkish 8mm ammo from 1932-1933, and it all fired just fine. Corrosively primed as all get-out, but sure fire.

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Tarnished ammo trumps Tarnished Politicians.....

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:4_1_72::rofl::4_1_72: No argument there.

Re: A reason NOT to stockpile ammo