[colemanw]

Just curious of the shelf life of my ammo.

Its all, .22lr, .38, .357m, .44m, .45ACP, 30-30, 270

Arid climate, stored in an insulated garage inside surplus ammo cans.

10years, 20, 50?

Thanks in advance-

[dave from mesa]

Not sure about the 22lr but the rest should last 30-40+ yrs easy if kept cool and dry.

[ArchAngelCD]

Aren't we still shooting surplus ammo from WWII? That should tell you what you need to know.

[colemanw]

where can you get WWII surplus? i think id like to try that... korea and nam era too.

[2RCO]

Some of the newer primers thanks to using more "green" formulations may not last as long as older ammo which basically lasts forever if stored properly. I would guess that your ammo will still be functional long after your shooting days are over.

[Mojo-jo-jo]

I regularly shoot ammo made in Turkey in 1942. It hasn't been in sealed cans since 1998. It shoots just fine.

Ammo lasts indefinitely as long as you keep it cool and dry.

[Gewehr98]

I shot a few rounds of ancient .45 Government headstamped .45-70 ammo, dating back to 1900 if not earlier. It was BP loaded, and went "Boom" when I shot it from my Ruger #1S, sounding very much like my own BP .45-70 handloads.

I've got a goodly amount of .30 U.S. Army ammo, aka .30-40 Krag, still in the original military boxes and dated to 1902. I'm going to take a few of those out to the range one of these days for some testing...

So if it's kept well, there's no reason ammo won't last a very long time.

[coloradokevin]

I have shot through a few hundred rounds of 8mm Mauser ammo that was loaded in the 1930's (1935 or 1939, can't recall which right now).

Anyway, all of it went "bang" like it is supposed to, and it was even reasonably accurate.

[ArchAngelCD]

Gewehr98,
Wow, and I thought the stuff from WWII was saying something. I'm quite impressed with your ammo from the turn of the last Century.

[Lon371]

Right up to the time you squeeze the trigger.;]

sorry couldnt resist
Lonny

[upjeeper]

i guess one could get some desiccant, put it into an ammo box, seal it up and leave it for YEARS, eh?...

[Marlin 45 carbine]

kept dry and shielded from over 100d F temps will last for at least 50 yrs. even at over 100d it would take some time for it to deteriorate much.

[Geneseo1911]

the correct answer is: longer than you, so don't worry about it. As long as it doesn't get wet, it will outlast the guns designed to fire it.

[moooose102]

if you are over 21, the ammo will outlast you! provided it is stored decently. it will loose some fps over the years, but it will certainly go boom when touched off.

[The Bushmaster]

"How long will ammo last?" :confused:

Until you shoot it...:D

[223man]

Back somewhere around '95, I chronographed some Rock Island Arsenal 30-06 1945 vintage ammo (appropriately enough) in a M1 Garand.

The chrono'd velocity was within 50 FPS of specification.

Considering all the variables in the situation, that was pretty good.

It must be said that the ammo was properly stored (cool stable temperature, dry environment) for most of those years.

[tango2echo]

I shot some Winchester .22lr ammo recently from the 1960's. Stored properly, I would say a century.

I use a foodsaver to vaccum pack bricks or .22lr and boxes of ammo. Then I put them in .50 cal ammo cans.

T2E

[tango2echo]

Double Post

[Peter M. Eick]

I have shot 1930's vintage 38/44 ammo and have 3 boxes of it that I will test the next nice day.

Old ammo is fine if it is stored under reasonable conditions. It is the storage that matters not the age.

[Davionmaximus]

O a looooonnnngggg time (:

[1SOW]

52? years ago, I "TAPED" a Japanese rifle cartridge to the end of my BB gun.

I fired and so did the cartridge. The BB gun still shot, but not straight.
I could still sit down, but not quickly after my uncle got done with me.

A few years later, I fired some really old paper 12 gage kept in a drawer by my grandmother. The shells were a tight fit in her old double barrel. The rabbit and squirrels were good.

[MaterDei]

I have shot 1930's vintage 38/44 ammo and have 3 boxes of it that I will test the next nice day.


Holy cow, Peter. Days don't get much nicer than today he in SE Texas. A bit windy, I suppose but what a day!

[GaryL]

A little over a year ago a civil war cannon ball killed a collector

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24441427/

A couple years earlier another on went off

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=87063

[The Bushmaster]

Is that what they mean when they say..."The South will rise again"?

[22lr]

I shoot 8mm from 1942 goes bang every time.