What's the oldest ammo you've shot?

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Lots of 8mm on this thread.

I'll add mine. I have some 8mm in the German marked boxes from 1938. They all go boom at the right time.

The boxes are brownish cardboard for whatever that's worth. They're marked with German writing, the only word I remembe is "patronen" at the moment.
 
1960's .308

and i shot a box of surplus .30-06 thru a garand without checking the headstamp ......1917 so wwI i found it in the barn and didnt think twice about it, shot great
 
1954 my bud and i ordered Trap Door Springfields along with Spanish- American war 45-70 rounds at a penny each! They were in bees wax covered boxes of 20 rds. and about one in five was a dud. Did we have fun shooting gar fish at the local creek in the summer when they were gulping air-OH YEAH! Sold the rifle for $25 later on when I was almost 16 and could not get cheap rounds anymore. Was I brillant or what? I'm 68 and still have not learned. Back then-What Gun Controll Act? The gun came in on Railway Express which no one under the age of 60 knows about! I'm 68.
 
I still have some Eley 12 ga. of my father's from the '50s that I shoot. And lots of '60s Greek HXP .30-06. No problems with either.

Tinpig
 
Just noticed I have some .30-06 AP headstamped DEN 43 in a bandolier.
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I have a couple of boxes of that. AP to boot.

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I'll probably just hold on to it. ;)
 
Don't know the exact year it was made, but found a bunch of mixed .22 loose rounds that had fallen down inside a hollow false mantel. CBs, shorts, longs, LRs, all mixed with bills and coins going back to the 1920s. Everything worked.

I've found older stuff but I didn't fire it. I picked up some boxes of .38 S&W and .41rf in some auction lot boxes, which didn't fit anything I had. I also found three rounds of .45-75 in a chopped-up '76 Winchester. These went along with what remained of the gun. I've found other old, loaded guns, but none that I was willing to fire as-found.

The oldest non-surplus ammo I have right now is one last box of Federal Hi-Power .22 Longs, probably from around 1960. I used up the other three boxes about 11 years ago. Again, it all worked, no misfires.
 
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As a kid (early 70's) I helped a local gunshop owner reroof his house.

He paid me cash and as a bonus he gave me ~ 2k of FA 18 and RA 17 .30-06.

The stuff had ALOT of green stuff growing on it but went off 95% of the time in my M1917.

I found some of it in the early 90's when helping my parents move, it still went off 80% of the time (in the same M1917).
 
My grandfather had some .45 ACP in his shed that dated back to WWII that he gave me. Some of it was tarnished green. I would sit in front of the TV with fine sandpaper and sand it off very lightly.
At the time (early 90s) I had a Colt Commander Lightweight. I went out in my father-in-law's field to fire it. First one fired, second one didn't. When I ejected the round and inspected it, the casing was split down the side. I found the brass from the first round and it too was split. Scared the heck out of me.
I think that ammo will last a long time if kept in a climate controlled environment but I will never shoot any again that has been kept in a shed.
 
My VFW post has 8 like new 03's and 6 like new M1's. They were given to the Post when it was chartered in 1947. I have kept very close watch on them for the past 30 years and keep them under my lock and key.
 
I don't know how old this is but I shot some a couple weeks ago. No problem at all. Anybody have a guess to age. I would guess 50's.

IMG_0807.gif
 
Check the headstamp. My guess would be 1930s (since I have a box just like that).
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There is some letters and the number 43. So I guess 1943? That would be quite coincidental since one of my Dads 1911's was made in 1943. I wonder if this was the original ammo the army gave him with his side arm?
 
Found this on the internet by typing in Evansville Ordnance Plant that's on the box.

Located in Evansville, IN this plant was operated by the Chrysler Corp. from 1942 to 1944 and produced billions of rounds of caliber 45 and caliber 30 carbine ammunition. Most cases were made of steel using the EC headstamp. This plant also loaded ammunition using cases made at the Sunbeam Refrigerator Plant, also at Evansville, IN, with ECS headstamp.
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There is some letters and the number 43. So I guess 1943? That would be quite coincidental since one of my Dads 1911's was made in 1943. I wonder if this was the original ammo the army gave him with his side arm?
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Cool. Best hang onto the rest of it.

Shoot the gun, save the ammo. You can probably trade it to an ammo collector for a decent amount of blasting ammo.
 
Cool. Best hang onto the rest of it.

Shoot the gun, save the ammo. You can probably trade it to an ammo collector for a decent amount of blasting ammo.
Click to expand...

Sorry to get too far off topic but........... I think my plan is retire my Dads two 1911's and buy me a "new" 1911. Cant make up my mind what to get. Im leaning toward a Taurus with the built-in rail. I also looked at the S&W though. Price is an issue. Kimber is too expensive for me right now.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program.
 
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