How long are primers good for use if stored correctly

Status
Not open for further replies.
ACES&8S

ACES&8S

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2017
Messages
1,133
Location
Virginia
I have primers of all types from Federal, Rem, CCI, and a few other types.
I think the oldest are from 2004 maybe 2002 which during testing for loads they
perform flawlessly so I load them for 20 to 50 rounds of shoot em up type loads.
I finally ran into a failure from 2009. WOLF primers, yea I know they aren't top
quality or even close. But this one lot I bought during a primer drought by politics.
I seldom ever used them anyway but the first lot# was all I used to load & shoot
which worked well until the other day. This different lot were not brass colored like
the other Wolf primers they were silver, they went off like an old black powder
hammer rifle. So i have dumped the whole lot of 1,100 of them. No big deal considering
they are Wolf.
But this made me wonder, how long are primers really -loadable- if stored in a
controlled environment????
Mine are well taken care of but the Wolf are just defective from the date June 2009.
 
I ended up with some Remington small rifle primers which were, at the time, 60 years old. They were packed in their original containers, but beyond that, I have no idea how they had been stored. They all functioned, and the rounds I chronographed were exactly in line with my expectations. I probably would not use such things for self defense or the hunt of a lifetime, but otherwise...
 
Only can say that 40 year old Large Pistol Magnum primers perform as new. I've used 60 year old small pistol primers that were given to me and they were fine. Anything in the 2000's and later are not old. They, like you mentioned,stored properly, have an indefinite life. I think primers can outlive a reloader??
 
Decades.
I've shot 38spl reloads from the late 40's. Now only half went off, but they had been stored in the garage in hot and humid east texas.
 
Decades.

I have only recently finished shooting up some SPP that I purchased during the Clinton Regime. The first Clinton Regime. (That would be early 90s for all y'all yoots out there.) Not a single misfire.

I still have 1000s of LPP from the same time frame.

BTW, I remember choking with rage in 1994, being limited to 5 trays of primers (who buys primers by the tray?), and having to pay $1.60/100.
$16/K for primers ? Outrageous!

I vowed then and there to never be caught short again. And I never have been.
 
I'm using some Winchester primers this week that are marked "1993". They were stored for 10 years in a rental storage area that was basically open to all temp and humidity changes during that time. The 1K packs were stacked into a corrugated cardboard box sitting on a damp concrete floor. I have not had a single misfire.
 
rfwobbly said:
I'm using some Winchester primers this week that are marked "1993". They were stored for 10 years in a rental storage area that was basically open to all temp and humidity changes during that time. The 1K packs were stacked into a corrugated cardboard box sitting on a damp concrete floor. I have not had a single misfire.
Click to expand...
That is a pretty good testimony.
 
Very hard to kill primers. Soak in water for a week. Dry in hot summer sun for another week. Primers fire normal.

Oil & WD 40 most times will not deaden them in a short period of time.

These old ones, given to me, worked well in 357 mag back on the first shortage.
full.jpg

As a general rule, try to use components before they reach their 10th birthday. (From Federal)
 
I have some ammo my father reloaded in the 70s and some military ammo that is older, that all works fine. These are calibers I only shoot occasionally, which were my fathers and not ones I am intererested in reloading, so using the old ammo allows me to shoot them and clean them from time to time.

As long as ammo, primers and powders are stored correctly, they should work as designed. I have heard stories of issues withh ammo, primers and powders, but usually it is because they were not kept dry and cool. If you shoot often, the older inventroy should be depleted and reloaded every few years, keeping things fresh
 
ACES&8S said:
I think the oldest are from 2004 maybe 2002 which during testing for loads they
perform flawlessly so I load them for 20 to 50 rounds of shoot em up type loads.
I finally ran into a failure from 2009. WOLF primers, yea I know they aren't top
quality or even close.
Click to expand...
Primers from 2002 are mere babies, and in general Wolf makes excellent primers, 99.9% of primer failures are loader error. My oldest primers (Very few) are from the 60s or 70's.
 
The reason there were 1,100 Wolf to set aside-not dump any more- is because I made 400 Wolf S/R
for an AR 15 weekend along with lots of others in Wolf L/R for AR10. We never had a misfire or
delay in the bunch, plus as far as accuracy the reloads outdid the factory by a mile.
But when a single tray fails, it makes doubt set in about all the rest with the same lot #.
So instead of destroying them I have set them aside with a doubt note attached + destroyed
the tray that failed so badly.
 
Another note is I bought a whole reload outfit from a family who had everything set aside for
years in a closet.
Today it would be a bounty of luck, with couple thousand brass 357 & same in 38 spl plus about
500 = 44 mag & 44 spl.
This part relates to the thread, there were over 300 LOADED 357 mag and another 200 38 spl.
Even had all the notes about when loaded= 1984 to 1987 & with what, may have took pics
not sure.
Had to try of course, tried a few of the 357 & quit because they were just bouncing off the range
dirt & rolling toward the target. Afraid one would stop in the barrel I just pulled the rest.
The primers went off ok but the powder weakened, maybe due to some previous bad storage
in some other place.
 
Pretty much for a lifetime unless they are on Noah's Arc out in the ocean.:uhoh:

Lifetime=your lifetime
 
ACES&8S said:
I have primers of all types from Federal, Rem, CCI, and a few other types.
I think the oldest are from 2004 maybe 2002 which during testing for loads they
perform flawlessly so I load them for 20 to 50 rounds of shoot em up type loads.
I finally ran into a failure from 2009. WOLF primers, yea I know they aren't top
quality or even close. But this one lot I bought during a primer drought by politics.
I seldom ever used them anyway but the first lot# was all I used to load & shoot
which worked well until the other day. This different lot were not brass colored like
the other Wolf primers they were silver, they went off like an old black powder
hammer rifle. So i have dumped the whole lot of 1,100 of them. No big deal considering
they are Wolf.
But this made me wonder, how long are primers really -loadable- if stored in a
controlled environment????
Mine are well taken care of but the Wolf are just defective from the date June 2009.
Click to expand...
Were they lead free by any chance?
 
I have primers I got from a buddy whose neighbor died - they were from the 60s and stored in an old wooden ammo box in the garage in GA. Been using them ever since without a single issue. Also got about 15 pounds of assorted powder at the same time from him (most still factory sealed). It all works great.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Cci 450
Replies
6
Views
589
rcmodel
R
G
  • Locked
Wolf primers availability?
Replies
7
Views
485
Mike 27
M
A
  • Locked
Wolf SR Primers from Wideners
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
GLOOB
G
MetalMan52
  • Locked
Wolf primers
Replies
16
Views
677
bluewater
B
O
  • Locked
Wolf NCLPM (lg. pistol mag.) primer problems?
Replies
2
Views
342
OrangePwrx9
O
Back
Top