.22 LR saftey question

[bsctov]

I have a box of 15-20 year old CCI .22 LR rounds here and I was just curious if its safe to handle them due to being so old. They won't just randomly go off on me if i carry em around and whatnot will they? Sorry, I'm a newbie.

*Safety, cant edit the topic..

 

[8830]

Just because they are old doesn't mean they are defective. I'm sure they will be fine.

 

[edelbrock]

I have some that are older than that. They carry and shoot fine.

 

[SaxonPig]

Ammo will never just go off. There must be some outside influence, such as extreme heat or the primer being struck to fire a cartridge. Very old ammo can deteriorate with age but it doesn't become dangerous, just less likely to fire or fire properly.

And it generally takes longer than 15-20 years for ammo to be affected by age. About 10 years ago I bought some military surplus rifle ammo stamped 1937 (so about 60 years old at the time) and I suffered so many misfires I finally gave up on it. Who knows how or where that ammo was stored over the decades. Could have spent time in a hot warehouse or in tropical humidity or may have been exposed to oil that contaminated the primers. Sometimes ammo even older works fine.

Also, rim fire ammo contains the primer within the case so it's even less likely to suffer the primer problems that center fire ammo can.

Carry and shoot your CCI stuff without worry.

 

[sgt127]

30 years ago, I bought a case (5000 rounds) of .22 Wildcats. Dumped all the individual boxes in a 50 cal ammo can. Shot a bunch of it and then it got lost somewhere in the garage of my parents house. It enjoyed 25 plus years of sitting in the garage through 105 degree Texas summers and 25 degree winters. Just found it about a year ago. Some of the bullets where stuck together where the wax lube has melted. Out of the 1000 or so rounds I have fired recently, I think I may have had one or two duds.

I don't think you will have any problem. Certainly not dangerous. Just listen for a "poop" intstead of a "pop" and check the barrel for a squib....

 

[SaxonPig]

Yes, good point. Be aware that there is one BIG danger in spoiled ammo. A "squib" round might lodge a bullet in the barrel and the next shot ruins the barrel or the whole gun. I did in a 4" Python this way about 25 years ago.

 

[BCCL]

Short of any signs of something blatantly wrong with it, go for it. Last week I fired 200 rounds of .22lr that was 1993 and 1994 manufacture. Every round went bang just fine.

 

[Meeteetse]

Collected a huge stockpile of .22 ammo when I shot competitively back in the 60's and 70's. Still works fine today. I have the occasional misfire, but I have those with fresh ammo. Don't worry about it. The biggest concern is what SaxonPig mentioned. A squib that doesn't exit the barrel. You can often hear the difference. If something sounds odd, stop shooting and check that your bore is clear before you continue shooting. I've seen .22's with 4 or 5 slugs stuck in the barrel. Keep this in mind and enjoy your shooting.

 

[22-rimfire]

Ammo should not be a problem. I visited my parents recently and brought back with me a brick from 1979. Yep, good old Federal 510's just like are loaded today.

 

[rcmodel]

How about 1949?

I'm shooting .22 WRF ammo at least that old.

It's better then the new stuff Winchester & CCI are making now.

rc

 

[Quiet]

If stored properly, modern ammo will last about a 100 years.

I still shoot .30-06 made in the 1940-50s, .30Carbine made in the 1960-70s and .22LR from the 1970-80s. All of it is DCM/CMP surplus ammo.

 

[verdun59]

I've shot 45 year old ammo without ant problem. Never heard of spontaneous ignition.

 

[Confederate]

Twenty-year-old ammo is still as fresh as the morning breeze. I've got ammo that old in my supply and it's still "new." Of course, I haven't subjected it to extreme heat or moisture, but heat, I think, is the greatest enemy of almost anything. And moisture comes along second. Still, most factory ammo is sealed fairly well against moisture. There are people who have 20-year old primers and powder and they work just fine.

I've got some reloaded ammo that someone gave me with my ancient reloading equipment and I won't shoot it because I don't know who loaded it or anything about it. I also don't know how to get rid of it, so if anyone knows, please say so. I don't feel comfortable just throwing it away.

 

[toivo]

If something sounds odd, stop shooting and check that your bore is clear before you continue shooting.

Might go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Don't look down the barrel to check! If it was a hangfire, you might end up shooting yourself in the eye. Instead, wait about a half a minute with the gun pointed in a safe direction. Then unload the rifle and clear the chamber. Next, either shine a borelight from the breech end and see if light shines out of the muzzle, or run a wooden dowel through the bore to see if it meets any obstruction. With a bolt-action rifle, you can remove the bolt and run the dowel from the breech. Otherwise, run it from the muzzle. (You can use a cleaning rod, but be careful not to damage the muzzle crown if you're running from the muzzle.) Do not fire any gun that may have an obstructed barrel!

I've shot 45 year old ammo without ant problem.

You must have some really hungry ants where you live. The ones around here don't go for ammo.

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

It's probably dangerous, you should just give them all to me

 

[jad0110]

I also don't know how to get rid of it, so if anyone knows, please say so. I don't feel comfortable just throwing it away.

Most police departments will dispose of it. Or, you could just soak the ammo in WD40 or lye for a week and just throw them away.

 

[Nicodemus38]

use it. it will be very fun to use. You might get one or two that are harder to fire. but heres the thing ive found.
the most accurate ammunition i have is 23 year old federal and winchester super x, and some remington solids. For some reason they just have a higher velocity then the new production does, and are more accurate.