ammo shelf life

[OLDE RETIRED COASTIE]

Hey guys, I have come across a box of 45-70 I loaded for a Marlin 1895, back in 1983 when I was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. I do not have that gun anymore, but do have one of the Henrys in 45-70. Think there would be any problem to shoot it? Does ammo have a shelf life?
Does reloaded ammo have a different shelf life than factory ammo?
This ammo was not loaded hot or anything , and was safe in that Marlin .

 

[Lo-Profile]

Depends on how it was stored.
I have ammo at least that old that was stored in a ammo box with moisture absorbent. It's perfectly fine

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Hey guys, I have come across a box of 45-70 I loaded for a Marlin 1895, back in 1983 when I was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. I do not have that gun anymore, but do have one of the Henrys in 45-70. Think there would be any problem to shoot it? Does ammo have a shelf life?
Does reloaded ammo have a different shelf life than factory ammo?
This ammo was not loaded hot or anything , and was safe in that Marlin .

Your questions are a little too general for a yes or no answer. It’s all just sorta maybe. The only way to know if that ammo has aged well and is safe is to select a couple of samples, open them up and examine the contents. Removing the bullet is easy - either use an inertial hammer or a collet puller - and dump the powder onto a piece of white paper. If it’s clumped or stinks like smelling salt it’s no good. Look inside the case for green rust - verdigris - and if you see any, the case is no good, either. If it’s all good, put the same powder back and reseat the bullet. Then go Chootum. If one is no good then the odds are none of them are good. Take them apart and salvage what you can and toss the rest.

 

[Blue68f100]

Powder is the main component that goes bad over time. All powder is different in how it ages including the same powder from a different lot. I've shot many rounds of ammo I loaded in the 70's and 80's without any problems. I have also had to break down and dispose of powder that went bad. I like keeping small lots of the powder used to check for powder breakdown. Soon as I see this starting to happen, I will break a few rounds down and check. If good, I make it a point to shoot them up or break them all down to save the components. I've broken some ammo down that looked like new from the outside, the inside was a different story.

Bottom like is you need to break a few down and check for the powder going bad. If good shoot them up. If bad break them down and salvage what you can.

 

[Cacas ex Fortuna]

The US Army rotates their ammo supply after 30 years. The rounds are sold at auction, and broken up and sold to the public.
This is why I only store components, not loaded rounds. The powder in the plastic bottles will last forever when not in a brass case where it will gain moisture.
Same with primers. I have cases of 30 cal primers when they were $79 per 5000! Still in their boxes, safe from moisture.

 

[Kaldor]

If properly cared for, loaded ammo could last forever. Humidity is the real killer. It can cause the bullets to weld themselves to the brass, galvanic corrosion is the term if I remember right. It can cause massive pressure spikes. Ive seen F-class shooters batch out ammo, but leave the bullets seated long to do a final seating just prior to shooting to break this seal. Powder is also affected by humidity, and the other gents above elaborated on.

The question is often raised, how much do you need on hand? It all depends on how much you shoot. I generally batch out ammo in lots of 500 or 1000 rounds over the winter, and try to shoot it up within a year. Thats still plenty of stuff on hand for a good time. Its just easier for me to store reloading components as @Cacas ex Fortuna eluded to but also gives me flexibility if I need to change something with a reload.

 

[GBExpat]

... The only way to know if that ammo has aged well and is safe is to select a couple of samples, open them up and examine the contents. ...

Bottom like is you need to break a few down and check for the powder going bad. If good shoot them up. If bad break them down and salvage what you can.

Quite a few of the folks here think nothing of shooting ammunition that is twice that old, or more (especially we who loaded up on cheap milsurp ammo available during an earlier Era) . The more perspicacious among that group will do as Blue68f100 and GeoDudeFlorida have suggested.

Enjoy!

 

[jmorris]

I have ammunition older than that that still shoots great and some that’s a lot younger that doesn’t. The difference is in where they were kept.

 

[243winxb]

Federal-
What’s the shelf life of ammunition?
Store reloading components and ammunition in a cool, dry place, protected from direct exposure to sunlight. If stored properly, loaded ammunition has a 10-year shelf life.

I think- Older then 10 years- If the outward appearance of the rounds look normal, fire it. Hang fires (click, bang) should not be shot. Pull bullets. Discard powder.

 

[jmorris]

10 years…my T shirts are older than that.

If I was selling ammo, I might say that to get people to keep their ammo stockpile “fresh”.

 

[wcwhitey]

I have shot .303 from WWI. That was a while ago but this century. Yes it’s all dependent on storage. I just posted a thread a few weeks back about my Concealed Carry Ammo having failures. The consensus was that manipulation in and out of the gun and magazines, riding in the console in an extra Mag in the cold and heat with the increased vibration from the vehicle is bad for ammo. No argument, nothing like your daily carry ammo going “pffft”. However, boxes and put away ammo stored for long periods if not corroded or in a wet environment can be shot. It may not be 100% just obey safety rules in case of a hangfore or squib.

Edit: do you remember the load data? If not then it may be not worth shooting.

 

[redcon1]

I wouldn't assume it's all good. I'd definitely pull a couple apart and inspect the powder. If all was well, I'd reassemble and shoot it all up. It's not like this is sealed military ammunition.

 

[WeekendReloader]

10 years…my T shirts are older than that.

If I was selling ammo, I might say that to get people to keep their ammo stockpile “fresh”.

Everything has an expiration date or 'best by' date. According to the mfgr, even dental floss will expire within a year.

I just use the oldest stuff and restock with new when I find a decent deal. First in - first out.

I also keep mostly components and load over the winter to use next season.

 

[jmorris]

Everything has an expiration date or 'best by' date. According to the mfgr, even dental floss will expire within a year.

You would be surprised how many folks don’t know that.

FWIW if anyone has any scotch that’s more than 10 years old, I will dispose of it for them…

 

[lightman]

I have shot ammo that I have loaded thats older than that. If there is no corrosion visible I just shoot it. If you're really concerned you might do as the others have suggested and pull a few. I store mine in an air conditioned closet thats dark and out of the sunlight. The temps never vary by much.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have shot .303 from WWI. That was a while ago but this century. Yes it’s all dependent on storage. I just posted a thread a few weeks back about my Concealed Carry Ammo having failures. The consensus was that manipulation in and out of the gun and magazines, riding in the console in an extra Mag in the cold and heat with the increased vibration from the vehicle is bad for ammo. No argument, nothing like your daily carry ammo going “pffft”. However, boxes and put away ammo stored for long periods if not corroded or in a wet environment can be shot. It may not be 100% just obey safety rules in case of a hangfore or squib.

Edit: do you remember the load data? If not then it may be not worth shooting.

Yes, and I’ve shot a LOT of hang-fire click-bang Ishapore and Radway-Green .303 ammo, too. It wasn’t made like that. LOL!!
Several years ago I had a need/want for some .303 for one of my No.1 rifles. I searched for and found some of my old (like, late 1980’s) handloads with BL-C and 174gr. Speer FMJ/FB. This was some pretty okay/not-great-not-bad ammo in the day in my SMLE’s. Good enough for a “mad minute.” Out of a strong sense of paranoia I took 3 out of the 50 round box and broke them down. First one I got a strong whiff of ammonia. No powder came out when I dumped it. The base of the bullet was green. I used a ice pick to get the clumped powder out and inspected the inside of the case. I felt enough pitting to make me leery - so I squeezed the case real hard and put a dimple in it with my thumb. The other two rounds I didn’t bother pulling, they both failed the thumb-dimple test. I broke down all 50 and tossed everything but the bullets - and I scrubbed them on a Scotchbrite pad to clean the bases before I loaded them into fresh brass. The primers were corroded, the powder was clumped, and the cases were pitted from the inside-out. All 50 looked beautiful from the outside.
Could I have shot them and not had a problem? Nope. The primers I tested were fizzled. If I got a bang it would be a click-bang, probably a stuck bullet, and maybe a ka-boom given how that BL-C smelled. That was old powder when I bought it around 1986/87.