Does ammunition get old?
- Thread starter joe2004
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Yes. 
But I have shot some very old ammo and it went bang quite well.
It’s mostly about storage and dryness. I've got to do a search here on that myself since I just moved a bunch to an unheated area where the humidity is going to fluctuate quite a bit due to the changing seasons. I still don’t have what I believe is a good system for dealing with it. But, I'm sure it's been discussed and somebody has good information on it.
But I have shot some very old ammo and it went bang quite well.
It’s mostly about storage and dryness. I've got to do a search here on that myself since I just moved a bunch to an unheated area where the humidity is going to fluctuate quite a bit due to the changing seasons. I still don’t have what I believe is a good system for dealing with it. But, I'm sure it's been discussed and somebody has good information on it.
k1mri
Member
I recently shot some 45acp that I reloaded back 27 years ago they all went BANG!
Ammo gets old but it's how you store it.
Ammo gets old but it's how you store it.
Koblenz
Member
I once shot some surplus ammo that was made in the late 1890s.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
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I have some 1933 8mm ammo that shoots great. I've also shot some ammo from the 30's that had terrible hangfires.
I'd feel confident shooting any age ammo that was kept cool and dry during it's life.
I'd feel confident shooting any age ammo that was kept cool and dry during it's life.
M110
Member
I still have a dozen, or so turk 8mm bandoleers from a case I bought a while back. Its all shot just fine. Great stripper clips too.
HayseedDixie
Member
With every second that passes.
I've personally got some 8x56R for an Austrian Steyr straight-pull carbine with nazi headstamps on nazi marked stripper clips. I stumbled upon the stuff in a local pawn shop. They had a box full of hundreds and hundreds of rounds, still in its original packaging, all on strippers. So I deceided to buy it all, and then go find myself a Steyr M95. First time I've ever sought out a rifle to shoot some ammo as opposed to buying some ammo to shoot in my rifle! To get back on track, the ammo fired just fine. A few dozen rounds and one extremely sore shoulder later, I had a target full of ragged holes and plenty of 60+ yrs. old ammo left. I believe it to be the oldest ammo I've ever fired.
I've personally got some 8x56R for an Austrian Steyr straight-pull carbine with nazi headstamps on nazi marked stripper clips. I stumbled upon the stuff in a local pawn shop. They had a box full of hundreds and hundreds of rounds, still in its original packaging, all on strippers. So I deceided to buy it all, and then go find myself a Steyr M95. First time I've ever sought out a rifle to shoot some ammo as opposed to buying some ammo to shoot in my rifle! To get back on track, the ammo fired just fine. A few dozen rounds and one extremely sore shoulder later, I had a target full of ragged holes and plenty of 60+ yrs. old ammo left. I believe it to be the oldest ammo I've ever fired.
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USMCBulldog
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Age is somewhat irrelevant, but storage conditions are a HUGE factor in the reliablity of the ammo. I shot WW1 vintage (1917) .30-06 with no problems (stored in a closet for 50+ years), but another batch from the same guy was stored in the basement and it was corroded green and was not safe to fire...I salvaged the projectiles and scrapped the rest. It's all in how you store it...
Tommygunn
Member
I've shot WW2 era .30 carbine in my father's M-1 Carbine that worked okay (except 1 dud round).
Carl N. Brown
Member
we all get old with time
I have fired 1944 manufacture .30 M1 carbine ammo that
had been improperly stored and got some light fires that
barely cycled the action. This was in early 1990s.
I have fired WWII .303 British, storage condition unknown,
but the cartridges looked old, with disappointing results:
some handfires and some duds.
I have fired WWII vintage .45 ACP with what appeared to be
steel cases; it fired, functioned and was accurate. It looked
bad, but surprised me.
Properly stored ammo can last a long, long time.
Expose ammo to extreme temeratures, high humidity, or
solvents (WD40) and it will go bad in hurry
I have fired 1944 manufacture .30 M1 carbine ammo that
had been improperly stored and got some light fires that
barely cycled the action. This was in early 1990s.
I have fired WWII .303 British, storage condition unknown,
but the cartridges looked old, with disappointing results:
some handfires and some duds.
I have fired WWII vintage .45 ACP with what appeared to be
steel cases; it fired, functioned and was accurate. It looked
bad, but surprised me.
Properly stored ammo can last a long, long time.
Expose ammo to extreme temeratures, high humidity, or
solvents (WD40) and it will go bad in hurry
klover
Member
only reading THR expert here
somewhere was a post about excessive pressures resulting from corrosion
products interlocking case to bullet. Same as a very strong crimp, perhaps causing barrel failure.
Was told by my gunsmith that an uncrimped shotgun slug might not even make it out of the tube.
Somewhere on internet lies I read that there is a smokeless batch of power being kept underwater for like since the early forties. All samples occasionally taken still go bang.
So, if your ammo has a lot of green........
somewhere was a post about excessive pressures resulting from corrosion
products interlocking case to bullet. Same as a very strong crimp, perhaps causing barrel failure.
Was told by my gunsmith that an uncrimped shotgun slug might not even make it out of the tube.
Somewhere on internet lies I read that there is a smokeless batch of power being kept underwater for like since the early forties. All samples occasionally taken still go bang.
So, if your ammo has a lot of green........
Generally speaking, good-quality ammunition has a shelf life measured at least in decades, as others here have already noted.
HOWEVER....there ARE exceptions.
Back around 1990 and living in Canada at the time, I bought several 1000-round cases of Portuguese (FNM) 7.92x57 Mauser ammo, headstamped and case-dated 1983-84....well under 10 years old. It was gorgeous, brilliantly shiny, and had no cosmetic issues at all.
I'd bought it to feed our MG42, and it worked quite well at first except for an occasional misfire, amounting to maybe 1 in 150 or 200 rounds. However, it got progressively and noticeably less-reliable, until in 1997, just before we left Canada, I fired-up the last of it (on videotape), and I'll wager that 50%, (HALF) of the 400 rounds I tried to fire that day were duds. Not hangfires, just plain DUDS. MG42 REALLY smacks the primers, too. It wasn't gun problems that caused the ammo to work so poorly!
Other batches of FNM ammo I've seen and used have been excellent, these being mostly 7.62x51 NATO. It's plain to me that periodic inspection and test-firing had revealed this 7.92mm stuff to be faulty, and that's why it was condemned and sold as surplus so soon after manufacture.
If recent-manufacture military ammo is going cheaply, there MAY be a good reason for it. Be aware.
HOWEVER....there ARE exceptions.
Back around 1990 and living in Canada at the time, I bought several 1000-round cases of Portuguese (FNM) 7.92x57 Mauser ammo, headstamped and case-dated 1983-84....well under 10 years old. It was gorgeous, brilliantly shiny, and had no cosmetic issues at all.
I'd bought it to feed our MG42, and it worked quite well at first except for an occasional misfire, amounting to maybe 1 in 150 or 200 rounds. However, it got progressively and noticeably less-reliable, until in 1997, just before we left Canada, I fired-up the last of it (on videotape), and I'll wager that 50%, (HALF) of the 400 rounds I tried to fire that day were duds. Not hangfires, just plain DUDS. MG42 REALLY smacks the primers, too. It wasn't gun problems that caused the ammo to work so poorly!
Other batches of FNM ammo I've seen and used have been excellent, these being mostly 7.62x51 NATO. It's plain to me that periodic inspection and test-firing had revealed this 7.92mm stuff to be faulty, and that's why it was condemned and sold as surplus so soon after manufacture.
If recent-manufacture military ammo is going cheaply, there MAY be a good reason for it. Be aware.
Carl N. Brown
Member
What I heard was that the manufacturer of Unique has a
sample from the first manufacture that is kept in a bell jar
under liquid to limit contact with air. Even so often, a
sample is taken out and compared to the current maufacture
to maintain consistency. This could be an urban legend,
but it predates the internet if I recall correctly.
sample from the first manufacture that is kept in a bell jar
under liquid to limit contact with air. Even so often, a
sample is taken out and compared to the current maufacture
to maintain consistency. This could be an urban legend,
but it predates the internet if I recall correctly.
10X
Member
Kept in a cool dry place almost all US ammo is good indefinitely. I am still shooting WWII 30-06. It works fine.
Some ammo will deterioriate. If cases show any green, the ammo is no good. I have had some old 270 that corroded internally and cases split when shot. This is more the exception than the rule.
Some ammo will deterioriate. If cases show any green, the ammo is no good. I have had some old 270 that corroded internally and cases split when shot. This is more the exception than the rule.
Storage conditions are critical. Cool (50 to 75 degF) and dry (relative humidity 60% or less) are ideal. Metallic components tolerate heat variations but succumb to moisture. Powder, sealed in the cartridge, is mostly immune to moisture but can decompose under high heat. My only "casualties" were due to heat. I suspect that nitric acid leached out of the cellulose, making the brass brittle. Firing caused some high-pressure symptoms (flattened primers) but, more drastically, case splits of the body and neck. I had to dispose of the balance of those lots. On the other hand, I have shot thirty-year-old loads without trouble.
I shoot surplus now and then but with some caution. You just don't know its storage history. A 16-inch rifle on U.S.S. New Jersey blew up and after they stopped trying to hang it on the gun crew, the next most likely cause was powder stored at high temperatures.
I shoot surplus now and then but with some caution. You just don't know its storage history. A 16-inch rifle on U.S.S. New Jersey blew up and after they stopped trying to hang it on the gun crew, the next most likely cause was powder stored at high temperatures.
Sharps-shooter
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does ammo get old? not in my house.
W.E.G.
Member
Some lots of the Port ammo were notorious for unreliable ignition. It has always been my belief that this fact was a primary reason why it was sold as surplus. Definitely not the first time some crappy 7.62 ammo showed up on the US surplus scene. That stuff was "old" when it was new.
First quality, recent-production, ammo will outlast ANY of us if it is stored in a dry location and moderate temperature conditions.
First quality, recent-production, ammo will outlast ANY of us if it is stored in a dry location and moderate temperature conditions.
jaholder1971
Member
Bottom line: It's a mixed lot.
I just fired some Pakistan .303 dated 1966 that went bang yesterday. Also shot some 1945 GB .303 that went bang, although it went bang sooner after the trigger was pulled than the Paki.
I had 120 rounds of Remington .45/70 military stuff marked June of 1884. I kept 100 and fired twenty through a buddy's trapdoor. All but 1 fired fine but lousy accuracy.
I stumbled across some .30/40 Krag dated 1899 in original crates about 10 years ago. We ran some through my father-in-law's Krag for fun to find 50 percent misfires. We ended up pulling the bullets and primers and rebuilt with new components.
I just fired some Pakistan .303 dated 1966 that went bang yesterday. Also shot some 1945 GB .303 that went bang, although it went bang sooner after the trigger was pulled than the Paki.
I had 120 rounds of Remington .45/70 military stuff marked June of 1884. I kept 100 and fired twenty through a buddy's trapdoor. All but 1 fired fine but lousy accuracy.
I stumbled across some .30/40 Krag dated 1899 in original crates about 10 years ago. We ran some through my father-in-law's Krag for fun to find 50 percent misfires. We ended up pulling the bullets and primers and rebuilt with new components.
Shrinkmd
Member
Sealed tin
I assume that 7.62x54r in sealed spam cans (not the lousy bulgarian ones from the 50's) will keep the moisture out indefinitely. Heat and storage for the first couple of decades prior to UPS dropping it off here is a concern.
Luckily, so far even the bulgarian in the tins with holes in them seems to work fine, no corrosion or problems. I assume nicely made/packaged stuff like GP11 also will do well over the ages.
I assume that 7.62x54r in sealed spam cans (not the lousy bulgarian ones from the 50's) will keep the moisture out indefinitely. Heat and storage for the first couple of decades prior to UPS dropping it off here is a concern.
Luckily, so far even the bulgarian in the tins with holes in them seems to work fine, no corrosion or problems. I assume nicely made/packaged stuff like GP11 also will do well over the ages.
cbsbyte
Member
correct me if I am wrong, but I heard the primers are the weak link on most stored ammo. I have had some problems with surplus German WWII 7.92mm that 4 in 10rds would be a dud. The ammo is pristine and looks near new. The packaging is also in excellent condition. So what ever they used in the primer compounds did not age very well.
alucard0822
Member
I have had the best luck by storing reloads and surplus in ammo cans of various sizes with a handfull of rice thrown in. Keeps the brass shiny and any little bit of moisture present gets absorbed by the rice, sometimes I will throw in a small bag of dessicant gel from new clothes or shoes if I have one. Some WWII mil surp my grandfather had from the 50s stored this way all went bang, and the cases looked fairly good too, although Im sure sealed and crimped mil surp rounds probably keep better than target loads that sat on a shelf in a cardboard box for a couple decades.
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