How long can you keep ammo?

[Ferrari308]

Say you want to stockpile 500 rounds for a SHTF scenario. You don't want to shoot the ammo, you just want to keep it locked away just in case anarchy or some terrorism event occurs. How long can you expect the ammo to stay good for? Is there any way to store it to extend the life of the ammo?

Now, since the ammo won't be shot but will be stored, how long from the purchase date is it okay to store before reselling to someone who will shoot, so you can replenish the stock with good ammo? Nobody wants to sell 500 rounds of bad ammo.

 

[1 old 0311]

There are TONS of WW2 ammo being sold, and shot, that were stored in warehouses. Put yours in metal ammo cans and it will last forever.

 

[RNB65]

As long as you protect it from moisture and corrosion, you'll be pushing up daisys before it goes bad.

 

[Ferrari308]

There are TONS of WW2 ammo being sold, and shot, that were stored in warehouses. Put yours in metal ammo cans and it will last forever.

My idea was to buy 500 rounds, if the life is 7 years to keep it for 5 years, then resell it to offset the cost of buying 500 new rounds. But if it lasts forever, then maybe there isn't any reason to resell. My only worry is some threads where people say their ammo gets bad.

 

[iliketoshootguns]

ammo probably lasts a number of decades if left in a dry container.. keep in mind there are still mines from ww1 that are planted under dirt that on occasion will still detonate...

also a consideration is the quality of the ammo to be stored, for instance wolf ammo may not last as long as speer gold dot ammo, etc..

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Purchase good quality american ammunition or comparable. Stay away from cheap military surplus commie bloc romanian.. well you get the idea. Like the other poster said store it in metal cans but make sure that it shuts tight. Keep it out of places where it might corrode like a wet basement or a trunk of a car where it's subject to a tremendous amount of temperature change. You want a cool dry place. Inspect it once a year for corrision.

 

[RNB65]

I wouldn't call 500 rounds a stockpile, I'd call it about two trips to the range with my AR15.

5000 rounds, now that's a stockpile!

 

[Chipperman]

How long can you keep ammo?

I can't seem to keep it around for more than a couple of weeks. I keep having to go buy more.

 

[hpg]

Seriously? Longer than you will live. hpg

 

[Mannlicher]

you can keep it until you shoot it up, or dispose of it in some other manner.

about that 500 rounds for SHTF. Trust me, that is not enough to get you through the first day.

 

[answerguy]

My advice is to shoot some and replace it. You do shoot your gun from time to time don't you?

 

[Deanimator]

If you're really concerned about longevity:

1. Buy enough .50 caliber ammo cans to hold what you want to store.

2. Buy one of those vacuum sealers for food.

3. Buy some silica gel packs that absorb moisture.

4. Vacuum seal the ammo boxes along with silica gel packs per their instructions.

5. Place sealed boxes in the ammo can(s).

Cockroaches will rule the earth before your ammo goes bad.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I shot a bunch of Turk 8mm that was made in the 30's the other day. All went off and performed very well (aside from the stink it emits).

I think the best plan is to rotate the stuff though, I shoot the older stuff first and put the new stuff I buy back. However, if you didn't do that you still will not have a problem if it's stored correctly.

I would buy more than 500 rounds though. If nothing else get 1000 since that's where you usually get a price break.

 

[American By Blood]

500 rounds?

Piker.

 

[Third_Rail]

Left out a few zeros, did you?

 

[OhioPaints]

People have mentioned moisture but heat is an even bigger issue, I believe.

Ammo holds up best if stored in cool, dry places.

Ken

 

[TMM]

firstly, stockpile a few THOUSAND rounds.

Next, use the stockpile, but after expending a few hundred rounds, buy more and rotate the stock.

third - like everyone said, in a cool dry place it will outlast you.

~tmm

 

[MudPuppy]

I just bought a few ammo cans to store some extra in.

Pay no attention to the ribbing--most people that harass you for not having 50k rounds of ammo stored up don't have enough water or food to last them the weekend. (The water in their low flow toilets might get 'em an extra day.)

Now, to really get with the program you have to distinguish between SHTF and TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) and yeah, you'll need a plenty for that.

If you're storing it for a bad situation, you probably should be rotating it through practice and not selling it anyhow?

 

[Lou629]

Keep it dry and it will last for as long as you're likely to need to store it. I can't vouch for anything other than domestic ammo like winchester, federal or remington, but any of these ought to last decades on the shelf. I've personally fired hundreds of centerfire and rimfire loads made by those three manufacturers that sat on a shelf in a closet or my attic for more than thirty years by the time i used them all, and not one failed to go bang. Dry storage is key.

 

[atlctyslkr]

I've heard that over time ammo loses some of it's velocity. I'm not worried about my ammo going bad I'm worried it won't be as good as the day I bought it.

 

[DMK]

Stay away from cheap military surplus commie bloc romanian.. well you get the idea.

Actually, much of the commie surplus comes in sealed tins. Plus corrosive primers stay fresh longer than non-corrosive primers.

A sealed tin of Romanian 7.62x54R or 8mm will be good for a very long time.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

DMK Quoted

Actually, much of the commie surplus comes in sealed tins. Plus corrosive primers stay fresh longer than non-corrosive primers.

A sealed tin of Romanian 7.62x54R or 8mm will be good for a very long time.

I don't dispute the fact that is will store. What I dispute is the overall "quality".
If you want to Purchase the cheaper stuff for a SHTF scenario go ahead it's your life that can be on the line when you need to depend on it. However if you want to hunt game thirty years down the road it's your money to spend how you see fit to spend.
I will never trust communist ammunition. I've been to communist countries and know a thing or two about "quality" if it is communist ammunition.

 

[Shrinkmd]

50's yugo 8mm

It feels weird handling those little cardboard boxes and the stripper clips, fresh as the day they were made. I wonder if anyone has analyzed the air trapped in those sealed spam cans of ammo. It almost seems wrong shooting the old stuff, like you're opening a time capsule from back then and using the toothpaste, blowing your nose on the tissues, etc.

I'm dealing with the issue by saving the stripper clips in one of the little boxes from 1954

It is weird thinking that some day, it will run out.

Have we hit "Peak Milsurp Ammo" yet, when half of the old stuff is used up?

 

[oneshooter]

I recently shot some WW1 vintage 45acp. About 1 in 5 would hang fire, gets real wierd in a full auto Thompson.
BANGBANGBANGCLICK.......BANG BANGBANGCLICK.........

However all 40rds DID fire.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Jim K]

In the 1980's, I fired some .45-70 that had to be at over 100 years old (at the time) because it had the old Benet cup primer. It went bang.

Recently, I had hangfires with every round of DA 49 8mm ammo. Really weird, almost like shooting a slow flintlock.

Jim