How old is this Magtech Ammo?

[Thomasss]

I have a box of tarnished .38 Special Magtech ammo. It may be near 20 years old. How can I tell?
It came with a .357 Trooper I don't even own any more. The ammo is 158 grain, FMJ flat point. There is a circle on the inside flap with multiple rows of numbers around the circumference and a 5 in the center. The outside flap says 38 SPL, 10,24g(158gr.) FMC-FLAT (38P) next line BH1019 L-35. The 38P is referenced on the carton back which is charted to read among other things as 754fps from a 4 inch test barrel.
I held onto this box as defense ammo, but now decided to shoot it up and replace it with something more current. Your thoughts.

 

[Mk-211]

I'm pretty sure the 10,24g is the date.

Probably 2010 July 24th?

G would be the 7th month, they do the year and day thing backwards.

 

[wesmonster]

Shoot it up, while it should be fine if it's been stored properly, trust some fresher ammo. If it's tarnished, it may not have been stored properly.

 

[Mizar]

I'm pretty sure the 10,24 g is the date.

This is the weight of the bullet in grams - Brazil is a "metric country"...
According to some posts on the Internet, the lot number (BH....) indicates a 2005 production.

 

[Mk-211]

My bad, at least I added a ? Mark as I wasn't sure if that was it.

 

[DustyGmt]

My bad, at least I added a ? Mark as I wasn't sure if that was it.

I took a total stab in the dark and came up with the same thing and then scrolled down and saw/liked your post. Made sense to me

 

[Shooterbob]

10.24 grams =158.027 grains I believe

 

[Riomouse911]

If it looks like this box of Magtech .454, it is mid-2000’s era. I got my SRH .454 in 2007, and ordered this ammo from Sportsman’s Guide right after.



Stay safe.

 

[hemiram]

I have a bunch (12-15 boxes) of Magtech 9mm and it is the nastiest looking ammo I own. I don't know why it looks so bad, but it shoots fine. Mine is pre Covid in age, but not by much. When it came, I was sort of concerned due to the looks,and I even wiped it down with a rag with CLP just before loading it into the magazines, but shooting it showed no problems, so it just sits in the box in the ammo storage area.

 

[jonnyc]

"wiped it down with a rag with CLP"

Definitely one of the worst things you can do to ammo you have any intention of shooting.