Old Ammo

[T.R.]

I found some older 16 gauge shells with cardboard hulls and went squirrel hunting with Grandad's antique shotgun. No problems with either one!

TR

 

[mjsdwash]

this does not apply to rimfire ammo of course. Those lowlife hoarder/resellers stockpiles in their dank basements will be good for centuries :

 

[Archie]

Saw a comment the other day about restricting ammunition purchases because the short shelf life would make it effective gun control.

This particular story has been around since the 1970s (if I recall correctly). Those who work with such components as primers and or powder seem to agree it isn't possible to produce either primers or powder with a 'time limit' that are reliable.

The conspiracy thought is also heavily mitigated by your comments about 'old ammunition' working well. I once had a 'pile' of 7x57mm Mauser ammunition loaded for the Remington rolling block rifle contracted to the Mexican 'rurales', the old Mexican more or less rural police or national guard equivalent. (Sort of, technically it's different; they were a national agency.) That ammo demonstrated about a 40% (four of ten) misfire rate. Not bad when one considers the old cardboard box in which they had been stored was submerged in water when the store basement flooded. (The ammo was sold as 'potentially damaged'.)

Lots of old ammo still works. Not a very efficient form of gun control. Which is not to say some bunch of airhead politicians are discouraged. None of the manufacturers seem to be on board. Surely not the Armed Forces nor police agencies.

 

[GAF]

I have shot a lot of 8X57 and 7.62X54R from the late 30`s and early 40`s and it all went bang.