Well, this is an excellent thread on an important topic - though a little disconcerting. Its good to hear from those with a military and a scientific background regarding this. I had read the Castboolits thread linked to earlier. There seems to be a wide range of opinions on this topic and Ive heard others say that ammo & components have a very long shelf life as long as they are stored properly in 'cool & dry' conditions. (I've read where guys have said that as long as the ammo is dry and isn't allowed to get above 120 F for extended periods your're o.k.) I have some milsurp ammo that I bought over the last 10yrs or so. A little bit of Aussie and Port .308 and some German DAG. I also have some Soviet bloc ammo - Russian & Czech 7.62x54R and a little Yugo 7.62x39. When I bought the stuff it wasn't so much for a 'Mad Max World' as it was to be able to shoot for cheap. Prices have gone way up since I bought it, so it filled its purpose, I guess. Sadly, I don't have much of it left and some of it just about can't be found today, such as the Aussie.
I always thought that as long as the outside of the rounds looked good, everything is fine. I also thought that if I wanted to get real anal about it, I could always pull the bullets on a few rounds to check the condition of the powder and inside of the case. At worst I'd have to throw the ammo away (and the money it cost). At least I wouldn't endanger my firearms or myself. But from reading the CastBoolits thread, it looks like bad ammo might not leave me alone, if I leave it alone. It could actually break down & self combust ! Not good.
So how does this apply to the NATO spec 308 (7.62x51) & Soviet bloc surplus that I mentioned ? Are the guidelines different for boxer & berdan primed ammo ? What are the best precautions to take - inspect the outside, inspect some on the inside, shoot it all up, salvage it ? The ammo wasn't much of a savings if it self combusts and burns down the building its stored in!
If the air temperature where it was stored got between 90-95 degrees F for a few days during the summer (but usually was at far lower temperatures during the rest of the year) how bad is that for the ammo ?