Rimfire ammo shelf life

[Guvnor]

From what I gather, centerfire ammo can be stored for decades and still go bang as long as you keep it cool and dry.

But is it the same story with .22 rimfire ammo?

I wanted to get a bunch of federal bulk pack ammo and leave it in a couple of GI ammo cans for long term storage. Would it be a better idea to rotate the stock?

 

[DMK]

Good quality 22LR can keep for quite a while if stored properly. It's made of the same stuff as centerfire ammo.

I had some cheap Thunderbolt go bad once (as if that crap was good to start with), but it was just sitting in my dresser drawer for a few years and it gets really damp here. It still shot, but was horribly inconsistent.

Rotating your stock is never a bad idea.

 

[Rokman]

I have been shooting 22 ammo that my dad bought 15-20 years ago and it shoots just fine. It's just bricks of Wildcats, Thunderbolts and Lightnings, but goes bang everytime and is as good as any comparable recent ammo that I have bought.

 

[V45C]

i have shot 22lr bought from estate sales , some of which went back to WW1 and before...
it all went bang with no problems...
and no , collectors wouldn't have wanted it...

 

[bensdad]

My dad is still dispatching vermin with a brick of Wildcats from Target. Those from the Midwest might not even remember when Target stopped selling anything firearms related. Incidentally, the pricetag is still on the brick. Target was getting over $15/brick BACK THEN!

I've also used some from my grandfather-in-law that might have pre-dated WWII.

 

[Bill B.]

I had some cheap Thunderbolt go bad once (as if that crap was good to start with), but it was just sitting in my dresser drawer for a few years and it gets really damp here. It still shot, but was horribly inconsistent.

It may have been horribly inconsistent before it got damp since it was Thunderbolt's! ...................................................LOL

 

[dispatch55126]

At my farm, we've got .22lr's that were purchased 50+ years ago. The farm is unoccupied in the winter s the ammo freezes hard (-20's) annually. Come august, the ammo bakes in 90+ degree heat.

We still shoot it without a problem except for today. I had my first misfire since 1986 (when I started shooting). I popped the bullet off and there were green specs in the powder. I assume it was the powder that recomposed. It still burned, though weakly. Turns out, it was the primer that went bad. Couldn't get it to go, even burning the case.

Bottom line, baby your ammo if you have the luxury but it isn't the end of the world if you don't.

 

[Bob01]

.22 rimfire ammo does have a shelf life. Well at least Federal Champion in the 525 value packs does.

In part of a transaction I received a sealed box of Federal Champion in the 525 value pack. Out of the first 100 rounds fired, 20+ had failures (fail to eject, fail to feed, fail to load). I e-mailed federal to see if I got a bad batching (giving them the lot #) - turns out this box of ammo was made 16 years ago. Federal seems to be good about replacing bad ammo, but only up until it is 10 years old ;-)

E-mail from Federal:
"Thanks for the e-mail; the ammo you have was manufactured in 1995, making this ammo 16 years old, in time the primer compound around the rim can dry out. This is not a bad lot it is old ammunition, as we do have a generous return policy (10 years from date of manufacture) we are unable to replace ammunition that is 16 years old."

 

[jcwit]

Usually the wax or the lead bullet degrades to the point I wouldn't want to shoot it in any of my firearms.

 

[bigfatdave]

green specs in the powder

based on my dissection of dud .22lr rounds, that was the primer, it likely wasn't adhered to the rim properly and flaked off over the years

 

[Geno]

Unfortunately, I have to agree about the new Thunderbolt ammo. I still have a couple thousand rounds of 14-year-old Thunderbolts; they are reliable and accurate. To that end, I purchased 5,000 rounds of Thunderbolts about 3 years back when they went on sale. :banghead: They are reasonably accurate, but not always reliable. I'd do as well (perhaps even better) firing the new Thunderbolts through a slingshot. At least with a slingshot, they'd launch every time.

Geno

 

[sugarmaker]

Recently went through a brick of remington 22 target from the mid 70's, no issues.

 

[Still Shooting]

I have 3 boxes of 50rds. of .25 Stevens rimfire ammo. Don't know how far back it goes, only that it hasn't been produced since 1942. I took some to the range not long ago to sight in the rifle (a Stevens Favorite single shot take-down). I had to cock and strike twice on 3 out of 20rds., but it all fired and surprisingly, it grouped pretty well; an inch+/- at 25 yds.

 

[Cluster Bomb]

I wouldnet use federal ammo after a few years of storage. I stored 3 boxes of Fed bulk ammo from walmart in an h20 and oxy tight container and half of each box failed to fire. Thats why after 6+mo of storage i shoot them all. Then buy new.

 

[CZguy]

Wow, there sure are some very different thoughts on this subject.

In the mid seventies I bought around five different bricks (ea.) of Winchester Super X, Remington Golden Bullets, and CCI Mini Mag.

After reading this thread you would think that there would be all kinds of problems. But the exact opposite is true. They all shoot just fine, in fact they are much more reliable then modern bulk pack ammo.

They have been stored on a basement shelf with no attempt at moisture or temperature control.

Frankly I'm baffled by some of the difficulties many posters are experiencing.

 

[vellocet]

I shot off a box of wildcat that I found behind my old pachinko machine that I know was from 1978 in my new 10/22 and it worked fine even after florida attic atorage. Still had the fifty cent K-mart label on it. They used to have a swell sports department. Cars,too.

 

[451 Detonics]

I have some that is pushing 40 years old...still works fine but it has always been well stored

 

[Maverick223]

Not long in my household. On average I'd say mine only lasts about 2 weeks...after which time it degrades to de-primed brass devoid of bullet or powder.

To answer the question asked a couple years back, it will last quite a while depending upon composition (who loaded it with what components) and the condition it is stored. Personally I wouldn't stockpile match ammo for more than a couple of years, anything else (and probably that same match) should be good for decades if stored properly.