Shelf life

[BigBadJohn]

Everyone is stocking up on ammo because of prices, but what is the shelf life of ammunition.I have some 12 gauge shells that are in a ammo box (about 200) that are at least 20 years old. They look fine but would they still be reliable?

 

[GlowinPontiac]

as long as they were stored properly and not left in a damp area for a long period they will be perfectly fine.

if fired handloaded paper shotgun shells over 35 years old and every single one worked perfectly.

 

[BigBadJohn]

Thanks, I really didn't know if they would work.

 

[bogie]

It's just chemistry, not magic.

 

[BigBadJohn]

It's just chemistry, not magic.

I didn't know if gunpowder degrades over long periods of time .

 

[ColinthePilot]

I fired a box of Browning .380 auto that we found with my late grandmother's gun that was a least 20 years old at the time. It functioned beautifully. I haven't seen or heard of Browning ammo since I got into guns in the last four years or so, so I'm guessing its not even made anymore. now i need a 12ga to shoot all the shells we found with her shotgun.

 

[GhostlyKarliion]

nah, mortar shells from the civil war have been found in the field and have been exploded without help from anything external, ammo from long ago shoots just fine, don't worry about it.

 

[foghornl]

Unless it got soaking wet, and/or had repeated very wide swings in temperature, should be fine.

I have fired some WWII-vintage ammo in my Springfield 1911's...all went Bang! the first time. Same with some late '50's M2 Ball .30-06.

The old 'waxed paper' type shotgun shells would sometimes absorb some moisture and swell, making them difficult to chamber, and sometimes not fire.

I have recently shot some plastic hull shotgun ammo from the '70's. (Dated as such by Wincester & Federal, according to lot numbers.) Again, all went BOOM! on the first try.

 

[TexasChick]

I'm a newbie to guns, but this post reminds me of a news article I read yesterday.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/27/military.ammunition/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

"Ammunition was improperly packaged and corroding, according to Army documents."

Corroding sounds like an old battery leaking? Anyone know?

 

[CYANIDEGENOCIDE]

corroding is a generic term which indcates the ammo was "rusting" only iron can rust but any metal can corrode. the brass was probably green and nasty looking from being exposed to moisture

 

[Animal Mother]

My last time I was out shooting, I fired some steel cased .45 caliber ammo that was manufactured back in 1942. It shot just fine. Store it well and it should function just fine for the remainder of your lifetime.

 

[Conqueror]

Just store it in a cool, dry place, and it will last for many decades. Moisture is the enemy.

 

[chefman]

My dad,76, has reloaded ammo with powder from ammo that he dismantled while in the Philipines in the 1950's. It functioned perfectly. Keeping it cool and dry is the key.

 

[Art Eatman]

Storage below 80 to 85 F seems to be a key factor.

I'm occasionally shooting some .45ACP "EC 43" that still works. I have .243 handloads from 1968 that are a smidgen down, but I still get tight groups from them. I inherited my father's .220 Swift that kills prairie dogs at 400 yards with 1978 reloads.

 

[jwr_747]

I've got some 1926 dated .303 Brit stuff that still goes bang.also have some paper 12 ga.rounds that I helped my dad load 48 years ago,still go bang.looks like ,to me,as long as the stuff stays dry,it should work. jwr

 

[Bartkowski]

My oldest ammo is 8mm from 1946. It is turkish and have no idea where it was stored, but it shoots fine now. I keep my ammo in .50 cal ammo cans with silica packs in some I would expect to outlast me if I didn't shoot it.

 

[mekender]

i have 3 rounds of 9mm that was picked up off a battlefield in Germany sometime during WWII and brought back in a family members pocket... haven't shot it yet, but it looks like it will shoot just fine

 

[Sato Ord]

The old paper case shotgun shells can degrade in humid conditions, but the plastic shells don't wick the moisture out of the air and to the powder. As for metal case ammo, I've fired stuff that was forty years old without a problem. As long as the crimp is good, and the powder stays dry it is inert and doesn't degrade.

 

[Larry E]

About the only bad thing I've noticed in firing old ammunition was split necks on some factory rifle ammo that was probably 30 years old when I fired it. On the other hand I fired some Canadian military 9mm ammo loaded in the 1940's in the 1980's without any problems. Reloaded the cases, and they worked fine for several reloads too. I may still have them, but not having a 9 mm anymore....

 

[BigBadJohn]

Thanks for all the good info.

 

[dtown240]

I keep having the problem that it never sits on my shelf long enough to go bad. One day, a few boxes at a time I guess.