What is the maximum amount of time that Duty Ammo is good for?

[mortablunt]

None of us will live to see the day that a box of ammo we buy shall go bad. A good mag won't croak for a long time either.

 

[Heretic]

When I go shooting, I shoot what's been in my mag first. When I'm done, I load fresh.

 

[lonegunman]

My dad had a pump gun loaded in his closet for decades,,,,,,,we took it out and fired it after he passed away and it worked fine.

Loaded smokeless centerfire ammunition, properly stored should last a century or more. The CMP was selling WWII vintage 30-06 a few years ago and it was 99% realible after 60 years.

 

[Sport45]

Ammo lasts a long time, but not forever. I think the military retires ammo after 30-40 years. I'm not sure, but I think the double base propellants destabilize faster than the single-base propellants. Going bang isn't necessarily a sign that the ammo hadn't changed... But I suppose it's a sign it hadn't changed in a big way.

If powder can go bad in a sealed can on the shelf, it can go bad in a sealed cartridge as well.

On edit: I believe the military surplusses single base propellants after about 40 years and double base propellants after about 30 years.

 

[[email protected]]

I've been told the older ammo ( from the 60's and prior) that I've shot through my rifle uses a different type of primers than are found in more modern firearms. The reason the ammo lasts so long is that the primer itself has different chemicals on it to protect it from deteorating from corrosion and other unfriendly environmental concerns. Such chemicals were stopped from use in more modern firearms because they found they were more corrosive to the weapon and would actually etch the barrel if not properly cleaned. Yes I realize that any ammo will do that but I was told that the older stuff did it significantly faster. That being said I have no way to prove or disprove this statement. I change out my carry ammo about once a year around my birthday. That being said it is my personal carry ammo, not the departments dollar so I only have to replace 25-46 rounds depending on the firearm I am resupplying. Glock 19 or 1911. My life is worth more to me than the $50 I spent to make my weapon more reliable when I need it most.

 

[Cop Bob]

If it is stored out of the elements, in something like a Pelican Case, your good to go for a very long time...

The rule of thumb for pistol ammo, that sees daily carry, about every year, or when the brass or bullet begins to change color (oxidize)... I have shot a bunch of off color, slightly oxidized ammo, never yet had one fail to fire... but as someone stated earlier in the thread, it is a peace of mind thing....

I too have a lot of older, WWII, Korean vintage ammo, and it works just fine.. There were several instances of Viet Nam era snipers that were dropped, or issued M1 ball head stamped 1916-1918 that made 800 yd hits.

 

[we are not amused]

I change out my carry ammo about once a year around my birthday.

Please send me your unused ammo, I will personally dispose of it for you. The same goes for anyone else on this forum who doesn't think ammo over a couple of decades old is any good.
If you send me enough, I can use my current ammo budget to buy more guns!

 

[amflyer]

Assuming that 100 yards is roughly the maximum effective range for most commonly carried pistol rounds, and the average velocity is probably right around 1000 fps, I would say that duty ammo is good for a maximum of about 0.3 seconds.