[romyfan]

I know, I know. This is a repetitive theme. It seems that the "shelf life" question comes up a lot. There are many answers and caveats to this question/debate. What I have noticed is that even manufacturers have sometimes wildly varying answers. Remington says ten years is a rule of thumb. Winchester says indefinitely, provided conditions are right. Tulammo, importers of Russian made ammo, told me today that they guarantee 5 yrs. I am seeking clarification from them regarding guarantee vs. actual expected shelf life.
Should there really be any appreciable difference between manufacturers' products considering storage is good? (interior closet shelf of home with a/c)
On another, related note, I have a good number of boxes of 9mm that were quite dusty and I wiped them off with a ringed out wet rag. Since then I have read so many times that moisture is the biggest enemy of ammo, did I do a really stupid thing? Am I just being silly? I know I sound like a noob, but I'm really not. I do tend to be ocd about such things though.

 

[BC1]

All I can say right now is that I have used ammunition for my Enfield #2/Mk1 .38 S&W revolver that is dated from the early 1960's and it fires and never had a problem with it. Of course, as you mentoined, keeping the ammo dry is paramount. When I go hunting, the ammunition I won't need but always carry as extra stays in the back of the cab of the truck. You might have cause for concern regarding the 9mm ammo you wiped with a wet rag, but it most likely dried right away.

 

[Ronbo6]

I have had very few problems with military surplus rifle ammunition dating back as far as 1927. I DID have some roundnose 7.5 Swiss from about 1925 that was click, no bang, and some problems with Czech 7.62X25 and 9X19 ammo from 1950-1952 with hard primers and apparent storage issues, but by and large, no real problems.

You just need to store it well. I keep mine in two places. About half I keep in an old upright freezer in my garage (temperature varies seasonally from about 50 to the mid-80's) and the other half on shelves and in an old dresser in my dehumidified basement (temperature in upper 50's-mid 60's? never really measured it).

 

[FIVESHOT]

I had some bandoliers of .303 that had

obviously been under water at some

point . This was in 1969 and I got a few

'' click '' tick tick tick ''boom '' . But

your wiping the 9mm boxes isn't going

to hurt anything . And as far as 5 year

old ammo ..... I've got ammo I bought

more than 20 years ago that I would bet

my life it works .



FIVESHOT

 

[Franz 1796]

I've been shooting 1974 dated Lake City 5.56 lately that was stored for the last 30 years in a basement. Not one hangfire or misfire so far. Looks like it was made yesterday.

 

[FIVESHOT]

There you go . . . . .



FIVESHOT

 

[geladen]

Heat in storage is the enemy of ammo. Trouble is, you can't look at a box of old ammo and tell how much heat it has been subjected to. All you can do is shoot some and hope that the others in the same package are the same.

 

[WLD Bill]

I have fired pre ww2 German 8mm that was dated 1935 that never failed to fire.

 

[Portholio]

In a sealed spam can, it seems like 30 years is in the bag, and 50 is possible. I store all my stuff in the basement to keep it out of the heat, and don't break the spam cans open until I'm shooting it. Once I've popped open a spam can, I keep the leftovers in USGI ammo cans, and toss a dessicant bag in each one. No problems with condensation or corrosion. I noticed it helps to wear gloves when packing ammo, for some reason anything I touch gets green fingerprints.

 

[ammolab]

I have fired post ww2 German 8mm that was dated 1935 that nevered failed to fire.

Pre WW2 Bill, PRE.

I know how this is. Some days I can think but not type and some days I can type but not think.

Rarely can I do both at the same time!

 

[WLD Bill]

Thank you,pre is correct.

 

[DK PHILLIPS]

had pre ww1 45 military acp 1913....250 + rounds, stored in a trunk in attic under clothes before that?...
all went off, very accurate.. but three...
one of the three went off second strike!
they smell different than anything i can remember when shot

 

[noylj]

There is a world of difference between how long a product is good for and how long I will guarantee it for once it leaves my dock.There are a very few products that have REAL shelf life issues. Ammunition and components ARE NOT one of them.I know of a silicone rubber product that has a 1 year shelf lift from date of manufacture. It turns into crap after 15 months. THAT is a shelf life issue.Have you heard of surplus ammo? Surplus powder? They are sold and many are over 50 years from the time they left the plant, and the militaries of the world do not all ensure proper storage.There are only two ways for you to handle shelf life:1) Never buy more than you will use in 1 year or less2) Buy what you want and take your chance.I can’t tell you how long anything will be good for in YOUR environment. I can say that I am still using powder I bought in the ‘70s and it is as good now as it was then.For one who knows that this question has been asked before, what new answers are you looking for?I am still working through some CCI primers I bought in the ‘80s. They are still working just fine.I have some bullets also from the ‘80s and they are still shiny, even the swaged lead bullets.Have you heard of problems or do you simply stay up at night worrying?You’re being silly.I have used rounds after being underwater for several hours.Should you? Who knows? However, unless you submerged them, what is the worry? We aren’t talking black powder. Of course, one question is—how anal are you? Most would simply wipe dust off with a dry rag.

 

[North Bender]

Well, me thinks noyli needs a time out with a glass of his favorite.

My small input is that if it's good ammo it will last through your grandson's era. When I buy ammo and store it in a sealed can I have no doubt it will shoot during my lifetime. No worries.

 

[romyfan]

There is a world of difference between how long a product is good for and how long I will guarantee it for once it leaves my dock.There are a very few products that have REAL shelf life issues. Ammunition and components ARE NOT one of them.I know of a silicone rubber product that has a 1 year shelf lift from date of manufacture. It turns into crap after 15 months. THAT is a shelf life issue.Have you heard of surplus ammo? Surplus powder? They are sold and many are over 50 years from the time they left the plant, and the militaries of the world do not all ensure proper storage.There are only two ways for you to handle shelf life:1) Never buy more than you will use in 1 year or less2) Buy what you want and take your chance.I can’t tell you how long anything will be good for in YOUR environment. I can say that I am still using powder I bought in the ‘70s and it is as good now as it was then.For one who knows that this question has been asked before, what new answers are you looking for?I am still working through some CCI primers I bought in the ‘80s. They are still working just fine.I have some bullets also from the ‘80s and they are still shiny, even the swaged lead bullets.Have you heard of problems or do you simply stay up at night worrying?You’re being silly.I have used rounds after being underwater for several hours.Should you? Who knows? However, unless you submerged them, what is the worry? We aren’t talking black powder. Of course, one question is—how anal are you? Most would simply wipe dust off with a dry rag.

Wow. For a new member you sure are bold. Either learn some manners or simply don't reply to questions that annoy you. I find it ironic, after reading your statement, that you would call anyone else "anal." That's like the skunk who said everyone else stinks.

 

[Oldstuffer]

Wow. For a new member you sure are bold. Either learn some manners or simply don't reply to questions that annoy you. I find it ironic, after reading your statement, that you would call anyone else "anal." That's like the skunk who said everyone else stinks.

noylj may be being "brusque", but he's correct.

 

[groovy mike]

I too am loading ammo from 30 year old cans and I am using primers from the same era. brass is good forever unless it corrodes. Loaded ammo should be just as good as seperated componants. I have also fired 30-06 ammunition loaded before world war one and it all goes bang. I once acquired a box of 12 gauge shells with bases that were caked in rust. 25 of 25 fired.

I am not saying that ammo can't give you duds or hang fires. Just today I pulled the lead from a dozen 22 rimfire cartridges that were left on the ground at a shooting range. A dozen more laying beside them fired fine. I don't know how old the duds were or how they had been stored before I picked them up let alone before they were dropped but some fired, some didn't.

So yes ammo can go "bad" but if you use even a moderate amount of care, it will be fine for you and your grand children to shoot with confidence.

 

[romyfan]

noylj may be being "brusque", but he's correct.

I didn't see any comments saying he wasn't. He just says it rudely. Now that you mention it though, many people buy more ammo than he says is prudent.

 

[PrinceAlbertInACan]

In my experience, shelf life just isn't if it is stored in any reasonable conditions. Only thing I've seen consistently fail is paper shotgun hulls. They just draw moisture and a lot of them are BP so that isn't helping. You know the stories you guys tell of shooting Pre-WWI and WWII ammo makes me kind of cringe. Surely it is worth more as a collectible than a shooter even if it is shootable?

 

[Worland]

Quality ammo will last indefinitely. Junk will not get better with age.