In another post I heard people saying to stock up on Ammunition. My only concern is how long can ammunition be stored and still remain effective. I know military ammunition lasts longer and generally burns dirtier while civilian ammunition burns cleaner but has a shorter life.
What is the average life for ammunition (military and civilian) stored in a dry air-tight containers?
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I don;t know what the exact shelf life is of either civilian, or military ammo, other than to tell you that it is a long damn time. I have shot OLD military ammo from the 70's since I have been in the Army, and I have seen older ammo still in the crates in the ammo storage areas. Though, i can't imagine that it would hurt to store it in air tight containers. Just to keep the humidity off it. I am sure as long as it stays dry, you won't have any problems.
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Depends where and how it's stored...and how it's made. Like KD said, I've shot military ammo over 30 years old all my life with no problem. I have had shotgun shells turn to crap after about 20 years. Paper cases sort of turn to goo. Plastic cases start splitting. But I'd say if a guy takes care of it he should certainly get 25 years out of it at least.
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"To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." ~Senator Richard Henry Lee, 1788
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I've used 20+ year old shotshell reloads before, with no problems.
I read somewhere that ammo will function properly for about 10 years, but, to an extent, I suspect that that is just to get you to buy more ammo. If it's stored in a reasonably climate controlled space, I don't see why it wouldn't last for 20+ years.
I've shot surplus ammo from the 50's with very few misfires. I also chronographed some of my handloads that were probably 10 years old. They had lost some of their zip in just that short of a time. It makes me wonder how much that ammo from the 50's may have lost since it was originally loaded.
its that loss of zip that I am worried about. if you keep the shells/cartridges clean and dry how with aging power effect range and accuracy? will shaking shells before use help any?
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"To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." ~Senator Richard Henry Lee, 1788
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Ammunition Shelflife
