Shelf life of ammo?

deerslayer444 · 10-26-2003, 12:49 AM

What do think is the expected shelf life of loaded shells before consistantcy and accuracy deteriorate?

Deleted User · 10-26-2003, 07:02 AM

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Vapodog · 10-26-2003, 10:45 AM

Here' s the key...properly stored!!! Mostly that means not going thru climate extremes of freezing/ thawing many times, loaded ammo (including shotshells) are good for a minimum of 40 years.

If I had a box of .30-06 shells sitting in the cupboard from the 1950s, I' d take it to the range, sight in, and go deer hunting with no reservations at all.

deerslayer444 · 10-26-2003, 05:30 PM

Thanks for the replies DG & Vapodog. I was thinking that I had read an article a few years back where gun powder starts to weaken over time. I may have dreamed it. All my ammo and powders stay at room temperature with low humidity so I should be in fine shape.

Vapodog · 10-26-2003, 06:36 PM

Back in the 60s when I owned a .270 and shot exclusively IMR 4831 (military surplus) for .50/pound...yes, fifty cents!!! I bought the powder from a neighbor that had bought a big lot of it...it was cheap and he may have bought a hundred pound keg.....I don' t know how large a lot he had.

He told me about 15 years ago that he had the balance of about 20 pounds in his basement and it was errantly forgotten to have the cap properly affixed. When he investigated it, he said it smelled bad and it " LOOKED" wet.

He very carefully discarded the powder to fertilize the garden.

I too had a can of half full powder that sat in the garage for twenty years going thru freeze and thaw and hot and all seasons in Southern Minnesota....it looked wet when I looked at it...and I very carefully burned it.

Powder kept in a " full" cartridge is sealed for all purposes with very little air space for Oxygen...I think it last a lot longer under those conditions.

Clearly powder can and will deteriorate in about twenty years if it' s not stored properly.

Possibly others can post more data than this.

Briman · 10-27-2003, 12:47 PM

The oldest ammo I' ve shot had a headstamp of 1939- a few hundred rounds of it without a misfire. Considering the quality control of the day versus today, the ammo shot fairly consistantly.

Troy R · 10-28-2003, 06:05 PM

There are exceptions though if you carry it alot, like going hunting etc... because the powder will tumble around in your pocket makeing the powder kind of wear in away that will act diffrent could make it a hotter laod, then the powder has a coating of something that I forgot what the name was but if it wears off from tumbling around after some amount of time it will change the load, maybe accuracy, or other things.

If you was a handloader and you loaded close to a hot load or hot, then you carried it a couple seasons and you shot it on a hot day, it may go over the limits! Hodgdon can tell you this..

Troy

eldeguello · 10-30-2003, 05:22 AM

I have fired .45 ACP GI ball ammo that had a 1917 headstamp, and it peformed up to spec!!

It all depends on if it is stored in a cool, DRY place!!