AMMO Disposal
 

Hey guys,

I am wondering if there is any true way to deal with ammo that is decades old, or if it is still good to shoot. I am a bit leery of it, because I am not familiar with ammo shelf life and/ or decomposition. If it is not good to shoot, .... ie.... too risky...... how or where should I dispose of it properly. And I don't consider throwing it in the river ( and such ) , proper disposal.

Thanks.

God Bless

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Some powders will degrade over time. Some older ammunition have corrosive primers. Having said that, the CMP is still selling surplus 30-06 ammunition. It is still safe to shoot that ammunition and can be seen being shot by local CMP clubs.

So, the question is....Who made your ammunition? What caliber is it? What condition are the cartridges in (cases clean, corroded and green)?

Of course, do not throw the cartridges in the furnace!!!!

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

If properlystored in a dry environment rifle and shotgun ammunition will easily last for 50 years. i am currently shooting .30 caliberball ammo made in 1943. Every round goes bang. If you do not want it, give it to someone at a gun shop or a gun show.

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

I have some Nazi stamped 8 X 56R ammo that has worked flawlessly in my Steyr straight bolt with amazing accuracy to boot. It is stamped '36.

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Well I have a variety of ammo, shotgun and rifle, that I don't even have an idea of how old it is. My Dad had an old gun that he never fired, he said it was a 6.5 mm Italian Army rifle, that was used in some war. It has a heart and some initials carved in to the stock andstuff like that. He had a few clips of ammo for it. After he died, it was given to me. I also have some shotgun shells some of which I know are 30+ years old. That is why I was asking, but it seems as if the shelf life can be indefinite. I will say though, that the ammo was not stored in a controlled or real dry environment. But I take it, by your comments, that I should look for discoloration or other types of issues with each round.

If I find some problems, though, how is it properly disposed of?

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Bury it.

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Ammo, properly stored, does not "go bad" like cheese, milk and AA batteries.

People swear that gun shops are ammo dumps. And as long as the ammo is good, I'll take it and shoot it myself. People refuse to believe me. Hey, I haven't bought .45 ball ammo in over a year. The WWII stuff still goes bang everytime. Same for '06. Often, if the ammo is still in working condition, our gunsmith will use it to test function repair guns. Keeps costs down.

Now, if you have corroded cases and they are all busted up, then don't shoot them (dee de dee). Only way to dispose of them is to bring them to the police station and turn them in. Thats where we send people all the time with stuff that is unuseable.

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Thanks Guys. I'll go back and check it all and find out what is ok and what has to go, then I'll check with the local PD.

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

local law enforcement will take it

RE: AMMO Disposal
 

Can you post any pictures of the ammo or what the headstamps say?

Some old ammo is worth a lot of money.

As long as the cases aren't corroded, rifle or pistol ammunition will more often than not go 'bang' when you pull the trigger. I have shot thousands of rounds made in europe and the soviet union dated from the 1930s to 1970s with no problems other than a rare hangfire. If in doubt, clean the barrel with hot water after shooting in case its corrosively primed.

Paper shotgun shells- don't shoot these, not because of safety issues but because they are worth money. I doubt that any plastic hulled shotshells are old enough to cause any problems.