Ammo storage time limit

adbm3 · May 01, 2012, 12:06

Might sound silly to some of you, but is there a maximum time limit to the storage of ammo? I have pin fire stuff and stuff from WWII that I'm concerned about. How about mil surp?

Growler Gator · May 01, 2012, 13:06

I shoot ammo from the 1940's and 1950's sometimes in various Mausers.

It all depends on the storage conditions the ammo has resided in over the past 75.

If it has been kept dry and relatively cool then it will outlast you.

richbug · May 01, 2012, 13:36

WW2 stuff should be fine except for the steel case German stuff.

Old rimfire and pinfire doesn't store nearly as well. I have only ever had one pinfire round go off that I tried. Pre-ww1 rimfires are pretty poor also.

Tuscan Raider · May 01, 2012, 13:46

In general I would have to believe the shelf life of most ammo made
before WW1 is coming to a close. Corrosive primers, old powder, and
who knows what storage conditions.

Scares me just thinking about pulling the trigger on something that old.

Ammo was made to shoot, not sit around for 100 years.

**prosecond** · May 01, 2012, 13:57

I have steel case 8mm boxes marked 1938 that shoots ok. I thought it was German. Maybe not. I don't think it was Turk.

Ironhandjohn · May 01, 2012, 14:53

My friend and I used to shoot 1914-1918 dated .303 through our Lithgow Enfields back in the early to mid 90s, and it was almost all good shooting ammo. It was all cordite loaded, usually nickel jacketed, and corrosive as hell. It all went BOOM and landed more or less where we aimed, though a few rounds would hang fire. We bought 1000rds for $60 shipped from Paragon back in the day.

**1gewehr** · May 02, 2012, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironhandjohn

My friend and I used to shoot 1914-1918 dated .303 through our Lithgow Enfields back in the early to mid 90s..... We bought 1000rds for $60 shipped from Paragon back in the day.

Yep, I shot a bunch of that as well. I've also shot WWI .30-06 and 8mm Mauser. Milsurp ammo seems to be fine as long as it was well stored. Commercial ammo from the '20's and '30's has had misfires and cracked brass.

BlackPowder cartridges were generally not well sealed against moisture. Especially pinfire shells. I do have to admit to firing about 30 1865-dated rimfire Spencer cartridges back in the 1980's. Not a single misfire or hangfire! Every single case cracked at the neck, though.

**SID325** · May 02, 2012, 11:07

I have Turkish 8mm dated 1921 in bandoleers and every round has fired.

I think it's Turk, let me pull some and look, it's from J&G some years ago. Grayish bando, silver buttons, nickel colored bullet.

jacob

richbug · May 02, 2012, 12:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by SID325

I have Turkish 8mm dated 1921 in bandoleers and every round has fired.

Weird, I thought they didn't adopt it till the 1930s

Prior to that they used 7.65 Mauser.

Earliest 8mm Turk I have shot is 1934.

**SID325** · May 02, 2012, 14:43

I stand corrected. Richbug was right, I was wrong. Please accept my apologies. Most of my Turk 8mm is dated 1941. So, I was off two decades... Still goes boom! Thanks Richbug.

jacob

jefferyc22 · May 02, 2012, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by SID325

I have Turkish 8mm dated 1921 in bandoleers and every round has fired.

I think it's Turk, let me pull some and look, it's from J&G some years ago. Grayish bando, silver buttons, nickel colored bullet.

jacob

Yep.....one ugly bullet if you pull one.

**K. Funk** · May 03, 2012, 17:18

I've been shooting 8x56R dated 1938 and 1939 and it shoots just fine. I have some 7mm dated 1929, I'll let you know how that goes. Haven't had a chance to get out with the 1895 Chilean Mauser yet.

krf

adbm3 · May 03, 2012, 21:22

I gave a friend a box of .45 from WWII who said it shot fine. Also, another buddy shot some Argentine 7.62 from 1977 that came in the proximity of a house fire. He said no problem.

Ironhandjohn · May 03, 2012, 21:53

On the other hand I had a lot of POF 1960s-era .303 go "Clack.............Boom!!" or sometimes not at all.

It seems a lot of it depends on whether the ammo comes from a country that poops in their drinking water......

JasonB · May 06, 2012, 14:16

Look around for old NRA reloading manuals (mine are late 60s-early 70s) for information on old primers. Primers containing mercury would corrode brass (but not steel) when fired, but not sure about just sitting in the cups unfired. Chlorate primers would corrode steel due to the salts affinity for water, but usually(have some 50's era Yugo 8mm duds that seems to be an exception) should last forever if stored properly. The early non-corrosive stuff (up through the 50s were mentioned in the manuals) was supposed to have very limited storage life.

Zeusizme · May 06, 2012, 15:12

I still have a few hundred rounds of 6.5x53R Dutch that is headstamped from 08' or so to the 30's most of it goes bang but I have a number of hang fires and a few clicks. I have found that the ammo is a great way to either instill flinching or tell if someone does flinch when they pull the trigger. Most of the time I think it teaches people to flinch

I have shot WWII .45 steel case that was corroded and it almost all went bang. It really depends on how the ammo was stored, but I would say that pushing 80 years would be about tops for what I would keep around. After that point either shoot it up or collect it.

May 01, 2012, 12:06	#1
adbm3 Registered FALaholic #: 61973 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Danville, California Posts: 143	Ammo storage time limit Might sound silly to some of you, but is there a maximum time limit to the storage of ammo? I have pin fire stuff and stuff from WWII that I'm concerned about. How about mil surp?

May 01, 2012, 13:06	#2
Growler Gator Registered FALaholic #: 17677 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 594	I shoot ammo from the 1940's and 1950's sometimes in various Mausers. It all depends on the storage conditions the ammo has resided in over the past 75. If it has been kept dry and relatively cool then it will outlast you. __________________ Adam Growler Gator...the FALligator

May 01, 2012, 13:46	#4
Tuscan Raider Registered FALaholic #: 19668 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,938	In general I would have to believe the shelf life of most ammo made before WW1 is coming to a close. Corrosive primers, old powder, and who knows what storage conditions. Scares me just thinking about pulling the trigger on something that old. Ammo was made to shoot, not sit around for 100 years. __________________ "An eye for an eye makes us all blind." Ghandi "We, here in America, hold in our hands the hopes of the world, the fate of the coming years; and shame and disgrace will be ours if in our eyes the light of high resolve is dimmed, if we trail in the dust the golden hopes of men." Theodore Roosevelt Address at Carnegie Hall March 30, 1912

May 01, 2012, 14:53	#6
Ironhandjohn Registered FALaholic #: 11561 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: 1187 Hundertwasser Posts: 2,351	My friend and I used to shoot 1914-1918 dated .303 through our Lithgow Enfields back in the early to mid 90s, and it was almost all good shooting ammo. It was all cordite loaded, usually nickel jacketed, and corrosive as hell. It all went BOOM and landed more or less where we aimed, though a few rounds would hang fire. We bought 1000rds for $60 shipped from Paragon back in the day. __________________ Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it... is a VERY bad idea!!

May 02, 2012, 11:07	#8
SID325 Senior Member Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 14958 Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 565	I have Turkish 8mm dated 1921 in bandoleers and every round has fired. I think it's Turk, let me pull some and look, it's from J&G some years ago. Grayish bando, silver buttons, nickel colored bullet. jacob Last edited by SID325; May 02, 2012 at 13:46.

May 01, 2012, 13:36	#3
richbug Registered FALaholic #: 10484 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Western PA Posts: 3,759	WW2 stuff should be fine except for the steel case German stuff. Old rimfire and pinfire doesn't store nearly as well. I have only ever had one pinfire round go off that I tried. Pre-ww1 rimfires are pretty poor also.

May 01, 2012, 13:57	#5
prosecond Veteran Member Contributor FALaholic #: 1816 Join Date: Dec 2000 Posts: 1,412	I have steel case 8mm boxes marked 1938 that shoots ok. I thought it was German. Maybe not. I don't think it was Turk.

May 02, 2012, 14:43	#10
SID325 Senior Member Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 14958 Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 565	I stand corrected. Richbug was right, I was wrong. Please accept my apologies. Most of my Turk 8mm is dated 1941. So, I was off two decades... Still goes boom! Thanks Richbug. jacob

May 03, 2012, 17:18	#12
K. Funk Real Life Metallurgist Gold Contributor FALaholic #: 38 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Myerstown, PA Posts: 3,939	I've been shooting 8x56R dated 1938 and 1939 and it shoots just fine. I have some 7mm dated 1929, I'll let you know how that goes. Haven't had a chance to get out with the 1895 Chilean Mauser yet. krf __________________ The Mason-Dixon FAL Association wants YOU!! Ask me for details. You never know what's going on inside the mind of a crazy man!! Check out username kandainv on Gunbroker; always some neat stuff!! FYB!!!!

May 03, 2012, 21:22	#13
adbm3 Registered FALaholic #: 61973 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Danville, California Posts: 143	I gave a friend a box of .45 from WWII who said it shot fine. Also, another buddy shot some Argentine 7.62 from 1977 that came in the proximity of a house fire. He said no problem.

May 03, 2012, 21:53	#14
Ironhandjohn Registered FALaholic #: 11561 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: 1187 Hundertwasser Posts: 2,351	On the other hand I had a lot of POF 1960s-era .303 go "Clack.............Boom!!" or sometimes not at all. It seems a lot of it depends on whether the ammo comes from a country that poops in their drinking water...... __________________ Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it... is a VERY bad idea!!

May 06, 2012, 14:16	#15
JasonB Registered FALaholic #: 7430 Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: 90° N 0° W Posts: 9,193	Look around for old NRA reloading manuals (mine are late 60s-early 70s) for information on old primers. Primers containing mercury would corrode brass (but not steel) when fired, but not sure about just sitting in the cups unfired. Chlorate primers would corrode steel due to the salts affinity for water, but usually(have some 50's era Yugo 8mm duds that seems to be an exception) should last forever if stored properly. The early non-corrosive stuff (up through the 50s were mentioned in the manuals) was supposed to have very limited storage life. __________________ On Romney's being anti-gun.."If Barney Frank ran for president, I wouldn't need him to tell me in a debate that he'd still be gay if elected."-Shlomo

May 06, 2012, 15:12	#16
Zeusizme Registered FALaholic #: 64239 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: PA Posts: 950	I still have a few hundred rounds of 6.5x53R Dutch that is headstamped from 08' or so to the 30's most of it goes bang but I have a number of hang fires and a few clicks. I have found that the ammo is a great way to either instill flinching or tell if someone does flinch when they pull the trigger. Most of the time I think it teaches people to flinch I have shot WWII .45 steel case that was corroded and it almost all went bang. It really depends on how the ammo was stored, but I would say that pushing 80 years would be about tops for what I would keep around. After that point either shoot it up or collect it. __________________ Shoot it until it smokes!

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