How long does ammo keep?

degenerateJEFF

degenerateJEFF

World's Okayest Shooter
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I'm about to start stocking up on .22 lr like there is no tomorrow.
I'm hoping to have 10K rounds stocked up for my son by the time he is 8 (he's 2 now). I was just going to buy a box here and there, basically any time I already have a bulk order in.

Am I going to run into problems with primers or powder not working? How long does a rimfire cartridge last? I know various rifle and pistol ammo comes with sealed primer. I've got ammo cans buried in the back with sealed 5.56 primers. Really curious if it's too early to start the stockpile for my son as well.

Also there is no "ammo thread?" so not exactly sure where to put this.

Once the ammo is stocked, would a takedown Ruger 10/22 Silent SR be overkill for my son's first rifle when he turns.........I don't know........4 or 5?
 
The military stores their ammo in ammo cans for years... I follow their lead using surplus cans with the addition of a dessicant pouch or 2. I keep the can sealed/closed once sealed until I'm ready to use the contents of that can.
 
Every year they have “ordinance clean up” in Belgium to locate unexplored shells from WW1...so...basically “forever” if stored moderately well.


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Just so you keep it out of the weather - climate controlled........ 50+ years.
 
I have a few Austrian M95's. The last batch of ammo loaded in any real quantity for these rifles was made by the Nazi's in 1938. Shoots just fine. Not something I would worry too much about as long as it's sealed up in ammo cans.
 
I stopped buying military type ammo cans. I have sealed Ridgid tool boxes with wheels. Unfortunately though they can’t be lifted by one man but it’s a more cost effective.
 
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I have 25 year old .22LR that looks new.
 
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If you want 10,000 rounds find a way to buy as much of it as you can this year. You can wait until the recession hits next year and maybe save a few more dollars, but if you wait too long and get into the election cycle you’ll probably be paying more.

Of course if we get a D out front in the presidential then your son may have to start with centerfire, assuming that you reload.
 
How long does ammo keep? Until you shoot it. :D

The problem you may run into with . 22 is the wax coating. The wax will dry and form a powdery coating on the bullet. I called one of the manufactures about this (Federal I think.), thinking it might be lead oxide. They said it was the wax drying out. Now, these were rounds that were not kept in hermetically sealed cans. They were just on an open closet shelf for, oh 10 years. From some of the responses here, it seems if you keep them stored properly, the wax doesn't dry out.
 
The fact that ammo cost $0.018 in the 80’s and can be found under $0.025 today demonstrates how affordable it’s become. I’d buy all I can TODAY.

By the way, adjusted for inflation, what cost $18 in 1989 would cost more than $36 today.
 
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My dad bought a case of Winchester Wildcat back in the 70s from Roses. He passed away about 2 months ago and I ended up with a lot of it. It still shoots fine. And it was the of the .22 world!
 
All depends on how you store it. Keep in a cool, dry environment. Heat does break down powder and priming compounds. Found some loose .303 British ammo here in Astan within the last few months. Ammo was made by the billions during WWI as this ammo was marked 1918. All went bang out of the SMLEs and P14s. Shot some more .303 out of a BREN MkII LMG with ammo dated between 1936-41. Again all went bang but did have couple case separations.

CD
 
I just finished a brick of .22's I bought in 1983 when the price was $5/500 rounds that weren't stored in a can, just a old drawer in the garage. All went bang. In Europe they still find bombs and artillery shells in fields while plowing from WW1 that go boom.
 
I don’t have anything old, some bullets from the wwii era and powder/primers from the early 1970’s. So far no problems although the 9mm submachine gun ammo is hot hot hot and I don’t know if it always was. For old powder I work up loads for function and accuracy, so probably wouldn’t notice minor deterioration.
 
JimB said:
If you want 10,000 rounds find a way to buy as much of it as you can this year. You can wait until the recession hits next year and maybe save a few more dollars, but if you wait too long and get into the election cycle you’ll probably be paying more.

Of course if we get a D out front in the presidential then your son may have to start with centerfire, assuming that you reload.
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I do in fact reload.. . Just haven't tried anything without a straight wall yet
 
Jeppo said:
The fact that ammo cost $0.018 in the 80’s and can be found under $0.025 today demonstrates how affordable it’s become. I’d buy all I can TODAY.

By the way, adjusted for inflation, what cost $18 in 1989 would cost more than $36 today.
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In the 1960s we commonly bought WW 500 bricks for $5...if I remember that $5 was sorta hard to come by. Not many folks in this area made $1 an hour for working in the 60s. As we get older we start scratching off things we will never need to do again. I will Never need to buy another piece of .22 LR.
Back to the cost, just figure 5 hours labor for a brick to put into proper perspective as to what a deal it is, compared to the 1960s.
 
degenerateJEFF said:
I'm not making a brick an hour these days either... I doubt it anyways
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Jeff, Ima betcha that applies to a lot of folks. Man, it's hard to get ahead of the curve ain't it. I still think Most things are cheaper today. In 1956 a Colt Python retailed for $125. Easily a month's wages in Horry county then. A month's wages today will buy a lot of firearms for most folks BUT that month's wages is needed for other things. Just like it was in 1956.
 
Bottom line, store whatever you get in a climate controlled, dry environment and it'll last for decades. I still have some Winchester from the 60s that goes off just fine. Old military cans are great.

To the Iron Harvest video posted, look up the Zone Rouge in France. There is a large area that has been determined to be virtually uninhabitable due to shelling and UXO in the ground. Because of the shelling, both conventional and chemical, the contamination of the soil and water table with heavy metals and toxins is so high, it's a huge health hazard. Add to that the amount of war debris and uncollected human remains and it's a very eerie and somber place.
 
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I found half a dozen boxes of 22lr that are probably 50+ years old. They have a K-Mart price sticker on them. 77¢ Key 7. They are standard velocity, and run great in my old Colt Woodsman that requires sub-sonic stuff.
 
I’ll pile on... buy now! It’ll last forever if stored properly.

I regretted not buying 10k+ when Dunham’s regularly sold 5k cases for $170 shipped, Fed and CCI, probably 7-10yr ago.
With the recent Fed/CCI rebates, I grabbed 10k CCI Blazer plus I jump on every other PSA sale since they do free shipping for $80-100 when they do ammo deals. I’m probably somewhere around $14/500 on avg.
 
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Jerzsubbie said:
I’ll pile on... buy now! It’ll last forever if stored properly.

I regretted not buying 10k+ when Dunham’s regularly sold 5k cases for $170 shipped, Fed and CCI, probably 7-10yr ago.
With the recent Fed/CCI rebates, I grabbed 10k CCI Blazer plus I jump on every other PSA sale since they do free shipping for $80-100 when they do ammo deals. I’m probably somewhere around $14/500 on avg.
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I don't buy PSA. But yes bulk. I go off grab a gun. I'll pay 13 for shipping to save 60 in taxes
 
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degenerateJEFF said:
I don't buy PSA. But yes bulk. I go off grab a gun. I'll pay 13 for shipping to save 60 in taxes
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Ahhh didn’t realize you were in SC. But if you’re buying $800+ in ammo at one time, $13 shipping is a steal haha
 
For the older guys, what ammo was it that came in the pint size milk cartons?? They opened up them like you Were drinking them. Then you just poured them out.
 
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well, i'm still shooting my Y2K (remember?) stockpile. so far, so good.
i agree with above posts...this year is another "buying opportunity".
 
Jeppo said:
The fact that ammo cost $0.018 in the 80’s and can be found under $0.025 today demonstrates how affordable it’s become.
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I keep telling people that, and I sorta think they believe me. I've got boxes of generic brass 9mm from just the early 90s that are labeled $10 and $14. $10 back then is $18 now, and no one is selling boxes of 9mm retail for $18 and saying it's "cheap".
 
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Jerzsubbie said:
I’ll pile on... buy now! It’ll last forever if stored properly.

I regretted not buying 10k+ when Dunham’s regularly sold 5k cases for $170 shipped, Fed and CCI, probably 7-10yr ago.
With the recent Fed/CCI rebates, I grabbed 10k CCI Blazer plus I jump on every other PSA sale since they do free shipping for $80-100 when they do ammo deals. I’m probably somewhere around $14/500 on avg.
Click to expand...

I hit that Dunham’s deal that was great.


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Didn't we have a thread a while back about how the newer ammos would not last as long? Something about they are either intentionally designed that way now or due to new manufacturing requirements?
The search function rarely works for me, must be the ID-10T error. ;) Maybe it was on another forum.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
I have some Squires Bingham .22 I got from Ward Ayer's Gun Shop in Garden City, S.C. in 1983. Shoots fine.
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Squires Bingham. Haven't heard or thought of that in a couple of decades. They had rifles too. Sold them at K-Mart, when we still sold guns.
Yes, boys and girls, guns were available at K-MART! And we didn't have a rampage of mass shootings. Well, we did have that guy in TX, in the tower. :rolleyes:
 
I have shot 303 Brit from 1913ish. Old cordite loads. Little slow on detonation but work fine.
Military issue 25 auto from ww1 ammo also works fine. Although the primers are so hard I have to prefire them before they work in my Jennings.


Keep it dry and away from heat above 120ish ammo will last almost forever. Might be less accurste, or dirtier than new stuff. Bit it will go bang
 
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