How old is too old for centerfire ammo to be considered safe for shooting?

Strykaar

Strykaar

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I occasionally see old ammo for sale in this forum and else where, some are in sealed condition and some loosely packed. I am not looking for ammo at this moment but was wondering if they ever go bad or if there is anything to watch out for when purchasing this kind of ammo? Is age not a factor for military grade ammo?

Similarly if stored properly how long do civilian market rimfire last in storage?

Thanks
 
Have been shooting some 8mm made in the 40's..........and some Win 32-20 made in the 30's. No problems with any of it.
Don't know about rimfire.
 
Stored right older than me is fine. Just watch for corrosive ammo and the need to clean your firearm if used. Also remember the hangfire rules ...
- if the round doesn’t ignite wait at least 60 seconds with the firearm pointed in a safe direction
- after the 60 second wait it’s a misfire so extract the round and inspect for reason of misfire
- dispose of a misfire properly since it still does pose some risk
 
The 8mm was traded to me in an ammo can so I don't know about that one.

The 32-20 was NCSHP issued way back when. The Colt Police Positive I own is chambered in Win 32-20 and was a NCSHP issued sidearm with the holster. My dad traded for it in the late 60's.

I'm sure that @Cocked & Locked can share some insight on this also. How about it Ralph ?
 
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Watch for:
deteriorated cardboard
tarnish/blue corrosion
too shiny - maybe they polished off the blue?
lead oxide

As said, it'll last more than 1 lifetime if it's stored properly. I think we're still waiting to find out just how long.
 
NCFubar said:
Stored right older than me is fine. Just watch for corrosive ammo and the need to clean your firearm if used. Also remember the hangfire rules ...
- if the round doesn’t ignite wait at least 60 seconds with the firearm pointed in a safe direction
- after the 60 second wait it’s a misfire so extract the round and inspect for reason of misfire
- dispose of a misfire properly since it still does pose some risk
Click to expand...

Thanks for the instructions. I remember reading similar instructions in S&W manual that came with my 15-22.


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It depends. There is no one good answer that covers all ammo. I have some military and commercial ammo from the 1940's that shoots fine. I do watch out for corrosive ammo and avoid it.

I had some Remington 7mm Magnum factory ammo that was stored in an unheated/unair conditioned metal barn for a few years that went bad fairly quickly. There was corrosion around the primers and around where the bullet met the neck of the case. I shot one or two that just did not sound right. I pulled all the rest in that box and found the powder degraded with corrosion inside the cases. I pitched all of them. Other boxes of ammo stored in the same place have been fine.

I had some 32 Auto ammo that came with a pistol trade several years ago. They were no good because almost all the cases split before I fired them. I was able to salvage the bullets.

I recently had some 270 WSM rounds that I had loaded go bad with case necks splitting. Some of those reloads were in virgin cases. There were even some new cases fresh out of the factory bag that had split necks and shoulders. I no longer have a 270 WSM and was not real concerned. I do wonder what caused the cases to split. Bad brass? Ammonia? Whatever.

If the ammo shoots and sounds right, it should be fine. Stop shooting them if they sound funny. Do not shoot them if you see obvious signs of degradation. Watch out for hangfires. When in doubt, don't. Pull the bullets and reuse the bullets and cases if they seem fine. I would pitch anything that burns.
 
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Catfish said:
Watch for:
deteriorated cardboard
tarnish/blue corrosion
too shiny - maybe they polished off the blue?
lead oxide

As said, it'll last more than 1 lifetime if it's stored properly. I think we're still waiting to find out just how long.
Click to expand...

Would the blue corrosion be near the primer or bullet?


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Pay more attention to the overall case condition than the age. Cases showing age issues may need to be avoided. No visible issues, no problem IMO.
 
Strykaar said:
Would the blue corrosion be near the primer or bullet?


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Click to expand...
It can be anywhere there's brass.

ct-fig3a-large.jpg
 
The issue with .22 will be the wax lube drying out. It will look like a white crusty coating on the bullets.
 
On non U.S. military rounds I inspect each case in bright outdoor sunlight for hairline cracks that extend into the base of the case. If one of those is fired it will be a bad day for your firearm. Most firearms can shrug off neck splits, shoulder cracks or base separations but a base failure has the potential for damage to the firearm and the shooter. French .30 ball, Korean PS marked .30 ball, and Yugoslav 8mm ball marked 11-54 are notorious for base failures. Not all lots of those rounds are bad which is why I check out all foreign stuff. U.S. ball hasn't had this issue since post WW1 but those WW1 rounds fired in low number 03 actions is what caused a lot of them to fail when the base split open,.
 
I have some. Military issue 25acp from the 20s thst I shoot on occasion. Have to pre strike. The primer twice. Works on the third. That's my carry ammo.

Shot 303 that was prob 120 years old. Shot fine, same with some ww1 8mm lebel
 
Anything that has base cracks and visible destructive corrosion of the case should be discarded. Otherwise old ammunition that has gone bad usually won't fire or click-bang. I got a tirade from a knucklehead on another forum that ammo older than 10 years was so dangerous that using it was akin to driving drunk. Sooner or later that 'old' ammunition was going to kill me.
 
"I got a tirade from a knucklehead on another forum that ammo older than 10 years was so dangerous that using it was akin to driving drunk. Sooner or later that 'old' ammunition was going to kill me."

That is almost laughable except that some people might believe him/her.
 
Charlie said:
"I got a tirade from a knucklehead on another forum that ammo older than 10 years was so dangerous that using it was akin to driving drunk. Sooner or later that 'old' ammunition was going to kill me."

That is almost laughable except that some people might believe him/her.
Click to expand...
We should help him/her (and any others who think such) “dispose” of their 11 plus year old ammo at no charge to them, we’d even liking pick it up from them at no charge. I have a very safe place to store that “dangerous“ stuff before it’s disposed of ”correctly”.

Bonus question ... does he/her believe firearms have a finite life also?
 
Was given a paper bag full of 50+ year old 38special that had been under the bed, in the attic and in a closet. Lead bullets. Lots of duds. I had a rubber sealed "battle pack" of NATO 7.62 from the 70's that was badly corroded. I would not pay good money for old ammo. Free is a different proposition. Even pulling down old ammo for the components for me has been a losing proposition. Half the brass had split necks after pulling down. Gets brittle. I bought some pull down 223/556 brass back at the first of the year and ended up sending it all back. Split necks.
 
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I suppose it's possible some of that stuff got old for good reason. It was probably just that bad when it was new.
 
NCFubar said:
Stored right older than me is fine. Just watch for corrosive ammo and the need to clean your firearm if used. Also remember the hangfire rules ...
- if the round doesn’t ignite wait at least 60 seconds with the firearm pointed in a safe direction
- after the 60 second wait it’s a misfire so extract the round and inspect for reason of misfire
- dispose of a misfire properly since it still does pose some risk
Click to expand...
This ^^^
 
If its clean, dry, and been stored out of the humidity, ammo doesn't really go bad. As some members here have shown, even centerfire ammo loaded in the very early days of smokeless powder will fire if stored well. I recall reading an article a few years ago where a barrel of Unique powder from the first run was opened up (over 100 years old) and tested, and it was found to work just fine.

If the powder has a strong ammonia smell, pass on it.

If its corroded, dirty, or looks funny, pass on it. If you get missfires or hangfires, probably a good idea to pass on it.

Years ago, you could buy old surplus 303 really cheap that was often advertised that it was prone to hangfire.
 
I've shot ammo with green crud on it with no issues. I've shot 7.62x25 with cracked case necks, no problems. If it's not burst open and will fit in the chamber I generally just go with it.
 
Charlie said:
"I got a tirade from a knucklehead on another forum that ammo older than 10 years was so dangerous that using it was akin to driving drunk. Sooner or later that 'old' ammunition was going to kill me."

That is almost laughable except that some people might believe him/her.
Click to expand...
The 10 year deal is the industry standard and is for liability reasons. Standard response is "if over 10 years old, have disposed of properly by police or fire department" Course they do not want you shooting old ammo, they want to sell new😃 He probably got the response from an ammo manufacturer and decided it was the end all answer. I recently shot up some paper shot shells that were my grand dads. No telling how old they were.
 
Any ammo over 39.5 days old is just plain dangerous and should be handled with care. We love our ammo and we will love yours too so please PM for a mailing addy. Remember its for the children!
R
 
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