nurkvinny Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 How old do you let your "stash" get before you think about shooting it off and replacing? If you found that awesome deal on 9mm 4 years ago, and bought 1000's of rounds, how many years do you trust it? Most of my ammo is 2-5 years old now. But, I often shoot boxes of shit Dad bought 30 years ago, and it all (with very few exceptions) works still. What's your rule of thumb on ammo age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 i probably have 22 thats 10 years old, still shoot it. i went out not long ago and shot up a whole bunch, maybe all, of my duck/geese loads, and i havent gone hunting in probably 8+ years, maybe longer. my HD rounds in my M&P 9c are 3-4 years old, LCP, i got off the previous owner, had the gun for a year or so i don't stress about it. im sure over time shit can break down, but i dont think i'll be around by the time that happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted June 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Yeah, just last weekend, I got to take home a side by side 12g that hadn't been shot in 45 years. Along with it was a bag of 12g low brass shells from who-knows-when. I had no worries when I blew up the plastic jugs in the back yard that night. Fired like it was built/loaded yesterday. I just don't know what to make of the articles I read insisting ammo goes bad in what seems to me a relatively short timeframe, if stored "normal". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Ammunition generally will last longer than you will. Ideally store it in a cool dry place, but for blasting ammo 5 years old wouldn't even give me pause. I've shot up cases of milsurp older than I am without any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangsn95gt Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Ammunition generally will last longer than you will. Ideally store it in a cool dry place, but for blasting ammo 5 years old wouldn't even give me pause. I've shot up cases of milsurp older than I am without any issues. This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojoe Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Ammo age is close to the last thing I'm concerned with. I've shot surplus and ammo my dad has given me that is pretty damn old. If it was stored right, no issues. If you are gun minded in any way, it's pretty hard to store ammo wrong. I have swam with ammo on me and fired it after, it still worked. Not saying I recommend it, just saying it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buelliganx1 Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 This reminds me of a conversation I had with a coworker just last night. Apparently he was at a small gun shop in Lancaster when he saw a small amount of .22lr on the shelf, as he was getting ready to buy it he noticed a much larger box of .22lr on the floor and asked about buying that ammo to which the store owner came back with a ridiculous price. My coworker puzzled by the high price asked why it was so expensive and the store owner told him it was old, and some people will pay big bucks for old ammo. Why the hell would you spend more on old ammo when you can't shoot it because I would assume it would then be worthless. Are they paying more just so they can say they have old ammo? Do they think that it ages like fine wine? Is that how they impress their friends while out shooting on special occasions, for this occasion my friends I have retrieved from the cellar an extremely rare vintage 1962 .22lr you'll notice a slight bouquet of oak and apple spice when fired.Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dharris89 Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 I used a bunch of 22 from my grandpa's house several years ago that had to be from the 1950s or 1960s. In one of the boxes the rounds were tacky so I passed but the rest shot fine. The price was $0.49 for 50. Wouldn't hat be nice? There are tons of surplus ammo being imported that is all 30+ years old. Most of it still shoots fine. G&A or American Handgunner did an article a while Back where they submerged ammo to see if it would still shoot. It was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dharris89 Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 you'll notice a slight bouquet of oak and apple spice when fired.Lol Make it Old Spice and you'll make millions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmuckingham Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 I shot some 22 and 30-30 last night that may be older than me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1fast5gp Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Ammunition generally will last longer than you will. Ideally store it in a cool dry place, but for blasting ammo 5 years old wouldn't even give me pause. I've shot up cases of milsurp older than I am without any issues. +1!!! I just keep them dry and cool. Ammo cans to help to keep them dry and basement to keep it cool. You can store them longer than you will live. I have gone through a few hundred rounds of 1970s MilSurp WCC M193 in my AR and every round fired just fine. BTW, real mil surplus with crimped/ sealered primers, crimped/sealed case mouth stored in ammocans will last many many lifetimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Shot some ammo last week that was from 1999 and had no issues. All depends on if it's stored properly IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotart Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 My uncle shot a round of .303 or 30.06 that was from 1937 and it had no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjjxlr8 Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 I try to use up my military surplus ammo from the 1940's-1960's first, before I get to the 1970's and 1980's vintage. Storage conditions are the most important factor. 1 year old ammo could be less reliable than 70 year old ammo depending on storage conditions. Stable temperature and low humidity are the two most important factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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