How long is Ammo good for?

[Chris142]

About 10 years ago I picked up some Sellar & bellot Ammo for my old .32.

Lately I have been shooting it some and I picked up some fiotti ammo.

Went shooting yesterday and had problems with the S&B ammo.

Out of 50 bullets we had 2 that didn't go bang.

2 went puff and left the bullett stuck in the barrel.

And I'd guess 20 that after firing I had to knock the empty shell out from the front with a stick.

No problems with the Fiotti.

The 10 yr old S&B Ammo was kept in my sock drawer and in the original box.

Does 10 or so years effect Ammo or did I just get a bad batch?

 

[Bill in Utah]

Sadly I'd say bad batch.

This weekend I shot up some of my reloads that I had that were loaded 7-93 with no issues. I've shot plenty of ammo that is well over 20,30 years old over the decades.

As long as ammo does not see super hot temps it will last a long time if it was manufactured correctly.

Glad you noticed the stuck slug in the barrel. Many a barrel has been ruined by shooting right after the last slug is still in there.

Take care and be SAFE! Bill

 

[123Saab]

Sellier & Belliot is known for having hard primers.

 

[gomes512]

Either you had a bad batch or moisture penetrated the cartridge overtime. Isn't there lacquer around the cartridge that's supposed to seal it from moisture? My S&B 9mm had that. 2 out of 300 misfired on me last year.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: gomes512
Either you had a bad batch or moisture penetrated the cartridge overtime. Isn't there lacquer around the cartridge that's supposed to seal it from moisture?
There was a red "stuff" Looked like Loctite around the bullet where it's in the casing and around the Primer

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah


Glad you noticed the stuck slug in the barrel. Many a barrel has been ruined by shooting right after the last slug is still in there.

Ya well when it went Poof instead of bang and no cans flew up I knew something was wrong.

 

[needsducktape]

Out of curiosity how long does gun powder actually last? Assuming all other factors being ideal.


Actually now that I think of it, aren't there still dangerous WWII zones (from land mines) ??? We're going on 65+ years

 

[nwjones18]

I'd say bad batch as well. I've shot a good deal of ammo from the 30's and 40's and its all gone bang. Good ammo stored under the right conditions will last a very long time.

 

[Cujet]

I've got 50 year old Remington 45ACP. That stuff ROCKS! I wish they loaded FMJ like that today.

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
I've got 50 year old Remington 45ACP. That stuff ROCKS! I wish they loaded FMJ like that today.


What's different? Today's loads would be hotter? (yes, no?)

 

[Robenstein]

Older ammo/corrosive ammo seems to last the longest. I have popped off properly stored ammo as old as from the 20's and plenty from the 40's and 50's that still worked.

Non corrosive ammo seems to not last as long. I know the US Military and NATO nations usually unload ammo when it hits 25 to 30 years old as the chances of failure to fire or hang fires is deemed too high.

So good modern non corrosive ammo is good for atleast two decades if stored well, while corrosive ammo can last up to 100 years. The downside of course is the extra care of cleaning and maintaining a gun that shoots corrosive ammo.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Older ammo/corrosive ammo seems to last the longest. I have popped off properly stored ammo as old as from the 20's and plenty from the 40's and 50's that still worked.

Non corrosive ammo seems to not last as long. I know the US Military and NATO nations usually unload ammo when it hits 25 to 30 years old as the chances of failure to fire or hang fires is deemed too high.

So good modern non corrosive ammo is good for atleast two decades if stored well, while corrosive ammo can last up to 100 years. The downside of course is the extra care of cleaning and maintaining a gun that shoots corrosive ammo.


Cleaning is really not an issue, The corrosiveness (SP?) comes from the primer salts and can easily be brushed out with just warm water.

Cordite (as in 303 brit WW1 and 2 vintage) is a whole other issue though.

 

[UncleS2]

How long? My best guess is, no one really knows. Bill is shooting his own *reloads* from almost 20 years ago. In about 1963, I saw Dad run through a full magazine of .32 ACP that was at least 25 years old, without a hitch. I read just a few years ago that in Europe, WWI- yes, World War *I*- surplus military ammo was often found to have been used in crimes. About 10 years ago, I gave some WWII military steel-case M1 Carbine ammo to a family friend who owned a carbine. It had been stored in an old tin bandaid box for as long as my Dad had it, both inside the non-air-conditioned house and later in the big closet on the screened back porch, here in miserably humid NE Texas. There were about 35 rounds, iirc- and every one fired perfectly in a military surplus, WW II era, Winchester-mfg M1 carbine. when fired, that ammo was over 50 years old- the purple sealing shellac must have done its job well!

According to some, the old corrosive priming compounds are very stable in well-sealed ammunition. Even non-corrosive priming can have a very long life. A few years ago I dug 3 shells from the old "Buckshot Bag". two were plastic- one Rem star-crimped 12-ga 0 Buck, and a Fed roll-crimped 1 Buck. The 3rd was an honest to goodness old Western waxed-paper star-crimped 00 buck. The plastic shells were at least 30 years old, and the Western older still.

All 3 shells fired, and recoil seemed to indicate they were at full power. I'm not saying you should count on decades-old ammo to fire- just that you should never assume that it *won't* fire.

 

[Robenstein]

I know. But to most people who just think they can use traditional bore solvents, it is an extra step. I use hot soapy water, or in a pinch windex works well also for corrosive ammo.

Yeah forgot about old cordite stuff. I have some 50 year old 303 that is a bit lazy when I pop it off in my 1943 Long Branch Enfield.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein

Yeah forgot about old cordite stuff. I have some 50 year old 303 that is a bit lazy when I pop it off in my 1943 Long Branch Enfield.


That my friend is a [censored] of a good rifle. I love my Enfields.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: BobFout
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I've got 50 year old Remington 45ACP. That stuff ROCKS! I wish they loaded FMJ like that today.


What's different? Today's loads would be hotter? (yes, no?)


Today's +P loads are hotter. But I can't find +P loads in FMJ.

Today's Winchester white box 45ACP are not hotter. They are down about -100-150 FPS. Other manufacturers are similar. FMJ is target ammo today.

Put another way, I've not found any conventional store bought 45ACP FMJ that will chrono like my 50 year old Remington.

Maybe DoubleTap Ammo FMJ is as hot. I've not chrono'd it.

 

[Robenstein]

Unfortunately that rifle was customized by a "bubba" gunsmith back in the day. It ruined the rifle but atleast it was done well and is a handy little carbine now. Handles like a jungle carbine and I have a little Lyman Alaskan scope on it and its a good coyote gun. I bought it for 50 bucks at a garage sale along with a Remington Model 8 in 35 Remington for 140 bucks.

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: BobFout
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I've got 50 year old Remington 45ACP. That stuff ROCKS! I wish they loaded FMJ like that today.


What's different? Today's loads would be hotter? (yes, no?)


Today's +P loads are hotter. But I can't find +P loads in FMJ.

Today's Winchester white box 45ACP are not hotter. They are down about -100-150 FPS. Other manufacturers are similar. FMJ is target ammo today.

Put another way, I've not found any conventional store bought 45ACP FMJ that will chrono like my 50 year old Remington.

Maybe DoubleTap Ammo FMJ is as hot. I've not chrono'd it.


Some of the FMJ I have says for target and home defense. Let me see which in my small flotilla of ammo it is...

 

[Loobed]

You can still buy 30-06 ammo made in the 1930 for WWII, and it still works. You can buy German 8mm Mauser ammo from the 1930s also, and it works. You can get Russian ammo made in the 1920s and eastern block ammo made in the 1950s, and that stuff still works. If they ammo was made by a reputable company, and kept cool and dry, it should last 50+ years. I have shot reloads from the 1960s: A friends father passed away, he he had a bunch of old reloaded ammo in his garage.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Sadly I'd say bad batch.


As long as ammo does not see super hot temps it will last a long time if it was manufactured correctly.






I agree, bad batch.

But I never considered high temps as being bad for ammo. I guess I should start rotating the ammo in my gun that stays in my car...especially since we in Texas have had over 50 days of straight 100+ days!