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Thread: Ammo shelf life

  1. #1
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    Ammo shelf life

    Does anyone know for sure if *any* ammo makers are currently using components (powder or primers) that have a known shorter shelf life than what was used in the past? Is this even possible? I don’t know.
    Last edited by Biggy; 08-21-19 at 10:41.

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    I can't say with 100% certainty, but going to say no, or at least not intentionally, based on a few observations.

    Looking at powders available for handloading and how most of the same types of powder available decades ago are still for sale with no substantial changes in load data for a given cartridge makes me doubt anything has changed.

    Potassium chlorate primers properly manufactured and stored with anything resembling reasonable care are believed to be good for all eternity, but early non-corrosive primers could be iffy. Switzerland was the first to issue non-corrosive ammunition around 1911 Going off memory from a 1990's written article about that ammunition was any produced up until some specific date in the 30s or 40s was all but guaranteed to be inert and had been for some time.

    Never really seen much info on purely commercially produced non-corrosive primer longevity, but US companies started in 1922 and had completely switched to non-corrosive by 1930 with the exception of 1 primer type used in Winchester .30-06 and .300 H&H match ammunition in to the early 1960's because it was considered to produce more accurate ammunition.

    I don't recall reading about longevity issues with US produced .30 Carbine ammo(first non-corrosive US issue ammo, no issue ammo made was corrosive) or other early US produced non-corrosive issued ammo, but apparently there was some consistency issues (real or imagined) because the US also produced and issued .30-06 and 7.62x51mm match ammo using a corrosive primer up until the late 1950's, slightly after standard ammo was switched.

    My experience with older non-corrosive ammo that dudnt look like it came off a ship wreck has been almost universally good, but crap happens occasionally.

    I got in on the Portuguese 7.62x51 that got imported around 2002-05? and bought it in clean/dry sealed packs that seemed to indicate dates ranging from 1974 up 1980. Most of it was great, but some lots from 1976 (IIRC...I do know it was not the oldest) had some dud primers. Local friends experienced the same and we saw similar reports online concerning the same lots. So not sure if there were always issues with that year, or if it was an age issue.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Biggy View Post
    Does anyone know for sure if *any* ammo makers are currently using components (powder or primers) that have a known shorter shelf life than what was used in the past? Is this even possible? I don’t know.
    Any commercial American ammo made today - if kept clean, dry, and in a temperate climate - will outlive your great-grandchildren. For reference.
    - Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution or you're just part of the landscape - Sam (Robert DeNiro) in, "Ronin" -

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    Avoid lead-free primers if you are looking for longevity.

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    Good to keep your ammo in GI ammo cans. Moisture is not your friend pertaining to ammunition... a lot of manufacturers use a sealant around the primers which minimizes the risk, but keep the bad stuff out. Ammo cans also has a handle to make easier carry during bugout situations. Check the cans lid to make sure it has a serviceable rubber gasket on the lid. Some military surplus stores don’t do a great job of inspecting the ones they bought. The cans can be used for tool kit and or spare parts kit or even a mobile solvent gun cleaning tank. I got a few larger ones that I modified to faraday cages.

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    Quote Originally Posted by vicious_cb View Post
    Avoid lead-free primers if you are looking for longevity.
    This. Lead-free primer formulations are pretty new, and have had some sketchy track records - they have a history of not tolerating hot, humid environments, delayed ignition, and potentially short life spans.

    Yes, there's (eeek!) lead in conventional noncorrosive primer compounds. But if you maintain good ventilation in indoor shooting, and don't, you know, lick your empty brass, you're probably not going to have any real accumulation of lead that can be measured at the firing line.

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    DD's input is right on the money.

    Humidity is the enemy of ammo, especially commercial as it does not have the mouth lacquer sealing the front end and the primers are not sealed. You can seal your primers with nail polish. Straighten out a paper clip, dip in nail polish and place it around the edge of the primer in a ammo box with the bullets in the down position. Cheapest place to get nail polish is at one of the dollar stores.

    I figured out another way to preserve ammo. I get rolls of heat sealing polyethylene film 6 mil and I place five rounds in sections and heat seal it with a sealer and you are good to go. You can then carry all you want in pockets, packs etc in small enough packs for easy transport. Assuming you have a bolt action rifle as a survival rifle you only need to open one pack at a time and keep the other ammo protected.

    Per the ammo engineers I used to work with ammo in unopened military cans has a min life of 125 years. Ammo cans that have been opened the estimated life is 75 years.

    Packing ammo in GI is good and the best way is to pack the ammo in cans in a cool temperature and clamp them down. If you will remember when you opened new GI cans there was a sucking sound. That is because they are packed in a cold room.

    Another thing to consider is the weapon you are going to have for that long period of time. Firing pin springs tend to take a set which means they tend to get shorter with years of compression thus they have less available energy to depart to a striker as it is released to go forward and ignite the primer. I have seen at least 3 rifles from the 40s time frame with broken firing pin springs and several more that have taken a set, both of which will tend you give you misfires.

    Therefore if you are going to store a weapon for a long period you need to lay in replacement striker springs as a minimum. Wolfe springs are the best and generally have 1 to 3 energy levels which are 1 Factory replacement, 2 enhanced energy level and 3 a much higher energy level. I generally get the middle spring and the should be good stored in factory packaging for many years.

    Also a lot of the old weapons were packed with grease inside the bolts which will deteriorate over time and become stiff/hard slowing the movement of the firing pin and thus a misfire. I would recommend degreasing bolts by disassembly and a good wash with a solvent that will dissolve grease. This should enable you to have ammo and a working weapon for another 50 years.
    Last edited by Humpy70; 12-21-19 at 21:08.

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    I’m thinking powder and primers are pretty resistant to time and atmosphere. I’ve used 18 year old powder and primers and they worked fine. I marked the reloads at first to indicate but then stopped. I have shot old 45 loads I made in 2001 and they all work.

    I even used powder left the hopper of my press for over a year and it still worked. Not that I’d recommend that...
    "A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish." - Ty Webb

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    I have powder I have had since 1992. I have primers from about the same time frame but they have been kept in a ammo can.

    Humidity is the enemy of primers. Just because they go off doesn't mean you are getting your money's worth out of them. For instance before primers actually misfire if you shoot long range you will probably start seeing high and low shots you can't explain.

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    The bulk of the M80 ball I got issued overseas to feed my 240B was LC 1967-1970. Never had any issues with the stuff.

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