Old Ammo: How Old is Too Old?

[The_War_Wagon]

WWI-era ammo - stored properly - still works. MIGHT be corrosive, though.

[CAVDOC]

Without a doubt I consider pre 1945 ammo corrosive until proven otherwise.
No big deal
5 minute cleaning job

[mrbieler]

Had a bunch of 1942 dated New Zealand .303 that we called click boom. Fresh out of the old sealed can. You could count the hang fire and the fire and sparks were amazing.

[tommyrott]

just got a nice stash out of an estate, handloads should be treated as suspect. but that being said all the revolver ammo goes pop so far

[TomMcC]

I recently shot some Canadian SS109 marked 95. Shot just fine. Unless the ammo was stored in some really bad conditions, it should be gtg.

[sjc3081]

I have WRA 1960 7.62x51 it shoots 100%•

[T2C]

I bought some WWI vintage .45 ACP ammunition at a gun show 5 years ago. Most of it was badly tarnished. It fired just fine. I am still firing 1956 Yugoslavian 8mm surplus ammunition.

[Ron3]

Factory ammo (cased, smokeless powder) that looks okay, shoot it! Regardless of age.

But try not to bet your life on 60 year old ammo.

Unknown reloads made this morning or any time before? Not worth the risk.

Badly stored ammo (how about an attic in FL?) can be ruined in less than 10 years. My example was a buddy who stored .223 in his attic. Cracked cases, bullets not secure, about one out of three rounds.

[Black_Sheep]

I was given some WW2 vintage Lake City .45 ball ammo that a friend found after his father died. It wasn’t pretty but they all fired just fine...

[blade_68]

Heck when I was deployed to Iraq in 08 the 50cal ammo we was shooting was from end of WW2 for the M2 machine guns. I'm not worrying about any ammo post 1970s other than corrosive (factory) now any Billy Bob's reloads or reloaded by anyone else not something I'll test. I was still shooting 22LR from the late 80s and early 90s during the last ammo crunch. I've probably still have some left. The m1 carbine ammo I have is from the 80s.