Yet Another Newbie & Shelf Life Bill

[jmp45]

Greetings, I got the bug last year for an M4 after an afternoon with my brother's AR. I'm going to be in the process of building an M4 early fall, or as soon as parts can be shipped. There is a lot to consider, I've got a lot to learn.. Still up in the air on optics..

Anyhow, has anyone heard or can confirm the Bill on the hill right now about making a shelf life for ammo for 2 years?

[Saginaw79]

I havnt seen a bill like that. They did invent some primers w/ a limited shelf life but IIRC its only 'theory' and not actuality...

[jmp45]

A buddy of mine that keeps up with this admin told me this morning it's on the hill. Just trying to verify. I can't find anything googling. With this administration, nothing would surprise me.

[TY44934]

I havnt seen a bill like that. They did invent some primers w/ a limited shelf life but IIRC its only 'theory' and not actuality...

LIMITED "SHELF-LIFE" PRIMERS ARE A FACT!

Hopefully, some of our LEO friends on this site can confirm (see below). But, they were NOT designed to disarm civilians.

Fact is: many law enforement organizations have adopted TRAINING AMMO that is 100% free of LEAD, due to concerns over lead exposure - particularly to training officers. This ammo is also used exclusively at the Sig Arms Academy in NH.

Until recently, all ammo used lead not only in the bullet, but also in the PRIMER (ie - lead-styphnate priming compound).

The newer "lead-free" ammo does NOT use a lead-based primer.

NEW LEAD FREE PRIMERS ARE NOT 100% RELIABLE AFTER 5 YEARS (this is where I need our LEO friends to post a recent pic).

Speer brand lead-free ammo (case lots) is marked "USE BY 2014." A factory Sig representative explained that after 5 years, MOST of the ammo would still function. However, a "few" duds per 100 would be expected. The "duds" would have primers that had gone inactive.

The problem (which the ammo companies would like to solve) is that the newer primer compounds can absorb moisture, and can break down chemically over long periods - say more than 5 years.

This characteristic is NOT some government plot, nor is it an intended design feature of the ammo.

But, if congress were to require lead free ammo (as they have done in the case of gasoline or lead hunting shotgun shot) then, in fact, our ammo would be "shelf life" limited.

[Heavy Metal]

Potassium Chlorate is lead-free.

[Saginaw79]

Maybe you should make that text a bit bigger!

[TY44934]

Maybe you should make that text a bit bigger!

Thank you for the helpful suggestion, but it is as large as the site would allow.

Sorry if the large print "woke you up" - but that was my point. Mission accomplished.

Back in 1993 or 94, there was a conspiracy MYTH about a shelf-life ammo requirements bill or reg. Speer references it in their reloading manual.

Since then, industry has inadvertently created ammo with a limited "shelf-life" - the lead-free ammo I describe above, but there was NO intent on their part to dis-arm the public.

Still, if a "lead-free or unleaded" ammo bill passes, it will have the SAME effect as a "shelf-life" law.

Think about it.

[four]

Thank you for the helpful suggestion, but it is as large as the site would allow.

Sorry if the large print "woke you up" - but that was my point. Mission accomplished.

Back in 1993 or 94, there was a conspiracy MYTH about a shelf-life ammo requirements bill or reg. Speer references it in their reloading manual.

Since then, industry has inadvertently created ammo with a limited "shelf-life" - the lead-free ammo I describe above, but there was NO intent on their part to dis-arm the public.

Still, if a "lead-free or unleaded" ammo bill passes, it will have the SAME effect as a "shelf-life" law.

Think about it.

I was curious about this a couple months ago and called CCI. their phone rep told me the same thing they always tell me. "there is no primer that deactives with age".

So if this is true, I'd love to see some evidence.

[TY44934]

I was curious about this a couple months ago and called CCI. their phone rep told me the same thing they always tell me. "there is no primer that deactives with age".

So if this is true, I'd love to see some evidence.

This is where I had hoped some of our friends in the LEO community would respond since FLETC & others have gone to "green" ammo.

The CCI cardboard case boxes are marked "USE BY 2014" I have some older boxes (in storage at the moment) so marked. Ironic that Speer would deny that their product have a shelf life when THEY marked their own boxes with expiration dates.

Here is more info on unleaded or lead free primers:

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2...86-3937716_ITM

[TY44934]

Here is another: this manufacturer, Greenshield of Canada, was at least HONEST enough to state that thier ammunition has a SHELF LIFE of 3 years (see bottom of chart):


http://www.simunition.com/upload/doc_9.pdf

I have some Greenshield 9mm I bought in 1999. I might have to test it out. Wonder what % will still work after 10 years?