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Firearm Ammunition
Posted on 9/11/11 at 6:57 pm
Posted on 9/11/11 at 6:57 pm
Does pistol ammunition go bad with age. Do not laugh too hard, but I have some that is 40 years old.
7
Posted on 9/11/11 at 6:59 pm to hobart65
I just shot some paper shotgun shells yesterday without issue. Not sure how old, but they had to be pushing 40 or 50 years. No problems.
Pretty much, I think if the outside of the casing is not all corroded or anything, it should be fine.
Pretty much, I think if the outside of the casing is not all corroded or anything, it should be fine.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 8:11 pm to hobart65
It SHOULD be alright if it's been kept in your house and not gotten very wet or hot or anything. My brother has shot ~30 year old buckshot before without a hitch.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 8:31 pm to hobart65
Throw on some safety glasses when you try it. One of my buddies shot some old shotgun shells he had and from across the yard all I saw was him throw down the gun and put his hands over his face. One of the scariest moments of my life. Fortunately he was ok but a bunch of crap flew out of the chamber when he shot.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 8:32 pm to rustyjohnson
quote:
Fortunately he was ok but a bunch of crap flew out of the chamber when he shot.
Like when he ejected it? I can't see how stuff could fly out at the time of firing.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 8:34 pm to rustyjohnson
quote:
Throw on some safety glasses when you try it.
I'll be the safety a-hole. You should always wear safety glasses when firing a gun
I need to head my own advice more often.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 10:51 pm to coloradoBengal
Shooting a semi-auto 12ga, and the shell fired, so it ejected. Probably scared me more because it was one of those situations where you're supposed to be at school, not shooting robins in the backyard.
Posted on 9/11/11 at 11:14 pm to hobart65
I shot some 20 year old FMJ .38 sp with the jacket half worn off a while ago with no problems.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 1:12 am to hobart65
Any round of ammunition can fail no matter how old.
Less than optimal performance of a load can occur due to many different reasons.
Whenever firing, if you experience an audible "pop" accompanied by reduced or otherwise unusual recoil, you should immediately cease firing and inspect the weapon.
Just recently at the range I had this occur.
A round had "squibbed" into the barrel...had I not taken a moment to inspect the weapon and clear the barrel, firing a subsequent round would have likely caused significant damage and possible injury.
Less than optimal performance of a load can occur due to many different reasons.
Whenever firing, if you experience an audible "pop" accompanied by reduced or otherwise unusual recoil, you should immediately cease firing and inspect the weapon.
Just recently at the range I had this occur.
A round had "squibbed" into the barrel...had I not taken a moment to inspect the weapon and clear the barrel, firing a subsequent round would have likely caused significant damage and possible injury.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 4:46 am to WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
You should be fine to shoot 40 year old pistol ammo if it was stored indoors, away from extreme heat and water.
Shotgun shells do not last as long, generally, because they are not sealed as tightly.
Pistol/Rifle ammo is sealed very tightly and 40 years presents no problem.
Shotgun shells do not last as long, generally, because they are not sealed as tightly.
Pistol/Rifle ammo is sealed very tightly and 40 years presents no problem.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 8:10 am to hobart65
As previously stated rifle and pistol rounds have a really long if not indefinite shelf life if kept dry and cool. I have shot some 8mm mauser rounds from the 1930's and they still went bang. Stripper clips still had the Nazi markings
Posted on 9/12/11 at 8:17 am to bayoudude
quote:
Stripper clips still had the Nazi markings
Those rounds were Germans. Literally
Posted on 9/12/11 at 9:04 am to jimbeaux82
quote:
You should be fine to shoot 40 year old pistol ammo
Indeed, failure rates on particular lots of ammunition shouldn't increase over time if the ammo has been stored adequately.
Factory mass produced ammo tends to have lower failure rates than reloads due to more stringent quality controls in place during the manufacturing process.
But ammunition failures can and do happen for a number of reasons (unrelated to the age of the ammo) that even a thorough visual inspection prior to firing couldn't reveal.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 11:08 am to WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
When shooting my Mosin, I had a misfire in 20 shots from FMJ's made in the 70's in Czechoslovakia.
I wouldn't necessarily use 40 YO ammo for self/home defense but would readily shoot during target practice.
I wouldn't necessarily use 40 YO ammo for self/home defense but would readily shoot during target practice.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 11:52 am to Skeet Mc
quote:
When shooting my Mosin, I had a misfire in 20 shots from FMJ's made in the 70's in Czechoslovakia.
So...is that 1 misfire in 20 rounds...or 20 misfires in XX rounds?
Was the misfire due to the weapon or to the ammo?
Failure rates will also differ between manufacturers due to varying quality control standards and technological process advances.
quote:
I wouldn't necessarily use 40 YO ammo for self/home defense
nor would I...the advancements made in small arms ammo tech over the past 40 years are too great to ignore.
But 40 year old ammo for range work is acceptable and often preferable due to it's lower cost.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 12:24 pm to hobart65
.
The two most common ways for old ammunition to “go bad” are powder deterioration and primer deterioration.
VERY old ammo can suffer one form powder deterioration from the action of residual nitric acid that was not completely removed during powder manufacture. This has generally not been an issue with powder manufactured since about 1950.
Any powder can deteriorate if subjected to heat during storage. This is less of an issue with modern powders, particularly ball powders, but the problem never goes away completely.
Primers will deteriorate if subjected to heat or moisture. The primers and projectiles of all U.S.-manufactured military ammunition are sealed into the brass with an asphalt compound; civilian ammunition is generally unsealed, but quality control is so good that, if stored properly, it has a VERY long shelf life.
40 years old = (approx) early seventies. At that age, you may lose a little shot-to-shot consistency, but otherwise (if it’s been stored properly) it ought to be fine.
BUT REMEMBER THIS:
This is the most important advice of all.
Fire a round with a projectile already stuck in the barrel, and you guarantee yourself a trip to the ER -- if not the graveyard.
The two most common ways for old ammunition to “go bad” are powder deterioration and primer deterioration.
VERY old ammo can suffer one form powder deterioration from the action of residual nitric acid that was not completely removed during powder manufacture. This has generally not been an issue with powder manufactured since about 1950.
Any powder can deteriorate if subjected to heat during storage. This is less of an issue with modern powders, particularly ball powders, but the problem never goes away completely.
Primers will deteriorate if subjected to heat or moisture. The primers and projectiles of all U.S.-manufactured military ammunition are sealed into the brass with an asphalt compound; civilian ammunition is generally unsealed, but quality control is so good that, if stored properly, it has a VERY long shelf life.
40 years old = (approx) early seventies. At that age, you may lose a little shot-to-shot consistency, but otherwise (if it’s been stored properly) it ought to be fine.
BUT REMEMBER THIS:
quote:
Whenever firing, if you experience an audible "pop" accompanied by reduced or otherwise unusual recoil, you should immediately cease firing and inspect the weapon.
This is the most important advice of all.
Fire a round with a projectile already stuck in the barrel, and you guarantee yourself a trip to the ER -- if not the graveyard.
Posted on 9/12/11 at 12:26 pm to OSchoenauer
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