Shelf Life?

[Crapshoot]

Sorry if this is posted somewhere else, but I was wondering if anyone knew if factory ammo had any type of shelf life and if so how long. Is there a difference between the different types, cal.s. and brands? The reason I ask is that I want to have a rotating stock as well as an emergency stock that doesn't get used unless in case of, you guessed it, an emergency. Any advice would be great. thanks

[AEA]

There is no true shelf life for copper clad FMJ or HP ammo. Lead bullets do age and turn white and dusty after about 40-50 years.

Keep it dry and it will shoot.

[Crapshoot]

There is no true shelf life for copper clad FMJ or HP ammo. Lead bullets do age and turn white and dusty after about 40-50 years.

Keep it dry and it will shoot.

what about the powder? does it degrade some?

[AEA]

No, not as long as it remains dry.

[LaserTex]

Except for very specific calibers....mainly .380, .45 and .38 Special. Those calibers are only good for about 1 year...maybe a year and a half tops....oh...and .223 - that stuff is netorious about going to poop in a hurry...mainly when close to the first calibers mentioned. Come to find out...I happen to be looking for those very calibers and am willing to assist you in firing them off.

Because THAT is what friends do...they help...whenever and wherever they can. So when do we show up?

Doug

[MoJo]

Commercial ammunition that has been kept dry will last for at least 20 years. Military ammo is supposed to remain good for at least 30 years. DRY is the secret and the primer is the weak link. Way back in the late 1950's or early 1960's my grandfather gave us a case of World War I .30-'06 ammo that had been made in 1918 a lot of the cases were badly corroded but we found enough that weren't to test them. They all went bang and shot pretty well. We broke the ammo down salvaged the bullets and scrapped the brass. This ammo was 40+ years old at the time and had been stored in very bad conditions but, it still worked. I have a quantity of 1967 M2 ball that is still bright and shiny and fires every time! It is stored in the sealed GI ammo cans it was packed in.

[LaserTex]

Thanks MoJo. Mess up a good thing, I tell ya!

D

[DoubleJ]

I'm so glad somebody posted a serious response before I got here.

and kudos to LT for that one, pretty good.


course, I hear 9mm degrades really fast, too....