Expected Shelf life of primers

[dunraven]

Assuming they are stored in sensible conditions, how long do primers 'last'? What happens to performance over time?

Note: a gunsmith suggested it may be bad primers causing 30% misfires if changing the firing pin spring doesn't help. We changed out the firing pin spring and that has solved the misfire problem.

 

[Shooter13]

Decades! With proper storage.

 

[bobinpa]

Longer than I will... IMHO, It's very hard to ruin them. I had a pile of stuff that I bought some time ago. In that pile were 22 lose primers. I had no idea what they were, how old they were or where they had come from. So, as an experiment, I put them in a medicine bottle a filled it with water. I let it sit for a month. When I opened it I poured the water out and it was bright yellow. I took the primers and threw them in my wood burning furnace. Within seconds I counted 22 bangs. They all went off from the heat.... Not one failure after sitting in water for a month.

 

[6.5 forever]

I just shot some pistol ammo that I loaded with primers marked 1.19 on the sleeve......

 

[rwj]

During the recent primer shortage, I found a small local gun store that had CCI 450’s that were nearly 15 years old… they worked without any issues.

 

[wkdickinson]

I have some Remington 9.5's that I purchased in the mid-80's that still work just fine, at least for hunting loads.

 

[kneedtospeed]

Six to Ten months, then may explode.
Free disposal’s Here.

 

[Minshooter]

Discovered I had some 1K boxes of 209 Shotgun primers purchased during the Nixon administration.
Gave them to two friends in the recent shortage.
They shot them all in trap practice. Couldn't tell them from new factory loads.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Shooting buddy died. I took it upon myself to clear out all his reloading/shooting gear for his Wife. He was a BIG High Power Rifle shooter.
8 or 10 packs of Remington primers for his 30.06 rounds. Had to be 20+ years old, stored on the shelf in his non air-conditioned garage next to his cardboard power containers with the bottoms falling out. Loaded up all the primers up and NOT ONE MISFIRE!!

 

[ShtrRdy]

I have some CCI primers from the 70s that still work fine.

 

[jepp2]

Six to Ten months, then may explode.

Have experienced that.

 

[DogBuster]

Cool/dry/stable temps is the key

 

[joshb]

I’m shooting factory ammo that was bought in the 1940s and 50s and it goes bang! What does that tell you?

 

[PhilC]

Assuming they are stored in sensible conditions, how long do primers 'last'?

Longer than you. I have and shoot primers older than my 6 1/2 decades.

 

[DRK]

I have CCI primers from the 60s I am still burning. Give to me some time ago.

 

[stork]

Still shooting Fed 215's I bought in 1976. They were old stock then.

 

[Bill Norris]

A year or so ago I loaded up some small rifle primers from back in the 70's that had been kept in heated and A/C controlled environment along with some fairly newer ones. Side by side groups measured the same.

 

[Rsadams]

If you keep your primers and powder in a climate controled place they last decades.... Just keep an eye on your powder.... Primers are fine...

 

[varget204]

Have Old CCI BR, Rem 71/2's , Win-Styanless from the 60"s & 70's, STILL GOOD

 

[cmysix]

I'm shooting my Father S&W ALCAN primers from the 60's maybe even the 50's not stored very well in a basement in the Chicago burbs for many years, then a garage in Chicago burbs for many years and then to Florida garage for 20 years .some in 20MM ammo cans 40,000 or so just stacked in the garage in the original boxes, have not had a primer fail yet, loading with DUPONT IMR 4350 20 pound metal keg, just opened 30-06 and a 15 pound metal keg of HERCULES BULLSEYE, just opened. who said Bullseye was smokey, had not noticed any yet. Winchester primers too.