Factory ammo question...

[Rsadams]

How old is to old when it comes to shooting factory ammo? I recently fired some at least 25 year old .32 acp ammo that shot like brand new. There are some that are probably 50 Or 60 years old that were with the gun,it was my grandfather's.. Some of them have steel jackets I think becouse they were bought during or around ww2 when copper was for the war. The 60+ year old ones , they still look like new. I have no plans to fire them..

I just got a hand me down .308 and theres a box of shells in a box with it. Factory remington, they look ok the lead tips a little white but it wipes away. Probably made in the early 80s from the look of the box... After I clean up the rifle I wanted to test fire it. Should I just keep that old box for a keepsake and buy a new box of ammo? I mean its .308 its not hard to find.. I don't mind shooting old pistol or shotgun ammo but rifle is another story.. I don't want to get hurt or hurt the gun over $20 bucks...What do you think..??

Thanks for the replies in advance..
Shawn

 

[BRU15]

As long as the ammo looks like it has been stored properly it should be just fine to shoot. Unfortunately this is one of those things that you won't know until you try, so give it a shot!

(pun intended)

 

[hogpatrol]

I acquired some old ammo, pulled the bullets, deprimed and scrapped the brass and sold the boxes on ebay but I think you answered your own question. You're not comfortable shooting old ammo to save twenty bucks. Keep it for posterity and buy new or shoot reloads. As an aside, back in the '60s I shot WW2 .30 carbine ammo made in the 40's. Thousands of rounds and never a glitch.

 

[Ggmac]

I would recomend that you pull one 308 apart and check the powder condition and check for case corrosion .

 

[Twitchy]

I've come across some ammo that looked nearly new even though it was 40+ years old. I've also found some pistol ammo I bought just 3 years ago looking like it had sat in a bucket of acid. (aluminum cased 9mm). :/ The 9mm that was bad sat in my garage and apparently the moisture/humidity was too much for it. The 40+ year old brass cased ammo was dulled, but good to go.

 

[2506]

As long as it has been stored properly and has no cracks in the necks ect. shoot it. I have some ammo from WWII that shoots just as good as new.

 

[M-61]

I would not shoot any ammo that I had any doubts about at all.

 

[Rsadams]

Thanks again everyone.. Like I said i inherited a lot of stuff in my life becouse the other half of my family lives up north and want nothing to do with guns. So I have shot pistol and shotgun ammo thats old real old with no problems. As long as it looks good with no corrosion. Some of it older than me and iam almost 50 and it has worked every time like fresh factory.

I have had more failures with new tulaammo etc, then with 60 year old American ammo. But all of it was family owned ammo stored indoors in climate control. Also is some old but plastic hull 20ga about 400rounds but it looks like it was stored in an outbuilding and maybe have gotten wet. I think I will just cut them open and reclaim the shot since I have a reloader for 12ga I use for buckshot. Bird shot has gotten so high its not worth reloading..

 

[Shaggy357]

I have some Nazi marked ammo from WWII. Bought it by the case when it was cheap. I have fired quite a few without any issues. The gun I shoot it in kicks like a mule and the pattern at 100 is similar to a cylinder choke at 25. I have an as new, unfired gun, but since it is new, and unfired, I have not shot any in quite a while.

When my uncle died about three years ago, the ammo next to his old 30-30 was from the 50s. He had bought a bunch back then since he lived in the boonies and only shot 2-3 rounds a year to get his deer. His 22lr or 30-06 was used for all the other critters on the ranch.

 

[joshb]

I shot some of this old ammo 20 years ago. It was my Grandfather's, originally. It worked!

 

[Twoboxer]

A couple of years ago I brought my ~1964 Rem 700 BDL 30-06, last fired in 1969, to a gunsmith for checkout (passed). Then fired the last 3 rounds of Winchester ammo stored in my ammo belt in a closet since that time. All good.

So decently stored it will last at least that long.

 

[wholman]

I bet it will shoot but I would not, keep it for history.

 

[hogpatrol]

Mil spec ammo I'm not too concerned with but some old commercial factory ammo I've pulled had caked and clumps of powder. Was it wet at some point? Is it worth taking a chance on a squib? To me, the answer is no.

 

[rmr]

I've been shooting '55 turkish 8mm mauser for years. I have to sort unfired ammo for split necks, but its basically surefire.

My father (just turned 85) gave me a bunch of ammo, and powder that he purchased before I was born. there was 3kegs powder: I3031,I4895,I4831. the 3031 was starting to deteriorate, but I loaded up some test rounds and ran it over the chrono. ES of 7, for 10 rounds. 55g 223. velocity was spot on for the 1955 speer reloading manual that came with the powder. I just finished burning off that keg not too long ago. no problems. the 4831, and 4895 looks new, and shoots great. the burn rates are a little different from current production, but safe.

Josh's post of the cartridge boxes from the late 60's early 70's... I have a pile of those as well. everything that I've shot from my dad's stash has worked perfectly.

the only problem I've run into is that the CCI 250's, Mfg sometime in the late 60's, have a failure rate (dud) of about 2%-5%.

 

[SheepDog]

Smokeless powder ammunition will store practically forever if the temperature is kept below 100F and above -40F.
If it gets warm (120to 140F) it will begin to decompose. Once that happens it loses energy and will not produce velocities as high as before. Pressures can drop to the point of sticking a bullet in the bore. That is the worst case scenario. Old powder and ammo won't cause dangerous pressures under normal circumstances.

 

[Rsadams]

No need to be sarcastic...thats not needed or helpful in any way..

 

[LHSmith]

I offered answers with links to qualify the info. I won't waste my time to answer your questions in the future since they are not helpful to you. My other unhelpful posts have been deleted also.

 

[Rsadams]

The sarcasm is not helpful as I said, nobody likes to be talked down to..I never said the or any help is not appreciated.. That's your right.. Good day.

 

[M99]

How old is to old when it comes to shooting factory ammo? I recently fired some at least 25 year old .32 acp ammo that shot like brand new. There are some that are probably 50 Or 60 years old that were with the gun,it was my grandfather's.. Some of them have steel jackets I think becouse they were bought during or around ww2 when copper was for the war. The 60+ year old ones , they still look like new. I have no plans to fire them..

I just got a hand me down .308 and theres a box of shells in a box with it. Factory remington, they look ok the lead tips a little white but it wipes away. Probably made in the early 80s from the look of the box... After I clean up the rifle I wanted to test fire it. Should I just keep that old box for a keepsake and buy a new box of ammo? I mean its .308 its not hard to find.. I don't mind shooting old pistol or shotgun ammo but rifle is another story.. I don't want to get hurt or hurt the gun over $20 bucks...What do you think..??

Thanks for the replies in advance..
Shawn

 

[M99]

Most of my serious reserve ammo for emergencies, is Israeli Ball that I purchased at least 35 years ago, and was at least 15 years old at that time. Now and again I pull a box out and shoot it in a H&K G3 of the same era. Shoots just fine and does the same job it did for me back then. Stored in a cool, dry place. That military stuff has sealer primers and bullets. It will last longer than we will.