Two year expiration on new primers.. true or false?

To properly dispose of your expired primers, send them to me. I'll see that they are destroyed in a controlled manner, one at a time.

Hogwash.

Store them carefully (watch for dust, moisture, heat extremes, etc) and they’ll last for decades. Some of the large rifle primers I’ve loaded in 6.5x55 and .270 loads recently are older than my 17-year marriage.

Stay safe.

The only ones that may have expiration dates are the lead free ones you could get for a while. Supposedly they're hygroscopic or something

dbmjr1 said:

To properly dispose of your expired primers, send them to me. I'll see that they are destroyed in a controlled manner, one at a time.

Click to expand...

Not clever, just sad.

jeeptim said:

So from an unknown Mr. Know it all he tells us that either now or soon to come primers will have an experation of 2 years. ...

Click to expand...

First that I have heard of anything like this. It has me wondering how one would even accomplish such a thing, especially when you consider that a lot of time can elapse between MFR and actual purchase.

Normal lead primers can last for years. I got some from the middle 80 and they are just as good as day one. Don't know about the lead free primers.

This claim is ridiculous. Primers last decades.

I have deleted my rant about this being impossible, because the patent in post 21 by @Scooter22 proves the US Government has funded this project.

I've not seen any "Best if used by........." on any reloading components in 40 years.

No way I could possibly use mine in two years. I doubt I could use the 10-20 year old ones before that, so I just wont worry about it.

Walkalong said:

A similar story seems to go around every once in awhile. Just doesn't hold water.

Click to expand...

Yup I heard that a past president, I will not speak his name, or his wifes was trying to make gunpowder manufactures make powders with a "shelf life". For many obvious reasons this never happened.
I hope this is a hoax but I don't doubt many politicians capacity for pure evil.

1KPerDay said:

frankmako said:

Don't know about the lead free primers.

Click to expand...

The only ones that may have expiration dates are the lead free ones you could get for a while. Supposedly they're hygroscopic or something

Click to expand...

I am still shooting heavy metal free "Truly non-toxic" Russian made PMC primers from like 15 years ago. Still goes bang.

I agree no shelf life limitations,however for current hunting loads I do get a fresh pack of a hundred.Probably doesn't matter but it makes me feel good. I confirm sight in with loads from previous year.

Anything which would render a primer inert within 2 years would render it inert nearly or actually immediately.

This internet wisdom rumor pops up every once in a while. Most often when an anti-gun administration is in office...

This story is right next to the one about HP38/Win231 being discontinued(I have read that one and the self destructing primers story years ago)

I’m amazed that someone would have primers more than two years old. Beyond inheriting a bunch I couldn’t acquire enough. I subscribe to the “ just in time inventory” method of reloading components. Buy a few thousand load load a few thousand, shoot a few thousand. Partial a frugal approach brought on by financial considerations. If I’m going to store something I rather it be loaded Ammo.

whughett said:

I’m amazed that someone would have primers more than two years old. Beyond inheriting a bunch I couldn’t acquire enough. I subscribe to the “ just in time inventory” method of reloading components. Buy a few thousand load load a few thousand, shoot a few thousand. Partial a frugal approach brought on by financial considerations. If I’m going to store something I rather it be loaded Ammo.

Click to expand...

I have been there and done that.

But having experienced periodic component shortages, especially shooting USPSA matches, I learned to stock 1-2 years worth of components so I don't run out.

After the last two component shortages including the "Great Shortage", I have expanded my stock to 3-5+ years to ride out any campaign cycles.

And components are in stock now and prices are "relatively" affordable and now's the time to stock up on your preferred components. *Sigh* When Powder Valley sold Wolf primers for $14/1000, I should have bought more, much more.

Primers are made with moisture barriers with sealants and designed to resist harsh storage conditions and rough handling by military transporting ammunition over rough offroad trails for days and weeks. That's why simply dumping them in water or spraying with solvents won't readily deactivate them. I have some primers that are 20+ years old and they are still active (Winchester SP/LP) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-your-experience.630512/page-2#post-7794378



Color you see under the anvil is not the color of priming compound rather the color of barrier/sealant. Primers are made to last for decades.

Don't be so sure. Some have been looking at limited life primes as a form of gun control. Heres one patent. I have another bookmarked that I can't find at the moment. Don't put anything past the antis.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5773748A/en

That’s actually a very good point and if my circumstances were the same I’d do the same. I’m old enough and loaded long enough to recall primers at being less than 1 cent each. LOL should have stocked up. Who knew.

Scooter22 said:

Don't be so sure.

Click to expand...

And primer manufacturers would have to pay to use that patent ... I think we have enough things to worry about.

How about let's not worry about primer expiration issue until we know for sure that it's an issue.

Until then, it is another "internet myth"

Scooter22 said:

Don't be so sure. Some have been looking at limited life primes as a form of gun control. Heres one patent. I have another bookmarked that I can't find at the moment. Don't put anything past the antis.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5773748A/en

Click to expand...

Never say never. That patent came out of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. Lawrence is owned by the leftist University of California Berkeley. This patent must be due to public funds spent in a Government funded facility, to advance the anti gun agenda of the liberal Democrats. I think it is time to defund Lawrence Livermore National labs.

Lawrence Livermore has done more damage to the National Defense than any other agency I am aware. The Department of Energy funds UC Berkeley, who creams off an administrative "tax", before sending what is left to Lawrence Livermore. I heard the head of DOE claim that every nuclear warhead design that Lawrence Livermore had, the Chinese were able to acquire them all through Lawrence Livermore employees. You would not believe the number of Chinese foreign nationals working for the US Government, the percentage of them who are spies, and the number of American subject matter experts they recruit to spy for China.

Of interest, a list of publicly released known Chinese spies, the classified list is probably a hundred if not thousand times longer:
List of Chinese spy cases in the United States

Slamfire said:

jeeptim said:

... primers will have an expiration of 2 years?

Click to expand...

I heard the head of DOE claim that every nuclear warhead design that Lawrence Livermore had, the Chinese were able to acquire them all through Lawrence Livermore employees. You would not believe the number of Chinese foreign nationals working for the US Government, the percentage of them who are spies, and the number of American subject matter experts they recruit to spy for China.

Click to expand...

So Chinese will make primers that last 2 years?