34 Year Old Primers Still Work!

[MkgReloader]

I stopped reloading for handguns in 1975 and just did shotguns for five years. Started reloading for handguns in 1980 but had about 850 CCI Magnum Large Pistol Primers and about 750 CCI Small Pistol Primers left from '75.

I figured they weren't any good after sitting on the shelf in the basement for 5 years, so just left them. Last week I got crazy and loaded up 20 45acp rounds with 4.0 grs Bullseye, 200 gr lead SWC's, and the now 34 year old Magnum Pistol Primers. They shot fine - no misfires - so loaded up another 80. They shot fine, so did another 100. They shot fine, so loaded up the remainder yesterday.

I'm amazed! When I get my 38 cal bullet order from Berry's, I'm going to try the Small Pistol Primers.

 

[Funderb]

hooray!

and my 8mm mauser ammo stamped 1943 still works!


chemicals are amazing, aren't they?

 

[rcmodel]

Of course they are.

I still have some surplus LR primers from right after WWII/Korea and they still work too.

If kept reasonably cool & dry (a non-flooding basement) I would expect they could last indefinately if not forever, and still work perfectly.

rc

 

[dreamer56]

Used some "old" Alcan pistol primers at the range yesterday - they all went "boom" - store your supplies wisely and you will have years and years of good results.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, if loaded surplus ammo from 50 years or more ago still goes bang why not 35 year old primers? It's good to hear your primers are still good, that means your basement isn't wet.

 

[Howard B]

But there are no absolutes. I recently broke out a carton of CCI 500 primers that were left over from the 1994 panic, and have had sufficient FTF that I trashed about 800 of them. They had been kept in a GI ammo can in the basement (dry) since purchase. But for the most part, I agree - they store a long time. Howard

 

[KevinAbbeyTech]

My Grandfather has a few rifle rounds made in the 1800's that were brought over from Germany when my Great Great Grandfather brought his Rifle/Shotgun combo over on the boat.

That gun is so cool, but I am afraid to fire it.
I don't want to blow up a treasured family heirloom.

Besides that, the rounds haven't been made in over a hundred years.

Even so, I would bet money that those rounds would all go bang.

That gun is so cool.

 

[GRIZ22]

No wonder. I've shot some of my 30 year old reloads with no loss of accuracy or velocity. The boxes just kept being shuffled to the back of the shelf. The oldest ammo I can remember shooting was 8mm Mauser with a 1939 headstamp.

 

[Shoney]

I have CCI primers from the 50's that came in a wooden groved box, similar to todays plastic. Since they have been stored in a 50Cal GI can with desication, they should still be good, but that would destroy the collectors value.

 

[warnerwh]

Thanks for the info. I have some 80's CCI primers in the white box with the small trays. Always just kept them as backup but I guess I should use them first.

 

[Rembrandt]

For those who are now stockpiling hundreds of thousands of primers......it's good to know they have a long shelf life.

 

[counterclockwise]

Not only that...

According to "ABC's of Reloading" 8th Ed. Chap. 5, "...a sample of Laflin & Ryan (later Hercules and now Alliant) Unique powder was stored underwater in 1899 to test its viability. It was last tested in 1996. It will be tested again this century when it is expected to continue performing as well as when it was made."

Over 100 years! I think that is amazing.