How long does ammo last?

[Aw4g63]

I have boxes of .22 from the 70's. No problems, i just started shooting it to cycle it and replenish with fresher ammo but it really doesn't matter.

 

[SpecialKalltheway]

I can't believe all these people lying to you on here! After one year the ammo is useless and in danger of going off all by itself with no provocation. Now if you PM me I will send you my address where you can send all your old ammo, and I being the great guy that I am will dispose of it free of charge.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

There is a reference to ammo still being viable today from the Civil War that was created using non-mercuric primers in the book The ABC's of Reloading in the primer chapter.

 

[Mot45acp]

Does anybody see a problem with the following storage techniques?

Ammo cans with intact seals freshly painted.

Careful not to touch ammo with bare hands when dumping rounds from boxes. Done indoors with climate control.

2-5 packs of desiccant (sp?)

RTV around gasket.

Upon cure of RTV store in shed that has no climate control. In the humidity of SE Texas.

I wonder if it will hold up to the elements.

 

[Macmac]

Cool dry place, with no rocking and no vibration.. In other words not the truck of a car, on long term in a boat in water.

Black Powder is the worst for rocking and vibration... and that takes years...

 

[orionengnr]

Back in the late 80s I bought 1500 rounds of (Belgian?) 9mm made in the 1940s. I still have some of it left, and it still works fine. Wish I'd have bought a truckload of it...at today's prices, it was a steal.

 

[chuckusaret]

You, or the ammo?

Smart Arss

 

[TheVirginian]

Does anybody see a problem with the following storage techniques?

Ammo cans with intact seals freshly painted.

Careful not to touch ammo with bare hands when dumping rounds from boxes. Done indoors with climate control.

2-5 packs of desiccant (sp?)

RTV around gasket.

Upon cure of RTV store in shed that has no climate control. In the humidity of SE Texas.

I wonder if it will hold up to the elements.

What if the zombies come sooner rather than later?
What if they get to your shed first?!

Seriously, I have had some ammo go bad, or so I think it did. It was 9mm Czech or Russian looking stuff with red primer sealer. It may have been stored for 10 or even 20 years. probably just around 12 but then I don't know how old it was when I bought it. It was likely a gun show purchase. I doubt that it was so inconsistent when fresh. It was terrible. A bit lower power, some FTF and some FTE, mostly FTE but I'd say about 60% suffered from one or the other.

On American made ammo which I had from perhaps the same time, I had only one FTE from a box and no FTF. That was "white box" Winchester stuff. Then I tried a new box of Remington and it was flawless.
-Bill