Specific ammo brands that don’t store well?

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Buzznrose

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I have a couple questions regarding ammo brands or types that for whatever reason, won’t store well long-term (15-20 years)?

1. Is there any issues storing aluminum case ammo? Specifically looking at some CCI 9MM...

2. Is there any known issues with CCI Lawman brand? I’ve heard some stuff about their primers...do they go bad for some reason within a few years?

3. Any specific stuff I should watch for or avoid?

All answers should be based on the assumption that I understand the basic concepts of keeping the cache cool, dry, dark, using desiccant packs, airtight containers, low humidity, etc.

Thanks!
 
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Ammo just stays good forever in proper conditions, look at the cannon ball accidents that happen every now and again.
 
I have over 40 year old ammo from the 1970's (WW, UMC, Federal) .45 ACP, 38 SPL. 12 GA. and.22LR that's been stored in a cool dry place---works fine---I know because I've nearly shot it all up over the past year (I don't want antique ammo!) The only stuff that didn't age well was some Remington Parabellum.

Smokeless powder will degrade over time (a long time, it's thought, whatever that is) while Civil War cannon balls used black powder, which elements (charcoal, salt peter and sulphur) don't "age out."

When I expect to keep ammo a long time I get fresh, quality ammo from a reputable manufacturer, and test it before investing in, say a case of the stuff. If it doesn't perform well when new, there is no reason to expect it will improve with age.
I would definitely avoid surplus military ammo as the previous conditions of storage is an unknown.
 
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I would avoid storing steel or aluminum cased ammo for a long time because of possible corrosion.
That ammunition is manufactured to meet a price point (cheap.)
Not my first choice for the long haul.
 
I have some CCI Blazer 380 aluminum cased ammo that is 30+ years old and still shoots fine, never carefully stored, spent a good amount of time in a hot attic. It has held up better than the gun I bought it for, my first hand gun, a Bersa 380. It IS cheap ammo... I paid $5.95 for a box of 50 at Gibsons... says the price tag!
 
I recall going with my Grandfather to buy ammo at a Gibson’s in Kerrville Tx. many moons ago myself! :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
I would definitely avoid surplus military ammo as the previous conditions of storage is an unknown.

True that. Interesting to note... military surplus is ammo that has reached the end if it's shelf life as far as the military is concerned (typically, there are other reasons) so you can sometimes be buying ammo that has already been stored for a long time.

I bought some 7.62mm Radway Green (British) that was already 20 years old... but it was in primo condition, mostly because it was packaged extremely well and likely stored in reasonable facilities. It was good stuff.

I also bought some PMC (Korean) surplus, I don't recall the date code but it was about 20 years old. It was only stored in ammo cans. One can was good, one can had the gasket fail... so some it was dusted with rust. All of it stunk like cat urine... so I'm guessing it wasn't stored with the care the RG was.

I've had Malaysian 5.56mm surplus... the 20rd cardboard boxes it was packaged in reacted to moisture in storage and put a corrosion line down the cartridges anywhere they touched the box (acidic paperboard packaging.)

As far as modern commercial ammunition... although you are at the mercy of the odd bad lot or two, or just poor performing ammunition (I had that problem with 2 cases of Remington .22LR Viper I bought...) reasonable storage should be adequate. I don't know if I would specifically pick aluminum-cased ammo because of the properties of aluminum and corrosion. Steel-cased ammos is another story... most of that is coated in some manner and would likely resist long-term deterioration if stored properly. The caveat to that is... I don't buy either steel or aluminum cased ammos just because.
 
I have a couple questions regarding ammo brands or types that for whatever reason, won’t store well long-term (15-20 years)?

1. Is there any issues storing aluminum case ammo? Specifically looking at some CCI 9MM...

2. Is there any known issues with CCI Lawman brand? I’ve heard some stuff about their primers...do they go bad for some reason within a few years?

3. Any specific stuff I should watch for or avoid?

All answers should be based on the assumption that I understand the basic concepts of keeping the cache cool, dry, dark, using desiccant packs, airtight containers, low humidity, etc.

Thanks!

I'm interested in any knowledgeable answers myself. That said, I have 30.06 ammo that is over a 100 years old that still works fine. I have .410 shells from the late 1920s that still work. I have .22 shorts and .22 longs from the 1950s that still work. I have 60s era .308, 223, and .45ACP and varied handgun ammo from the 60s and 70s. All work. Proper storage is important.
 
SPEER's Lawman ammo is designed for indoor use and thus does not utilize a primer with the lead styphnate in it making it cleaner for indoor ranges - it is my preferred choice for factory practice ammo
 
The only old ammo I have found that failed to fire was 1950's 8MM from Equidor, the primers were the culprit, unfortunately i bought quite a bit of it at a gun show.

I currently use 1960's Greek surplus m2 ball in my Garand, goes boom every time,

Smokeless powder does loose power over time, I have heard 10% per decade quoted but from velocity I have seen I think that is a worst case.

For me anything over a few years old is range/plinking only, I try to keep fresh ammo for defensive use.
 
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