New Blog: Does Ammo Go Bad with Age?

[Target Sports USA]

Does AMMO Go Bad with Age? - Target Sports USA

Learn how age affects ammunition, the importance of proper storage, and tips for identifying and safely disposing of degraded ammo.

blog.targetsportsusa.com

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[machinedrummer]

PM me and I’ll gladly dispose of anyone’s old ammo.

 

[DBMJR1]

I have a whole brick of 1970's Federal .22lr. Every round goes bang, but every case splits and fails to eject. It was stored in a hot garage. So yes, improperly stored ammunition can go bad, but age is not the true culprit.

 

[Magdump]

I think I’ll pass on reading the article. At this point, I’d rather go with my own experience.
Milsurp ammo I bought in the late 80’s through the late 90’s:
7.62x39, 5.45, 5.56, 7.62x51, 7.62x54R, 9mm, 7.62x25, .32ACP
Russian, Serbian, South African, Israeli, Czech, and a host of other Euro/Eastern Bloc varieties, SOME OF IT OLDER THAN ME WHEN I BOUGHT IT has been stored in the original Spam cans or US ammo cans, in buildings with no climate control….has all served me very well and continues to do so.
Commercial ammo I bought from late ‘80’s to date, in multiple calibers, some with the original green Walmart sticker on it, some with the old ink price stamp, stored in ammo cans in buildings with no climate control is still serving me well to this day.
The only ammo I keep inside my home is defensive ammo.
In short, everything from bullets to shotshells has stood the test of time for me, living down here in the south, if I stored it sealed up in cans.

 

[Core]

Does AMMO Go Bad with Age? - Target Sports USA

Learn how age affects ammunition, the importance of proper storage, and tips for identifying and safely disposing of degraded ammo.

blog.targetsportsusa.com

View attachment 482989

Keep it cool and dry if you can. I shot some old ammo from the 1950's as a kid, possibly earlier. Some of it was exposed to decades of moisture and had few fail to fire issues. Ancient .22 ammo seemed to be the most problematic probably due to the primer chemicals, but some if it looked like it was from the 1800's and the boxes were pretty ancient. They were packed brass to brass and often had the preservative paper inside the box. Brass patina looked like old Civil War tokens in some cases. Had some old WWII era surplus ammo that was also just fine. I think it tends to burn faster with age if anything. As long as it is kept sealed from excess moisture. The sealed military ammo seems to shine in this area. Modern cartridge components I have no idea. I keep mine sealed in ammo boxes and my oldest ammo is maybe from 1982 and it runs just fine. I have some .30-30 and 7.7Jap possibly from the 70's that runs fine. My oldest newer ammo is maybe 1992 and seems to be fine. But I have observed newer ammo seems to be less reliable but I'm comparing hunting ammo to 9mm and 5.56N which have faster moving actions which may explain the ftf primer strike issues?

 

[Mitch Dufour]

I have shot hundreds of rounds of old Twin Cities Arsenal 30-06 in tattered yellowed cardboard boxes through my Garand, and a plenty of vintage ball 45 in my 1911's as well.