Disposing of old ammo?

J

Jack M

New member
This is probably going to win a "All Time Dumb Question" award, but what do you do with old ammo that is not in good enough condition to shoot? Back when I was in the Army, some 20 years ago (good grief!), I had purchased a large number of those ammo can lots of .45 and .223. I mean HUNDREDS of cans with lose rounds in them. Last few years, I don't shoot that often, and I recently found a couple of cans that have a fair amount of corrosion on the ammunition. I still live by my Father's lesson from many years ago about never risking your safety with questionable ammo, so what do I do with the stuff???
 
You can use a bullet-puller to pop out the bullet and pour out the powder.
If you have a lot of it - then thats not an option and pouring oil over it isn't always effctive. Nato ammo is often sealed so the oil cant penetrate.

If you have a bulk issue here - you could contact one of the ammo makers that go to the gunshows and sell those old rounds AND THE AMMO CANS to them... Mostly they may want jus tthe cans... but make them take the old ammo with it.

I suspect that old ammo is actually still good - unless the corrosion is severe.
 
I also suspect that it is still good, but I just have a reluctance to chance it. If it was all the ammo I had, and something needed shooting, I would use it. Since I have the choice, the gun show idea is a good one.
 
I've heard (heard, mind you, no experience) that smokeless powder makes good fertilizer because of all the nitrogen in it.
 
I can honestly say that I've never had this problem. I can't keep ammo around the house longer than about six months before someone uses it up.

I suppose you could take some pliers and pull the bullets, then amuse the kids and terrify the neighbors by throwing handfuls of powder into a small fire...maybe around the 4th of July?

:DLawDog
 
Do yourself a favor and don't cut your grass right after dumping the powder ;)

Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
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"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
I ran into a batch of questionable ammo a year or so ago, and just use a bullet puller on them. Just a couple every once in a while. There are still quite a few left, but I really don't like using it. But it seems the best way to make sure they don't accidently get used, and I don't throw away live ammo.
 
If you have a stout enough gun - like a contender or Ruger revolver - even questionable ammo such as this should be safe... Unless the bullet is pushed into the case - which would create a very dangerous situation.
 
We got a whole lot a few years back of 45 ammo.It had bad primers but got it for a couple of cents apiece.I pulled all the slugs with a press mounted puller and reused all the slugs.Primers where berdan so sold the brass.The powder was good so worked up a load with it.Saved a lot of money there.230 gr slugs are about 8 cents apiece right now even in fmj.Salvage !

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beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
You can ship it to somebody goofy or stupid enough to use it. Email me if you want my address.

More seriously, if there isn't any corrison, the ammo should be safe to fire in a modern firearm. I've shot surplus ammo that was over 50 years old (and live to tell about it).
 
I'd be more than willing to try some of it, at no risk to you. jterpack@greenwood.net

Or you could call up the local bomb squad for their suggestions.

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When Reason Fails.....
 
I shot a box of Federal target load shotgun shells last month that were twenty-nine years old. All fired fine.

[This message has been edited by Ledbetter (edited June 24, 2000).]
 
About 16 years ago, the club I was with in St.Thomas, V.I. got hold of a case of WWONE 45 acp hardball, U.S. G.I.. We experienced a high (15%) rate of misfires, but all that wenr off sounded normal, so we pulled all the bullets with an impact puller and reprimed them with the same powder and they were just fine. Reasonably accurate, as well. Any 223, 308, 45, 9mm (boxer) you want to get rid of, I'll pay the UPS.
crankshaft
nralife, goa, jpfo, fcsa, smvfm
 
The facts are just miss fires and low MV. Just have to be carefull of the miss fires. As ammo goes bad it just loses its poop. 20 year old ammo is just like new ammo as GI stuff is designed for this and still expected to work. Wipe the green slime off the stuff and shoot it or send it to me postage due and I will shoot it. :) :)
 
Years ago when I was an EOD specialist in the army, we would make pickups at different police stations of ordnance they wanted to get rid of. It's really unbelieveable what people have in their homes. Anyway, we would fire up the burn pit about once a month. Burning was the "approved" way of destroying small arms ammo at that time.

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Good shootin to ya
Plateshooter
 
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