How long can ammo last?

D

dougbull

New member
I finally found some ammo at a gun store. All I could get was 3 boxes. I guess because Ive bought 15 guns there he sold them to me. They were so exspencive ,I guess Iam going to save them for s/d. What I dont know is how long I can store them? Will they go bad after a long time? Fiochi hollow points 148 gr 38spl. $33 bucks. Pmc bronze 9mm fmj $18 bucks. Pmc bronze 38spl fmj 132 gn. $24 bucks. THANKS IN ADVANCE. NRA MEMBER
 
Modern factory ammo purchased today will most likely be safe, functional and reliable for the next 50 or more years, no kidding.

One thing to guard against is the constant, daily shucking and un-shucking them from a pistol. This can lead to bullet setback and compromise where the bullet is supposed to be sitting. If you are talking about a defensive or carry pistol, it's my routine to secure the gun when it's not on my person, but NOT to unload it. If you find that you must be constantly loading and unloading a round from the chamber of a semi-auto, then you may be wise to shoot your defense ammo and freshen your stock on a somewhat regular basis.

But if your question is how long will the ammo last sitting in it's cardboard box? My answer is that your children can teach their own children to shoot with it if you still have that ammo.
 
Yup

Will last for yonks if it is kept dry and out of sunlight, and extremes of temperature.

You should get out and have a shot, to keep 'your eye in' so to speak.... just keep some for HD, I'm sure you will find more soon :D

Can't have your trigger finger gettin' rusty, now, can we :eek::cool:
 
If you see a milsurp green ammo can with the rubber seal in the lid, buy one, they are usually cheap, but don't settle for a junker. Some have paint, little bit of rust etc. on the outside, but should be pristine inside to keep. Good place to keep your ammo, protects against moisture, dust, etc. but not extreme temps if you store it in a hot place like an attic. Cold no problem. Some ammo will produce lower pressures on firing if very cold, but heat will deteriorate the chemical compounds in powder at some point. Leave it in a good ammo can with a good rubber seal and it ought to last as long as you need it. Maybe even last as long as your grandchildren need it. Otherwise on the closet shelf in your bedroom, probably will last about as long there, if left alone.
 
I bought a bunch (1500 rounds) of Euro MilSurp 9mm back in 1991 or so. It was manufactured sometime in the 40s IIRC. I still have some of it left, and it still works just fine.

Wish I had bought a whole bunch more of it. At the time it wasn't a great deal, just a decent deal. Today it would be a steal.
 
The only reloading powder that went bad on me was old, and stored in the garage were it suffered temperature extremes year after year.

Keep your ammo stored where temps are fairly consistent.

Shots some 30-30 ammo I got back when the Yankees, with Mantle, Maris, and Berra, beat the Cincinnatti Reds.:D About 1961, I believe. Worked fine.
 
I harvested a buffalo a few years back and used an original Sharps carbine in 50-70 GOVT, that I borrowed from a friend. I used an original 1870's vintage black powder round of factory ammo. The result was expected as if it was new ammo. Three feet of penatration after breaking ribs and shoulder. So to answer your question, ammo can last a LONG time if it is kept in good condition.
 
Hey, remchester, that is such a cool story you should start your own thread, elaborate on the details a little and post a photo or two if you have them. VERY neat stuff.
 
If it is not exposed to heat, oil/solvents, or submerged in water; I would think modern ammo would be good for 20 years or more.
 
I still shoot some WWII surplus that I bought back in the early '70's. Getting them out of the disintegrating links and sorting the tracers out makes for a night in front of the tube. The lots that I have are from 1943 and '44. They still shoot fine.
 
If made right, and stored right....a century, or more

Kept dry, out of the sun, not subject to high temperatures, the shelf life of modern ammo is nearly indefinate.

Very old ammo, may not last as long as modern stuff, but it has already lasted a very long time. In the 1970s, I shot a quantity of .30-06 made in 1918. It all worked fine, even though the cases were a uniform dark brown!

I have a box of 1896 mfg 6.5x55mm Swede ammo that has suffered season cracking of some of the cases.

Military surplus ammo is the least reliable, especially that from foreign nations. One has no idea of how well it was made to start with, or what conditions it has been kept in, for decades or more. And wartime production ammo (particularly from nations who were defeated) tends to be some of the least reliable. But this is not a hard and fast rule. I recently had an experience with some surplus ammo (Israeli, I was told, headstamp TZ 80,81,82) that produced 17 misfires from 145 rnds, and 12 cracked cases (all TZ 80).

Balance this against all the old ammo I have shot that worked perfectly, and it is a very small matter. Even my handloads, some made in the early 80s are still fine.

Ammo will last longer than you will. Don't worry about it.
 
The oldest ammo I've shot was some 1930's 8mm mauser. It was tarnished, but it worked just fine. I'm sure some of the military ammo in the sealed spam cans could last over 100 years.
 
I regularly shoot com bloc ammo produced in the early 50's. I agree with the other posters that factory ammo should be good for between 50 years! Seal it in a nice ammo can and keep it dry, a century could pass and it should still work.


Somehow it always seems to "go up in smoke" within a few days or weeks at most
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Hey scorpion_tyr if you can shoot all your ammo that quick...LOL you just aint buying enuff:p
 
Not long ago my son-in-law came across some 357 ammo that was issued to his grandfather (a LEO) in 1950 and has been lying in a gun safe since that time. Grandfather recently passed away and we shot a round or two with no problem. It went bang and made one heck of a sound.
 
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