Longevity of Surplus Ammo?

P

pinetree

New member
Looking for a surplus rifle. Probably will endup with something in 6.5x55 of 8mm M. Ammoman has Argentinian 8mm Mauser on stripper clips circa 1954, real cheap. What should I expect from ammo this old? Would you shoot it?

Thanks,
tjg
 
If stored properly, ammunition will last indefinitely. I especially like the surplus military ammo that comes in rubberized battlepacks. However, if subjected to extreme temperatures (especially high temperatures), ammo can degrade and be unreliable. Since it's usually impossible to know the history of the surplus ammo you are buying, it's best to do what you are doing, asking for other people's recommendations. The ammo you refer to, I believe, has proven to be fairly good but is corrosive AFAIK. Therefore, make sure you thoroughly clean your rifle after use to neutralize the corrosive salts. Also, Eric at ammoman.com has an excellent reputation for providing good quality ammo at a fair price. I think you can trust just about anything he sells to work as advertised.
 
Prof is dead center. There's only a couple of things I might add. First, do a visual check of the ammo to make sure there is no corrosion and no physical sign of deterioration. Second, if the ammo has been exposed to heat and/or moisture (which you will have no way of knowing), the result will be a weaker powder, resulting in lower velocities or failures-to-fire. For the first few rounds, I'd check to make sure the bullet didn't get stuck in the barrel and do a visual check of the empty shell. If all is fine.........blast away!
 
I have 8mm mauser dated 1938, only one misfire in 600 rds.

I also have 30-06 dated 1956, no misfires!

Don't fear surplus, the stuff works!


Zouave
 
All the above is good info, I've shot 50+ years old ammo, no problems (if in good condition). One thing: argentinians never made 8mm ammo, maybe it is 7.65x53 .
 
I can say that I have fired ammunition loaded in the late 1800s that was still good. When I was a kid we had a surplus 30-40 Krag with lots of old surplus ammo. There were very few hangfires but all of it went boom. I have always told those that ask, if there are no obvious signs of corrosion you should be good to go.
 
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