Old ammo?

G

gregortr

Inactive
Is there such thing as old ammo? I've done research and most says it is not really and issue but I'm talking .22 rimfire. I recently found and old Iver Johnson .22 that belonged to my grandpa and tried to fire it with what could be 15-20 year old ammo and it was a no go. Plan on going to the range Thursday and of course will pick up another box but just for curiosity sake, didn't know if this could be the ammo or something more drastic with a 25 year old gun
 
Unless the ammo was stored under unusually terrible conditions, 15 or 20 years isn't really that "old." Did the firing pin leave a sharp dent in the rim when you tried to shoot the ammo? Did you try the ammo in another gun that's known to be reliable?
 
To be honest I was at my grandmas farm and was limited to only that gun and ammo. Didn't really know what to look for as this is the only the second .22 I have ever fired, just curiosity and hope to get the gun to work without putting too much into it. He was one of the "good ole boys" and this gun looks like it could have came out of the factory yeaterday as it was taken care of with every consideration possible, so was amazed when it didn't work the first time.
 
Are you able to take a picture of the rear end of one of these rounds that you tried to fire and post it on here? That should tell us if it's the gun or the ammo. If not try firing a few more. Then look at the rear of the case of the round and if there is a dent in the rim then it should have gone off and you can blame the ammo. If it is untouched then you probably have a broken firing pin which should be simple and inexpensive to fix.
 
Was the gun by chance stored wrapped in an oiled cloth?

Oil fumes will readily, over time, kill .22 ammo. I've seen it a number of times over the years.
 
The other day I shot some 9mm stuff that was something like 25 to 30 years old, depending on the cartridges. They were within that range :D. A coworker gave it to me. They know I like shooting and sometimes they give that "spare" ammo they have in their lockers and that they won't shoot. Thanks, guys.

Absolutely no problem. It all cycled, fired and ejected fine. They had been stored in lockers for all that time, so I guess they were close to proper storage conditions.
 
I don't know about the rifle you are using, but my Marlin 39A will allow me to feed and eject ammo with the safety on. You can pull the trigger and the gun will not fire. The hammer will fall but will not hit the firing pin.

Is it remotely possible that the rifle you are trying will do the same thing?

Geetarman:D
 
Sometimes oil will gum up over time. Disassemble the gun completely, clean of the entire gun of any oil ,inspect for broken or damaged parts , oil lightly with a good gun oil , try again.
 
Whether ammo will go bad or not depends heavily on how it's stored. In humid weather, it won't last as long as in a dry climate.

As someone above said, storing it in or near an oily cloth will kill it too.

I have a bag of mixed .22 stuff that I've aquired over a number of years. Some of it is from the early 1980's. A year or so back, I decided to use it up before I use any other ammo, and it's now almost gone. Misfires have been rare, but I live in a relatively dry area (Arizona).

I'd suggest buying a box of new ammo, and try it out. That'll tell you for sure if it's the gun or the ammo.

Daryl
 
It happened to me. I had my ears on and could not figure out why I was cycling rounds through the gun, the hammer was falling, no holes in the target and levering out live rounds.

I sure felt foolish. . . .

Geetarman:D
 
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