Old ammunition - advice needed?

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boxjeff

New member
I have 18 year old 25 auto and 380 metal jacketed ammunition. Is this ammo still safe to use? The pistols, also, have not been used in 18 years. Should I have them checked out before firing even-though they look ok externally?
 
Ammo is fine.

Guns ; depends upon how they were used, taken care of, and how they have been kept over the last several years.
 
If you know how to disassemble the guns and clean them do so. Unless something is rusted all to hell they are fine. Guns do not deteriorate just by sitting around unless rust gets a hold. One of my favorite rifles was manufactured in 1916. I shoot it regularly. The ammo is also fine.
 
Like was said before if everything was stored in a safe dry place there wont be anything wrong with it. I have been shooting up my grandpa's old ammo stash and there is ammunition in there that is well over 18 years old and it shoots fine. The gun should be in the same condition it was put away in 18 years ago, so if it was good then it should be good now.
 
There is one thing that can happen though,,,

Often (not always by any means) the oil will harden or congeal after long years of storage,,,
I would at least give them as thorough a cleaning as I could before I shot them,,,
Not because it would be dangerous but so they would operate efficiently.

My sister bought a S&W revolver in the 60's and kept it in it's box until a tornado took her house in 1999,,,
The revolver survived beautifully and didn't even get wet,,,
But the 40 year old oil had congealed into a thick grease.

just a suggestion,,,
Your mileage may vary.
 
I came across some 38 special ammo that was from the 60's. I can tell it is old. I have had several complete duds. And I noticed on several there is just a hint of delay(maybe a few milliseconds) before they go off. Sometimes there are little balls of fire that come out the barrel, like some of the grains of powder have clumped up. But I don't feel like it is unsafe. I probably wouldn't want to put it in a brand new airweight if I had one. But I'm shooting it out of a 357, so it's not going to hurt anything.

Your 18 year old ammo should be fine if it was stored in any reasonable conditions.
 
I'm glad I ran across this thread. I have 16 rounds of ~25 year-old ammo that I got from my father that I wasn't sure what to do with. It's been sitting in a drawer in his office for years, so I imagine it's fine. Might as well use it.
 
The ammo is certainly fine. The guns, if cared for are likely fine as well. I'd examine the guns, clean them and if there were no issues, head off to the range.

If you are still unsure about the guns, clean them and take them to a gun shop or a smith and have them take a look at them for a second opinion.
 
I just received some 25-20 cartridges in the mail that are well over 60 years old, they will be shot and reloaded. I have absolutely no doubt that they will work fine. I have surplus ammo for the M1 Garand older than that and they are slowly getting shot up too. 18 year old ammo in my house is practically brand new. Clean the gun and shoot them, then clean the gun again, go buy more ammo and shoot them too.
 
A note of caution for Gdawgs

Gdawgs said:
I came across some 38 special ammo that was from the 60's. I can tell it is old. I have had several complete duds. And I noticed on several there is just a hint of delay(maybe a few milliseconds) before they go off. Sometimes there are little balls of fire that come out the barrel, like some of the grains of powder have clumped up. But I don't feel like it is unsafe. I probably wouldn't want to put it in a brand new airweight if I had one. But I'm shooting it out of a 357, so it's not going to hurt anything.

Your 18 year old ammo should be fine if it was stored in any reasonable conditions.
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Some advice: Don't fire those rapid-fire and pay attention to each one you light up. If ever you have one that does not feel right, check your barrel. If one ever stops without exiting the barrel, you can bulge the barrel or blow up the gun (and your hand and even send an innocent bystander to the hospital). I've never seena nyone blow up a Freedom Arms, but I have heard of Linebaughs and seen in person, Smiths and Rugers.

Avoiding the rapid fire gives you enough time to react to and evaluate each shot.

Ammo stored under stable conditions doesn't usually behave so erratically; if there are not too many rounds, I would consider pulling the bullets, dumping the powder, replacing the primers and not worrying about slow ignition, hangfires, erratic burning, etc. I have ammo from the '70's that shoots exactly as it did then, and it was not stored optimally. Be careful. Your ammo is giving you signals. Pull a couple of bullets and smell the (unburnt) powder. If it gives any kind of vinegary smell or anything distinctive, go to the reloading forum and describe it in a post there. Guys more expert than I know about powder that is spoiling or aging badly. Hint: Gunpowder, even spoiled gunpowder, because of the nitrates, makes decent fertilizer. Sprinkle sparsely on houseplants or lawn, water and you're done. Primers are a little harder to dispose of properly. Check with the reloading forum, a local gunstore, local PD or a hazardous waste service (your local trash company will know who) for advice.

Frankly, I would only feel comfortable firing those out of a single-shot (or I would handle my revolver as if it were).

Good Luck.

Lost Sheep
 
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