Shotgun Ammunition Shell Life?

S

Southern Shooter

New member
I was recently told that factory loaded shotgun shells will only be safe to shoot from 5 to 7 years of age. That they become unstable after that time and can malfunction in some way.

I have stocked up on some shotgun shells and they are kept in the house where it is cool and air-conditioned.

What is the truth here? How long can they last?

Thanks
 
i fired a few black powder 12ga shells from the 1890,s in a old single barrel i had a few years ago. and they went right off,no hang fires. i wish i had pattererned them but i didn,t,i just wanted to see if they would fire and that they did. i had bought a box of old shells at a house auction and they were in there. your shells shoud be good for at least 50yrs. eastbank.
 
I recently shot some Sears Ted Williams' #6 pheasant loads from the '70s without drama. It all depends on how well they were stored. Humidity will ruin paper shotshells in short order. Plastic hulls are a bit more resilient
 
Whether its factory ammo / or reloads ...doesn't matter in my opinion.

If they are kept in a dry / and not extreme temps either hot or cold ... I don't see any reason why they would not be fine within most peoples lifetime !

If you start seeing some corrosion on the brass - that's different / but in a heated and non-high humid environment they should be fine for a long time.

Now, put them in an unheated garage -- where temps soar / high humidty / maybe below freezing in winter ....boxes get damp, etc .... I can see where someone would say 4 or 5 yrs max ...
 
I inherited a box of 16 ga Remington SP-16 (then called Express PowerPiston) from the late 50's or early 60's. Shells were #4 birdshot. Shot some which sounded and felt normal. Patterened well, too.
 
A couple of years back I field tested a Saiga 12 gauge that someone lent me for that purpose. Among lots of buck and slugs, I used up some lead 2s left over from the 60s, some of the first plastic cased hulls made.

Cycled perfectly. Patterns were clumpy, I suspect some pellets had adhered over time through oxidation.

All ammo, kept cool and dry,seems to last a very long time. A reenactor I knew shot up some 56-50 Spencer rimfire ammo made in the 1870s in a vintage Spencer carbine in the 1980s. Shot OK, though those were were never target guns.
 
I plan to use a box of plastic hull Remington Duck and Pheasant loads on my upcoming hunting trip to Kansas. They've been stored in a box on the top shelf of my bedroom closet. I'll test fire a few before hand. Not sure when they were made, (probably late '60's or early 70's) but they are marked $2.39/box!
 
shelf life

If you buy new when 18 and store them properly they will last until you have no interest in shooting anything.
 
I recently shot some very old .410 shells. They were the old paper shell. I have no idea how old they were. Some my dad had and he's been dead since 1971. Worked just fine.
 
A couple years back before we went rabbit hunting we didn't have any 12ga. shells so I checked my grandpa's garage knowing some would be in there. I checked the shells and they seemed to be in good shape. They all fired without an issue, and later asked my dad how old they were and he said probably 80's.
 
Rampant Colt

Did they lood like these? Can't read the price tag in the photo but it is $2.39 a box. I'm still killing Pheasants with them along with a Parker that's twice as old.

TedWilliamsParker004.jpg
 
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