What is the oldest you would consider self defense ammo still reliable?

[zeke]

I wouldn't "consider" or rely on an age factor. Maybe just test it? Course then that might relate to how many of the rounds you have. Properly stored rounds might last a long time.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I think it is worth distinguishing between ammo carried in a magazine or pistol and stored ammo. I like to buy ammo in bulk. I’ll rotate my carry ammo every six months or so just to keep setback or primer sensitivity from being an issue due to clearing and reloading. On magazines that get carried or stored outside climate control, I’ll swap every year or two.

On ammo that’s been stored properly, my main concern with using twenty year old defensive ammo is that bullet design has progressed quite a bit over that time. I think I’ve still got a box of Remington Golden Sabers from pre-1992.

 

[jolly roger]

My wife's Grandfather passed in 1988. He had a Colt 25 Vest Pocket with papers and 2 mags of OLD 25ACP ammo that I would say was made in the 30s...shot just fine. Gun itself made in 1928. I have shot military 45 and 30-06 ball ammo made in 1942 no issues. This was around oh...2000 I believe

 

[mr bolo]

I just found a bandoleer and open box full of leftovers from a case of 303 imported from some country that writes a lot of Arabic crap on the outside of the case. Ammo was 45 years old when it hit the shed that sees sub freezing weather in the winter and 100 degrees a few days in the summer, that was 15 years ago. A sampling of the open box found each made a big boom when asked to do so.

I would guess it's probably corrosive? I had a bag of Egyptian 8mm Mauser dated 1950's and it was highly corrosive, checked my Mauser 98K a couple weeks later and the bore and cleaning rod was covered in orange rust

Now I always run hot water and use soap to clean it, and also the cleaning rod & bore brush after use, to neutralize the corrosive salts.

 

[MR.G]

I have not had any problems with center fire ammunition that has been stored for over ten years in ammo cans and good environment. I have some in my self defense guns right now. Have some rimfire .22 lr. and magnum that has been stored under the same conditions for over ten years, and not sure if I have the same confidence in them for self defense.

 

[unclejack37]

I never saw an expiration date on a box of ammo. Would it look something like this.
Best used before xx/20xx

 

[Drm50]

Being my life depended on it I would spring for a new box of SD ammo every year. Having said that there are to many varibles on original question. I have shot ammo that is over 100 yrs old and it functioned and shot fine. Maker, where was it stored before you got it. Just to many things to go wrong.

 

[10-96]

I would test a mag first, but after that I would trust 30+ year old ammo.

Not to pick on 5Whiskey, but here generates more questions... Folks opine fairly regularly about how they won't put full trust in a new carry firearm until X-number of rounds have gone through it, but how many of us are OK with only one clip of ammo that has a large number of candles on it's birthday cake?

 

[Rob228]

I wouldn't use 30 year old ammo because the stuff made today has a bit more science behind it.

 

[Don Fischer]

Seem's to me it would depend on how bad you needed it at the time. If you were in a bad situation and someone handed you a 30 yr old round for your gun, bet you'd try it! I can't see where much ammo of any kind would get all that old though, be fired in practice before it got there!

 

[tallball]

My friend was about 60 when he gave me some 32 S&W "short" ammo that he had inherited from his dad decades before. I don't know how old it was, but the brass was pretty green. They all went bang, but the bullets were going so slow that you could see them in the air. The last one actually bounced off of plywood.

 

[mr bolo]

Don Fischer Seem's to me it would depend on how bad you needed it at the time. If you were in a bad situation and someone handed you a 30 yr old round for your gun, bet you'd try it! I can't see where much ammo of any kind would get all that old though, be fired in practice before it got there!

with gun laws getting stricter / ammo background checks / taxation

it's possible and very likely people will be using old stock, if thats all they can get, lots of people in places like CA have stocked up for a lifetime supply because of all the new laws / restrictions coming in the future.

 

[UncleEd]

I voted 10 years or less.

Not because I believe ammo won't last several decades
but for SD, why go cheap if what you want is available.

I have read tests of old government ammo such as .45ACP.
It worked fine but velocity had dropped off a bit with the
passing of decades. Apparently the powder can deteriorate
some.

 

[jmr40]

Properly stored is the key.

I've read about ammo left in vehicles for years, even decades, that went bad from the heat/cold cycles. Even one guy who had problems with some hunting rifle loads. When he pulled bullets the "stick" powder had been ground into a fine dust from the vibrations of riding in the truck for years.

But stored indoors in a climate controlled situation I'd imagine ammo 40-50 years old would still be as good as new.

 

[a24296]

I just shot 9mm ammo I hand loaded in once fired brass in 1986. 50 rounds thru a Beretta 92 and a Sig 226. No failures and I still shot decent groups although not what I could do in 1986.

 

[bedbugbilly]

I don't know . . . I had 45 ACP with 1917 headstamps that I have fired and all went boom. But that's not what you asked . . . .

If stored properly, I don't think I would think twice about the 30 as some have stated. I still have ammo from early 1960s - so close to 60 years old - that still shoots just fine - rimfire and centerfire as well as shotgun.

ANY ammo - old or new can have issues and you won't know it until you pull the trigger. Personally, for rounds that I carry for SD, I usually start shooting them up at about 5 years and replace with new - but that's me. It's what you feel comfortable with in using if ever needed.

 

[mr bolo]

I still have Chinese 7.62x39 mm ammo I saved from the mid 1980's and it still shoots fine after over 30 years in storage

I decided to start using it because it's been sitting for over 30 years

 

[shurshot]

My S&W model 10 .38 Special, which is in my carry rotation, still holds 6 rounds of Remington Nyclad hollowpoints from around the late 80's. I have no doubt as to if it will go off if needed. I MIGHT change them out in another 20 years or so, if we are still even allowed to own handguns in the future.