Will Ammo deteriorate if stockpiled?

[Doug.38PR]

with ammo costs going up, I usually buy 150 rounds for every 50 rounds that I shoot and occasionally buy large bulk of ammo and keep it in my safe or closet. Some people have told me that ammunition (the powder within) will deteriorate in time. (some have even told me that modern ammunition is specifically designed like that by government regulation so that people can't stockpile) Is this true? False? Anything that can be done?

[CampingJosh]

While I know this isn't exactly a scientific answer, here's what I know...

Cases of military surplus ammo are sold all the time, and much of it is rather old (20+ years). It always seems to fire consistently for me, so I'm guessing that it's not too much of a problem.
If the bullets are 50 years old? Then maybe they'd start having some problems, but even then you might be OK. I've heard of stories where old gunpowder--Civil War relics lost in the ground for 140 years--would still ignite and explode if not treated carefully, and our modern powder is much better than they used then.

More important than age is the way you store your ammo. If it's kept in a humid area, you run the risk of ruining it. One of our former members, whose opinions I always took as solid gold, once told that he kept a special refrigerator in which to store his ammo so that humidity was controlled and the lube on the bullets didn't disappear. He also specified that it was one of those old-time fridges that never ran a defrost cycle, which lets moisture back into everything inside. I haven't tried it myself, but I wouldn't hesitate to use this method to stockpile.

So if you take care of your stockpile, I wouldn't worry too much about it deteriorating on you.

[DoesItMatter]

I've been shooting some old surplus Mosin Nagant ammo

7.62x54R

These things are dated from the 1950's and they still shoot well.
Every round fired.

These were rapped in brown paper and then stored in spam-can style
casing though, so it really depends again, as in previous post, on how
you store your ammunition.

I've been keeping mine in my garage. I live in washington state, and the
humidity does not change a whole lot from summer thru winter.
And the temperature does not undergo huge changes.

I think the garage temp ranges anywhere from 40-ish degrees to 80-ish
during the summer/winter time.

I would highly recommend looking into reloading. It's MUCH more economical
and if they start taxing ammo crazily, as mentioned in some of the other posts
reloading components usually bypass those taxing. Powder may run a little
higher, and the bullets a little higher, but not too likely.

So while everyones paying higher for loaded ammo, you can sit back and
load your own, save money, and know you're making good ammo!

[oscarmayer]

as noted the key is how is it stored. the mil surplus for the most part was/is stored in sealed tins so they stay fresh and dry. now for a "old school" reloaders trick. seal the primer and where the lead / copper etc bullet is seated in the case with a clear nail polish . but the best way to stockpile is keep it in a climate controlled space such as a gun safe with a humidity control device.

[LDBennett]

According to a magazine article I once read, the manufacturer of Bullseye powder keeps a supply of it for comparison testing to modern lots. That Bullseye powder is over 100 years old!

it is not uncommon for surplus ammo sold in the market place today to be 50 years old and still be fine. I personally have reloads that I loaded at least 10 years ago that are fine. My ammo is stored in my heated and cooled house and that helps significantly.

LDBennett

[oscarmayer]

not sure how it was stored but i'm sure it wasn't done correctly. i was given 100 rounds of 357 most of the cases green . and being a cheap nitwit i tried to use it. a few went bang but i had 2 squibs. that i fired back to back. after the flame from the second round nearly blinded me i stopped shooting. the first "squib" didn't make it through the barrel, the second shot jammed into the first "blockage and bulged the barrel so bad it had to be replaced. lucky i was injuried and lucky for me it was a dan wesson and all i had to do was unscrew the barrel tube and replace it. beside being a case of being foolish it was a case of improperly stored ammo. lesson learned. reloads i seal with clear nail polish, factory stuff i keep in the safe climate controlled, and mil surplus i keep my 308 in the factory "battle packs" seal from the elements.

[doug66]

Your grandkids will be able to shoot it, if kept cool and dry.

[JLA]

stockpile away brother, just pack it in some water tight mil-surp ammo cans with a dessicant and rest assured you will pass away warm in your bed at a ripe old age while your great grand children shoot grampaws old ammunition.

[draynes]

The bit about modern ammo being loaded with powder that goes bad in a few months or years is 10,000% Urban Myth, a total lie. There's an incredible amount of stupid gun and ammo related stuff spouted at gun counters, gun shows, and at the range, and 99% of the people spouting it refuse to listen to facts or use any kind of logic and reason on whatever the subject is.

Before passing on urban legends yourself, do a lot of reading at all the gun boards that interest you. Some of the best threads around are titled something like "Post stupid things heard at a gun counter.....". It's very entertaining, and very discouraging, to find out what idiotic things people believe.

[Pistolenschutze]

If kept in even reasonably good storage conditions, you really needn't worry about deterioration. As a matter of fact, just last weekend I went out to the range with several boxes of .44, .45 and .38 ammo I had reloaded over 14 years ago. I took it along mostly on impulse simply because I was curious to see if it would still function properly. Not one single round failed to perform properly.

[Doug.38PR]

Originally Posted by draynes

The bit about modern ammo being loaded with powder that goes bad in a few months or years is 10,000% Urban Myth, a total lie. There's an incredible amount of stupid gun and ammo related stuff spouted at gun counters, gun shows, and at the range, and 99% of the people spouting it refuse to listen to facts or use any kind of logic and reason on whatever the subject is.

Before passing on urban legends yourself, do a lot of reading at all the gun boards that interest you. Some of the best threads around are titled something like "Post stupid things heard at a gun counter.....". It's very entertaining, and very discouraging, to find out what idiotic things people believe.

Oh I've heard PLENTY of dumb things over the counter. Here's one: "Most Police Departments won't let you carry a Python because it will lock up if you fall in a struggle and land on your holster" (????? 75 years worth of policemen have been carrying the Colt Official Police, the predecessor to the Python considering it things like "the finest service gun evermade" etc.)...and a good many more well to do ones had been carrying the Python from the 1950s well into the 90s),


I have heard from several friends that Obama Bin Laden and other liberals want to pass legislation that will require private ammo to be made with such type of powder so as to prevent people from stockpileing.

[Terry_P]

Not sure what they would do to the powder that would make it deteriorate like that and how they would differentiate between ammo for the military or police and the unwashed masses. What they will do is raise the taxes so we can no longer afford to purchase either ammo or components.

[Laufer]

It is probably best to keep it in the original sealed cans if not needing it for a while isn't it?

Or do any of the old dusty Bulgarian cans ever have a tiny leak that are impossible to see?
I would have buried some pvc pipe (with ammo) in the backyard but the roots make digging very, very difficult.
Not enough spinach in the diet?

[jdunmyer]

FWIW: I had a 30 year hiatus from shooting, and had several boxes of my reloads, both .38 Special and .45 ACP laying around. The ammo was stored in my shop, which is heated and air-conditioned, but not to the comfort level of the average home.

All of it kept just fine, and went "Bang!" when fired.

Bullets were my own, cast from wheelweights, powder was BullsEye.

[vytoland]

.........you got to up that times 10......minimum

[Doug.38PR]

To illustrate how I keep from running out of ammo and indeed, stockpile, I try to by three boxes of 50 for every one box of 50 that I shoot. Sometimes it's 4 boxes sometimes it's 5, but the bottom line is, I try to gain more ammo with each purchase in relation to how much I shoot instead of losing ammo.

[Popgunner]

Ammo does suffer from age but re-loaded ammo will last a very long time. Milsurp ammo that was made in the 1930's that I've tried in various calibers all seems to be dead because the corrossive primers have gone bad. Ammo from the 1940's is still shooting very well. The worst problem seems to be the 1947 Turk 8mm ammo that has lots of split case necks but still fires well. Also, brit .303 ammo is a little dicey with weak primers & cordite sticks for powder that don't always go bang.

The rumor over the years has been that primers would be made to self-destruct in a year or two & the primer makers have said they wouldn't know how to do that. Speer/CCI has made a statement about this.

The powder & non-corrossive primers we have now will last indefinitely. The cases are the weak point. The US military rotates old ammo out after it's 5 years old. Lately during the Iraq war the military ammo hasn't had a chance to get very old. They went from having one supplier of ammo-Alliant, to 18 suppliers & the ammo has been getting used up pretty quick. Even if you kept your ammo for 50 or 60 years & it developed split case necks it would still shoot pretty well. That's assuming you kept it dry & verdigris free.

[cycloneman]

Keep ammo in cool dry place, should stay good for a very long time. Also just a suggestion, you can pick up primer and bullet sealer from Cabelas if your ammo is not sealed already.

[gaowlpoop]

I shot some .22 ammo last week end that I purchased in 1983 -- and it was cheap stuff back then, not match grade or anything.

[RCGUIDRY]

We shot some 6 mm remington yesterday that i reloaded in the year 1976. Had at least 2 1inch groups at 100 yards and all fired safely. I did cull one round that seemed to have a fouled primer. There was even a couple of green spots on one or two of the cases. but no significant deterioration. Keep it dry and keep it. IMHO.
Randy

[bluesea112]

No, it will not deteriorate. Just make sure it is non-corrosive ammo and you store it in a dry place.

[Brian48]

Use surplus GI ammo cans if you can find them. These excellent for long term ammo storage.

[Montie364]

I have a mosin nagant. When i buy ammo I also get a new style US 50 ammo can and a $3.00 desiccant pac. It will hold 1 spam can of 7.62x54r, plus it comes with a handle and I don't have to remember the giant can opener.

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by Doug.38PR

To illustrate how I keep from running out of ammo and indeed, stockpile, I try to buy three boxes of 50 for every one box of 50 that I shoot. Sometimes it's 4 boxes sometimes it's 5, but the bottom line is, I try to gain more ammo with each purchase in relation to how much I shoot instead of losing ammo.

I have to agree with a previous comment; If you're "buying" that much ammo...... It's time to start RELOADING !! Do yourself a huge favor and stock pile your own ammo. At the rate you're buying ammo, I'm reloading 3x that amount for the same price approx. ( not sure what you're buying as compared to what I'm reloading exactly) There is certainly some ammo that I would buy in bulk, but to be buying 150-200 rounds at a time, you're getting inferior rounds at a premium price compared to handloads. There's plenty of info and help on reloading if it interests you, don't hesitate to ask.

Semper Fi,
Woolley

[ampaterry]

I am shooting .22 LR that are over 30 years old.
Just stored in a drawer, in a house that has never seen A/C, in the ultra-humid West Tennessee area -

I had a .32 Rimfire Flobert around 35 years ago, with half a box of original ammo.
During the time I owned it, I put four rounds through it -
There was a BIT of difference in the report from round to round, so I assume they were starting to deteriorate. How old were they? I haven't a clue, really - but over 50 years at the very least, I would say.

In the late 60's, I found a partial box of .22 LR in a deserterd miners cabin out in the boondox of Alaska. They were inside where it was DRY, but had been subjected to temperatures ranging from 60 below zero in the winter to 80+ in the endless summer sun there. They fired without any misfires.
The gold-rush was 70 years prior.