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 01-10-2009, 03:22 PM | #1 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rosenberg (near Houston), Texas Posts: 335 |  How long will ammo stay good?
I have always heard to rotate your ammo. Shoot the old and store the new. My question is how long will ammo stay good. I have a lot of ammo stored in a climate controlled enviroment ( 70 degs. and 55% humidity). Will it last for 2 years or 10 years or some where in between? __________________
SGT U.S. Army Special Operations (2002-2006)
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran (2004)
Texan by birth, Sheepdog by choice!
Rosenberg, TX
"Democracy is two wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is the well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin. | 
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| 01-10-2009, 03:50 PM | #2 | Supporting Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3,885 |
Store it the way the military does, in airtight cans with desiccant packs and it should last indefinitely. | |
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| 01-10-2009, 03:58 PM | #3 | I'm always 10-8 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: 150 miles NE of Sloppy Joe's Bar, in the "GunShine" State Posts: 19,200 Liked 7 Times on 6 Posts
Likes Given: 6
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Cromwell‥when his troops were about crossing a river‥concluded an address‥with these words—‘put your trust in God; but mind to keep your powder dry.’
cane
 __________________ .
 .. Colt 11101110111..MEMBER: FAAM, NRA, GOA, DAV, USSV, SAE
Colt, everything else is stamp collecting! - cane
"Given ten days for a project, a good engineer spends nine days figuring out how to finish it in one day."
Resistance is not futile.
It's voltage divided by current (R=V/I).
"If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it on a large scale." | |
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| 01-10-2009, 05:32 PM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 353 |
I still have ww11 ammo I shoot from time to time. __________________
Any gun owner that voted for obama is a gun owner I don't trust with a gun ! | |
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| 01-10-2009, 11:25 PM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 960 |
like matt said, just keep it dry and itll last longer than you my freind __________________
Wars begin where u will
But they do not end where you please-Machiavelli
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man- Dr. Johnson
"..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." - Samuel Adams
your my best friend but if the zombies start chasing us im tripping you | |
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| 01-11-2009, 02:03 AM | #6 | Moderator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Third bunker on the right, Central Virginia Posts: 8,374 Liked 5 Times on 5 Posts
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I am still shooting EARLY WW II 8mm ammo. High heat, excessive moisture and vibration/impact are the enemies of ammo. Cool, dry, stable- shelf life measured in decades. Stuff in my carry piece? Every six months, I shoot it up, replace it. But I'm a cautious kinda guy, ya know. PS- visit the website for the ODCMP (civilian marksmanship program) and check the age of the 30-06 they are selling. Believe that is at LEAST 50 yrs old. And pretty good stuff. | |
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| 01-11-2009, 03:27 AM | #7 | Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 46 |
Ammo is pretty robust stuff. I had some WWII .45 ammo I inherited from my dad when he passed on. Shot up around 30 rounds of it, and not a dud among them! And it was basically stored in a coffee can in his basement.
The only problem with really old ammo is that some of it used the corrosive primers--need to clean your guns immediately after use. | |
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| 01-11-2009, 03:48 AM | #8 | I'm always 10-8 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: 150 miles NE of Sloppy Joe's Bar, in the "GunShine" State Posts: 19,200 Liked 7 Times on 6 Posts
Likes Given: 6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biff44
Ammo is pretty robust stuff. I had some WWII .45 ammo I inherited from my dad when he passed on. Shot up around 30 rounds of it, and not a dud among them! And it was basically stored in a coffee can in his basement.
The only problem with really old ammo is that some of it used the corrosive primers--need to clean your guns immediately after use.
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Anyone see a theme developing in this thread?
Guys, don't shoot up that vintage WWII ammo! I know its safe and may require some extra clean-up BUT.... do you know what that ammo is worth?
Not monetarily, but nostalgia wise? I did the same thing and can remember shooting mil-spec ball with my Dad. Great memories but I could have had the same memories with contemporary ammo and saved the mil-spec along with his 45. Mine is gone along with my Dad. I couldn't keep my Dad but I could have saved some of his ammo he carried through Europe before I was born!
SAVE IT, along with the other memories.
I didn't, you can. __________________ .
.. Colt 11101110111..MEMBER: FAAM, NRA, GOA, DAV, USSV, SAE
Colt, everything else is stamp collecting! - cane
"Given ten days for a project, a good engineer spends nine days figuring out how to finish it in one day."
Resistance is not futile.
It's voltage divided by current (R=V/I).
"If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it on a large scale." | |
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| 01-12-2009, 09:08 AM | #9 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 183 |
Somewhere along the way I picked up information that if you store ammo you will lose the use of one round out of every 1,000 rounds over the space of 10 years. And the information also said that time is not a friend to primers. After many years of storage, primers are the first thing that will go bad on the stored ammo. | |
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| 01-12-2009, 12:48 PM | #10 | Moderator Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Austin, Texas, by God!! Posts: 6,061 |
I have 5.56 ammo I loaded 25+ years ago that is still very good. It has been stored in an ammo can with dessicant and has not tarnished at all. I have taken some out recently and it shot fine. | |
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