I'm replacing some old ammo with fresh

[ximmy]

how/where do I discard old ammunition?

[Korbin Dallas]

Is is corroded or damaged?

[zap]

???

[ximmy]

no, it looks good, but it is as old as I am, I inherited it. actually some of the casings have A dull film on them, others are shiny.

[zap]

Ximmy,

I don't know anything about ammo but I don't think it goes rotten unless it is corroded or deformed. Somebody here will have a good answer for you.

[ximmy]

I don't want them to blow up if I shoot them..

do you think I can crush them in the garbage compacter? :p

[Korbin Dallas]

I've used 30 year old .223 and .357 ammo with no problems, and I was told ammo never goes bad unless is corroded. A friend of mine fired fifty rounds of WWII ammo. through his dad's WWII M1 Garand with amazing accuracy. I'd hang on old ammo. in a dry storage box, may come in handy when TSHTF.

[ximmy]

ok thanks, I guess I'll take them with me next time we go shooting...

[zap]

I don't want them to blow up if I shoot them..

do you think I can crush them in the garbage compacter? :p

Seriously, shutup ! ;)

[Heimdhal]

I regularly fire and activley store ammo that is likley older than you out of guns that definintley are.

Check for corrosion on the case, or damage to it. Check the fittment of the bullet and the case and check to see if the primer looks coroded.

It will be obvious if it is.

If its not, its more than likley safe to shoot. If you are absolutley terrified of it, bring it to a range and ask them to dispose of it, which theyll probably just say "ok" and go shoot it themselves.

Ammo is fairly stable as long as the elements havent taken their toll.

DEFININTLEY DO NOT crush it in a compacter. Do not attempt to crush or burn it in any way!!!!!!

[Dogman]

I regularly fire and activley store ammo that is likley older than you out of guns that definintley are.

Check for corrosion on the case, or damage to it. Check the fittment of the bullet and the case and check to see if the primer looks coroded.

It will be obvious if it is.

If its not, its more than likley safe to shoot. If you are absolutley terrified of it, bring it to a range and ask them to dispose of it, which theyll probably just say "ok" and go shoot it themselves.

Ammo is fairly stable as long as the elements havent taken their toll.

DEFININTLEY DO NOT crush it in a compacter. Do not attempt to crush or burn it in any way!!!!!!

Bullshit there is some ammo from ww2 and the Koren war that is still as good as it was at the time it was made.
I am open if you want to send my your old ammo , I will pay shipping....

[ximmy]

thanks, I'm going to fire off the ammo next time we go shooting and replace it with new (like rotating supplies).

[Heimdhal]

Bullshit there is some ammo from ww2 and the Koren war that is still as good as it was at the time it was made.
I am open if you want to send my your old ammo , I will pay shipping....

whats bullshit? Thats exactly what i said. Did you NOT see my first line saying I activley store and shoot 50 year + old surplus out of 80 year old rifle?


You've confused me.......

[Dogman]

thanks, I'm going to fire off the ammo next time we go shooting and replace it with new (like rotating supplies).

Only that much?



tThat is not even enough for a squad.


Grin..

[ximmy]

whats bullshit? Thats exactly what i said. Did you NOT see my first line saying I activley store and shoot 50 year + old surplus out of 80 year old rifle?


You've confused me.......

BTW... Heimdhal, my guns, rifle and shotgun are all curio and relic... no records on file for me... ;D :D

[zap]

LOL good girl, mine either.

[Dogman]

whats bullshit? Thats exactly what i said. Did you NOT see my first line saying I activley store and shoot 50 year + old surplus out of 80 year old rifle?


You've confused me....... Sorry , missed it..shit I have ammo from that time that is better that is better than what we can find now.

Jumping into the middle of a tread..sorry..

[Heimdhal]

Hey, in florida no paper work required for face to face ;)

C and R is hard to beat. TONS of very good firearms for a very cheap price.

[Heimdhal]

Sorry , missed it..shit I have ammo from that time that is better that is better than what we can find now.

Jumping into the middle of a tread..sorry..

No worries, i was jsut confused ;)


Military ammo is built to much better shelf life specs than commercial, which is where surplus, foreign and domestic, really shines.

A spam can of x54r, though the common years are 70's and 80's now, still can be had from the korean war and shoot just fine. Yugoslavian x39 from the 60's-90's works fantastic and if stored right, will last another 50 years, np.

[palani]

If you have boxes from the 30's or40's collectors will pay in the $30-$40 range just for the cardboard.

[chad]

If you have boxes from the 30's or40's collectors will pay in the $30-$40 range just for the cardboard.

my parents had a renter who killed himself. i got his ammo stash because no one else wanted it. it's all old, old, old stuff from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. really cool actually. had no idea it was worth so much.

[horseshoe3]

If we're talking WWII or earlier, most of that stuff had corrosive primers. Still safe to shoot, but you MUST clean your bore very well afterward. With large amounts of water. Not just a wet patch. Best way is to put the muzzle in a pan of hot water and use a patch and rod as a piston pump. Pull water in and push it out over and over until you scrub/dilute/rinse out the residue. Failure to do this will result in a ruined bore. And it happens faster than you think - don't put it off.

[mightymanx]

I regularly fire and activley store ammo that is likley older than you out of guns that definintley are.

Check for corrosion on the case, or damage to it. Check the fittment of the bullet and the case and check to see if the primer looks coroded.

It will be obvious if it is.

If its not, its more than likley safe to shoot. If you are absolutley terrified of it, bring it to a range and ask them to dispose of it, which theyll probably just say "ok" and go shoot it themselves.

Ammo is fairly stable as long as the elements havent taken their toll.

DEFININTLEY DO NOT crush it in a compacter. Do not attempt to crush or burn it in any way!!!!!!


Could not have said it better myself.

[SLV^GLD]

I don't want them to blow up if I shoot them..

Last I checked that's what good ammunition does.
If the powder has gone bad it won't blow up.
If the casing has corroded then it might blow up in a bad way but you can visibly ascertain corrosion. Casings are made of materials resistant to corrosion and are often lacquered to waterproof them further.

The hole at the end of the barrel represents the path of least resistance. Good ammo blows up and the resulting energy exits the bore. The only dangers of old ammo are A) The casing is corroded to the point that explosive force can go backwards B) Ruined powder results in squibs and C) Corrosive primers require thorough cleaning once finished at the range.

[horseshoe3]

SLV^GLD's point about squibs is a good one. If a report or recoil seems weaker than normal, check the bore to make sure the bullet hasn't stopped partway. If it has, the next round will have bad results.

[Tumbleweed]

I finaly used the last of some 30-06 ammo I'd reloaded thirty five or more years ago. I don't ever recall having a misfire and it did the job. I only used it when I was hunting and most of the time one round was enough.