cleaning the old 9mm i came across ammo that has been stored in lockbox in the closet for some time now and was wondering if it is too old to shoot? On this discussion my brother found old shotgun shells as well he has been storing for quite some time and was wondering the same...

 

With proper storage, cartridge ammo will last a very long time. Don't know about shotshells though.

I've used issued (and surplus) .45 ACP ammo that was over 40 years old.

 

I'm shooting Turkish mil-surp 8mm made in the 40's. Check carefully for corrosion, swelling or split necks.

Eddie H.

 

When ammo is properly stored the shelf life is indefinate.

Properly is the key word. Heat like over 100 degrees can cause pressures to rise. Most but not all civilian ammo is sealed while all modern smokeless Military ammo is sealed from mousture.

Some Argentine 7.62 NATO made it's way to the Gun Shows some years back, & had been stored improperly. Tests showed some lots exceeded 100 thousand PSI.

I have handloaded for over 35 years, & I never let anyone shoot my hand loads. On the other side of the coin I never buy any surplus ammo that was not loaded & stored in the USA. Also I know the dealer who bought it, & how they stored it.

Sure you can save a lot of $$ but remember the story of the Guy from Oak Ridge Shooting Club. On his first shot from his AK-47, using the old ham canned 762.X39 Vietnam surplus ammo. The ammo was stored wrong, & was supper HOT the bolt, & carrier came back through the sheet metal cover. His right lower jaw was removed, & his juglar vein was nicked, an off duty Nurse packed him out with Military cleaning patches, & drove him to the ER. He lived.

Be careful your whole life can change in an instant, & the money you save is just not enough to put you back together again.

As I said before : A word of caution.