Shelf life on ammo??

PolarBear · July 5th, 2006, 03:08 PM

I was wondering what the "true" shelf life is on ammo.
I am not as worried about target ammo, I am thinking about ammo used durring CCW.
I try to cycle through my ammo evey year or so but it can get expensive. Is there anything wrong with keeping the same ammo for a few years?

Redneck Repairs · July 5th, 2006, 03:19 PM

If properly stored I believe shelf life would be almost indefinite , I have shot a lot of mil surplus ammo from the beginning of the last century LOL . That being said personally I would consider 2 years as the MAX time to rotate defensive ammo , and would seriously look at doing it sooner due to the fact cycling ( unloading and loading for cleaning , target practice , ect.. ) the ammo can have a certain attrition with burred extractor graves , bullet setback creating dangerous overpressure ( most of the famous glock kabooms ) ect.

David III · July 5th, 2006, 03:23 PM

If relatively cool and dry, shelf life is many, many years. I have a fair amount of military ammunition from World War 2 and it still works - and civilian ammunition from the mid-1960s that also works fine.
Having said that, my ammunition for possible defensive use gets cycled through every couple years at most.
I'll use it at the range or just feel like shooting some of it (usually my practice ammo is FMJ stuff but still want to be sure my gun will run on my CCW ammo). There's no logical reason why I do this, as I know the ammo would last significantly longer than two years, but it makes me feel better.
If I happened to run onto a 5 year supply of my CCW ammo at a cheap price --- I'd sure buy it and not worry about shelf life.

Edited since RR has an EXTREMELY important point, I think. The ammo that's cycled in your firearm has a shelf life of about nothing. It really needs used up. Banged up extractor grooves and bullets moving back in the case are just bad. My comments on "shelf life" had to do with ammo in boxes not disturbed.

Captain Crunch · July 5th, 2006, 03:29 PM

+1 on what RR said. Also, storage conditions greatly affect ammo shelf life. Ammo that has not been subjected to extremes of heat or cold, or subjected to moisture or high humidity, and especially in a sealed container, like a GI ammo can, should be OK for many years.

Bud White · July 5th, 2006, 06:05 PM

pretty much what everyone said it will last pretty much fro ever is stored properly now target ammo i might store like that SD i won't .

Sheldon J · July 6th, 2006, 11:16 AM

I shoot .22's that I bought 35 years ago with no issues, in some ways they are a better round than what I can buy as cheap ammo today, +1 on proper storage.

July 5th, 2006, 03:08 PM	#1
PolarBear Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Garland, NC (About 25 miles east of Fayetteville) Posts: 231	Shelf life on ammo?? I was wondering what the "true" shelf life is on ammo. I am not as worried about target ammo, I am thinking about ammo used durring CCW. I try to cycle through my ammo evey year or so but it can get expensive. Is there anything wrong with keeping the same ammo for a few years?

July 5th, 2006, 03:19 PM	#2
Redneck Repairs VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 5,141	If properly stored I believe shelf life would be almost indefinite , I have shot a lot of mil surplus ammo from the beginning of the last century LOL . That being said personally I would consider 2 years as the MAX time to rotate defensive ammo , and would seriously look at doing it sooner due to the fact cycling ( unloading and loading for cleaning , target practice , ect.. ) the ammo can have a certain attrition with burred extractor graves , bullet setback creating dangerous overpressure ( most of the famous glock kabooms ) ect. __________________ Make sure you get full value out of today , Do something worthwhile, because what you do today will cost you one day off the rest of your life . We only begin to understand folks after we stop and think . Criminals are looking for victims, not opponents.

July 5th, 2006, 03:29 PM	#4
Captain Crunch 1943 - 2009 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Montana Posts: 10,408	+1 on what RR said. Also, storage conditions greatly affect ammo shelf life. Ammo that has not been subjected to extremes of heat or cold, or subjected to moisture or high humidity, and especially in a sealed container, like a GI ammo can, should be OK for many years. __________________ When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains, And go to your God like a soldier. Rudyard Kipling Terry

July 6th, 2006, 11:16 AM	#6
Sheldon J Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Battle Creek, Mi. Posts: 1,924	I shoot .22's that I bought 35 years ago with no issues, in some ways they are a better round than what I can buy as cheap ammo today, +1 on proper storage. __________________ "The sword dose not cause the murder, and the maker of the sword dose not bear sin" Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac 11th century

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July 5th, 2006, 03:23 PM	#3
David III Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sturgeon, MO Posts: 803	If relatively cool and dry, shelf life is many, many years. I have a fair amount of military ammunition from World War 2 and it still works - and civilian ammunition from the mid-1960s that also works fine. Having said that, my ammunition for possible defensive use gets cycled through every couple years at most. I'll use it at the range or just feel like shooting some of it (usually my practice ammo is FMJ stuff but still want to be sure my gun will run on my CCW ammo). There's no logical reason why I do this, as I know the ammo would last significantly longer than two years, but it makes me feel better. If I happened to run onto a 5 year supply of my CCW ammo at a cheap price --- I'd sure buy it and not worry about shelf life. Edited since RR has an EXTREMELY important point, I think. The ammo that's cycled in your firearm has a shelf life of about nothing. It really needs used up. Banged up extractor grooves and bullets moving back in the case are just bad. My comments on "shelf life" had to do with ammo in boxes not disturbed.

July 5th, 2006, 06:05 PM	#5
Bud White VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Gone from Here Posts: 17,375	pretty much what everyone said it will last pretty much fro ever is stored properly now target ammo i might store like that SD i won't .