Old Rem. 38 Spl (P+)
Rummaging around I found an old box of Remington 38 Spl. (P+) in 125 gr hollow points that was dated 1976. It has been in a cool, dry place and no signs of corrosion at all. Even the box looks really new. I remember a friend of mine with PD gave me the box back in the late 1980s.
Is this just plinking ammo now, or is it still good for self defense purposes? The last time I remember shooting it was about 12 years ago and it seem to work just fine.
Is this just plinking ammo now, or is it still good for self defense purposes? The last time I remember shooting it was about 12 years ago and it seem to work just fine.
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It should work just fine. If ammo, and or ammo component's such as powder, and primer's are stored correctly, they will last for decades.
Best0 -
It should still have 100pct. reliability. Now, the caveat:
You are depending on lifesaving with 'defensive' items. Best you buy another box of defensive, premium ammo.
Replace annually*
Joe
*annual replacement for lifesaving protection ammunition only. Keep the others as long as you wish0 -
The ammo should still be good, the question is how good with it are you? When betting my life I want to know the load, ie where it shoots, and how the bullet performs. Never been able to do that with one box of 50, 500 yes. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Manoa-Fisherman
Rummaging around I found an old box of Remington 38 Spl. (P+) in 125 gr hollow points that was dated 1976. It has been in a cool, dry place and no signs of corrosion at all. Even the box looks really new. I remember a friend of mine with PD gave me the box back in the late 1980s.
Is this just plinking ammo now, or is it still good for self defense purposes? The last time I remember shooting it was about 12 years ago and it seem to work just fine.
-The old ammo should work fine. In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if you didn't see 100% function.
-Despite the fact that the ammo will probably work fine, a new box of .38+P ammo is cheap enough that you shouldn't need to take the chance. A box of .38+P ammo costs what, $25? How much is your life worth?
Even if you're 99% sure that the ammo will function correctly, that extra 1% of uncertainly will nag at you at the back of your mind. So more important, how much is your peace of mind worth?
Since you probably should be rotating your defensive ammo every year (or at least every few years) anyway, you might just use this stuff for practice.0 -
Thank you all for your sage advice! I should put in more range time and keep my practice up, since I rarely, if ever get out there. That would be putting to good use this ammo.
The only drawback about getting "good" tactical ammo here, is the lack of supply/variety and high cost due to transportation expenses.0
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