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Old ammo

s. ward
,,,,,have been given three hundred antique cartridges (black powder/smokeless),,,,,most have a hole in the case (screwed to a display board),,,,majority are primed and powder will trickle out,,,,how can I make these inert/safe,,,,,they range from a .600 Nitro to the smallest .22,,,,,,,
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8 comments

Date Votes
  • s. ward
    I went to a gun range a while back and took along a couple boxes of 22 ammo I found when cleaning out deceased in-laws house. About one fourth of bullets would not fire. Can anyone tell me how long ammo can should last and still be dependable?
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    storage conditions will determine this, properly stored ammo will last 100 years (or more).
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  • Bert H.
    Ditto to what Mike said. Proper storage is the key to longevity.
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  • babun
    I have CF ammo dated 1926 and it goes bang 100% of the time. It seems that .22 rimfire IS the worst of the miss fire problem. I think the primer compound has a better chance of "falling" out of the recess in the rimfires. Almost all of the old stuff that FTF, that I took apart had the primer "clay" mixed in with the powder when I opened them. Bob
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  • s. ward
    That makes sense. Thanks. Yes, the 22 ammo was only cal to misfire. I had other old ammo too and it was ok in other calibers.
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  • nmyers
    By storage conditions, we mean "cool & dry".

    If ammo is kept in a hot attic or inside a car, it can go bad in a few months.

    Neal
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  • 11b6r
    cool, dry and away from oil.
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  • beantownshootah
    Depends on the type of ammo (mostly primer type), and storage conditions.

    Extreme heat and wide temperature fluctuations can damage primers and cause misfires. Note that by itself, cold doesn't hurt ammo. . .it just "refrigerates" it! But wide swings in temp from hot to cold can cause expansion and contraction of primer compounds, leading to problems. Exposure to humidity and oxygen can degrade powder and primers over time.

    But properly stored (which is to say, not too hot, dry, and airtight) ammo can literally last for decades, especially the ones with corrosive primers which are highly stable.

    I've heard of people firing WWI vintage .45ACP ammo and it functioning just fine. People routinely shoot surplus centerfire ammo dating back to the 1950s and it works fine.
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