How old is TOO old for ammunition?

Was doing some house cleaning and found some very old boxes of 12g shells, Mauser cartridges and Carbine cartridges that date back to the 50's and 60's. They were stored in a rubber container which seamed to have sealed against moisture.
Click to expand...

Were they stored in a basement, with minimal temperature swings, or in a location where the temperature sings were much higher (such as a garage)...? This will have some effect on how the powder ages. But 60 or 70 years, I bet is safe to shoot.
 
Back in the early 80's the Soviets re-captured a Mujahideen held hill and found many crates of 303 ammo with a maple-leaf headstamp. The Soviet ambassador in Ottawa sent a protest letter to the Canadian Government accusing them of directly supplying the Afghanis, even provided pics and/or rounds as proof. Canadian DND experts identified it as Canadian-made alright... circa 1915 IIRC.
 
Balance the risks I guess. Yes ammo can degrade and become dangerous in certain conditions. Agree with the above comment that it is less about age, and more about condition.

I would ask myself, do I really need to fire off a handful of questionable old rounds? What do I gain? Why not get new ammo?
 
yorgi said:
Back in the early 80's the Soviets re-captured a Mujahideen held hill and found many crates of 303 ammo with a maple-leaf headstamp. The Soviet ambassador in Ottawa sent a protest letter to the Canadian Government accusing them of directly supplying the Afghanis, even provided pics and/or rounds as proof. Canadian DND experts identified it as Canadian-made alright... circa 1915 IIRC.
Click to expand...

Maple leaf headstamp????
 
Cottage Hill Bill said:
Tumbling live ammo is not a good idea. The tumbling can effect the coating on powder or even the grains themselves changing the burn rate and pressure curves. Manually clean oxidation, no need to polish them shiney, just get off the big lumps that could cause chamber damage.
Click to expand...

Die, myth, die!!!

yorgi said:
Back in the early 80's the Soviets re-captured a Mujahideen held hill and found many crates of 303 ammo with a maple-leaf headstamp. The Soviet ambassador in Ottawa sent a protest letter to the Canadian Government accusing them of directly supplying the Afghanis, even provided pics and/or rounds as proof. Canadian DND experts identified it as Canadian-made alright... circa 1915 IIRC.
Click to expand...

Sound like an urban legend to me. Surely someone in the Russian government knows the number on a headstamp is the year?
 
I have sot some WW2 .303 British 1941
about every tenth rd is a misfire
and sometimes a Hang fire ( keep pointed at target for 60 seconds )
but most of them worked fine
clean well corrosive primers ??
 
Cottage Hill Bill said:
Tumbling live ammo is not a good idea. The tumbling can effect the coating on powder or even the grains themselves changing the burn rate and pressure curves. Manually clean oxidation, no need to polish them shiney, just get off the big lumps that could cause chamber damage.
Click to expand...

Nonsense. Powder is tumbled for several hours to install the graphite and dull the sharp edges.

Tumble live ammo for a few months and test, if you like.
 
Ganderite said:
Nonsense. Powder is tumbled for several hours to install the graphite and dull the sharp edges.

Tumble live ammo for a few months and test, if you like.
Click to expand...

True, but. I have seen lots of older stuff with awful powder in it. Some WW2 german corroded case/powders, several different brands of WW1 era ammunition, that at times came out as flake/grain/powder mixes. Since we are in the milsurp forum, and some people think everything shiney is good to go bang, I would suggest some caution, especially on some of the stuff out there. Just to add, i have bought 7x57 that someone tumbled, WW1 era, and ya, not exactly consistent size. If we were talking reputable maker, reputable load, I would agree, but have definitey seen powder that can be 'powdered' just by rubbing it with your fingers.
 
Cottage Hill Bill said:
Tumbling live ammo is not a good idea. The tumbling can effect the coating on powder or even the grains themselves changing the burn rate and pressure curves. Manually clean oxidation, no need to polish them shiney, just get off the big lumps that could cause chamber damage.
Click to expand...

How do you think manufactures get factory ammo so shinny? LOL

Shawn
 
BattleRife said:
Die, myth, die!!!



Sound like an urban legend to me. Surely someone in the Russian government knows the number on a headstamp is the year?
Click to expand...

Just might be, going on memory alone from an old article I read in the Star many years ago, IIRC (probably not..) the Canadian War Museum people were called in to identify year of manufacture.
 
If it's in a mauser the action is strong enough to handle any ruptured cases.
Years ago a RO at Silverdale saw me shooting a mosin and in a great gesture gave me some 1946 made x54r he had been given. I shot the box and each case split wide open as gas came out of the action
Great fun. It took a walloping to get the bolt open after each one
 
I routinely use old ammunition I pick up at gun shows for plinking. Basically if it looks like it hasn't been kept in damp conditions I'll burn it up! I'm at the range to have fun so I don't need perfect accuracy on every shot. I've fired .303 rounds from as early as WW1 without even a single hangfire. I've fired lots of old imperial shotgun shells with no issues whatsoever as well.

For something more high-stakes such as hunting or (heaven forbid) defending myself, I would choose newly manufactured ammo more for the peice of mind than any bad experience I've had with old stuff.

My favorite ammo to shoot is probably Canadian MKVI .303 or Greek HXP - that stuff is just as good or better than any newly manufactured ammo I've bought!
 
I've shot Mk II and Mk IV 303 with nary a problem - that stuff dates from the 1890's

I've also shot British 303 from the 1950's and had most of them hangfire.

It all depends on storage conditions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom