.223 Shelf Life?(or ammo in general)

[trisol]

i have about 1000 rounds for about three years now of .223 Winchester 55gr fmj. i dont have anything that shoots this cartridge right now. should i be concerned if i keep holding on to it? will it rust or go "bad" on me?

thanks for your help!

 

[JJ-65]

Kept cool and dry it will be good till hell freezes over.

 

[jennis]

I have fired 303 British from WW II and beyond and it all went bang

 

[Rutger]

Keep it cool and dry. It should be good long after you are gone.

 

[mudgunner49]

You really need to send it to me - honest...

 

[B]

I have said this before but if you do even a half-assed job of storing it properly your great-grandkids could end up shooting it without issue. If you keep it in a damp basement in the open corrosion is likely.

 

[gushulak]

Ammo can, cool and dry. Will be ready when you need whether its 2 days or 200 years!

 

[mlehtovaara]

Check the back of the box for the expiry date. I actually recycle ammo so if you have any rounds older than about 6 months I will gladly have then recycled for you. PM me and we can arrange shipment. Dont worry I wont even charge you the disposal fee.

 

[Mr.4x4]

Unfinished basement on a shelf ok? Cement floors insulated and vapour barriered.

 

[mlehtovaara]

Unfinished basement on a shelf ok? Cement floors insulated and vapour barriered.

How long you plan on keeping this stuff man? I have reloading components in my basement which is pretty damp and I have never had any issues. They are used within a couple months though. If you are planning on keeping ammo stored for years just get some air tight ammo cans and throu in some silica packets.

 

[bearhunter]

The real question is "how long do you plan to live?" That ammunition should outlast you and your kids, if it's stored properly.

 

[Ar180shooter]

Keep it cool and dry and it'll last until the Zombie apocalypse. At that point, I'll need to get it from you.

 

[trisol]

Check the back of the box for the expiry date. I actually recycle ammo so if you have any rounds older than about 6 months I will gladly have then recycled for you. PM me and we can arrange shipment. Dont worry I wont even charge you the disposal fee.

thank you everyone for all your help!

as for recycling, could i put in my blue box? LOL

 

[Mr.4x4]

Mlehtov - I have quite a few $ in ammo in Cals I don't shoot but plan on getting again so I don't want to ruin the stuff. Ill pick up some cans and silica just incase thx

 

[RobSmith]

100 yrs from now people will be buying whatever is left over on the EE ..... And it'll probably still go bang 100 yrs after that !

 

[sunray]

"...Unfinished basement on a shelf ok?..." What's the humidity like?

 

[SandRoad]

100 yrs from now people will be buying whatever is left over on the EE ..... And it'll probably still go bang 100 yrs after that !

Yep, good for 100 to 200 years. Now if you want REALLY long term storage, put it in steel ammo boxes with silica gel and oxygen absorbers.

The only ammo that might have some trouble in 100 years is the Winclean type with lead free primers.

I have recently been reloading using up primers and powder that are 50 years old, and no special storage just a dry basement. Five thousand plus rounds and 100% have gone bang.