Long Term Shelf Life of Ammo

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lawn gnome

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So I buy a box of 1,000 rounds bulk of 5.56mm.
I know storing it in surplus ammo cans is good and it seals them in and lasts for years, but just how long???

More importantly, if I just leave the bulk ammo inside all of its' packaging within the bulk cardboard box, how long should I tempt fate?
Should I transfer it all into surplus steel cans at first chance or is there a period of time it should still be good for?

I am in a southern ontario basement where the humidity maxes out to 60% if that helps.
 
1,000 rounds of 5.56 will only last a month or two, unless you are a non-shooter, so storage is not an issue.

If you are going to stockpile a lot of ammo for many years, put it in steel ammo cans with a pack of silca desiccant in each can. Or, if you don't have the desiccant, open the cans to air out in the middle of winter, to trap dry air for the cans.
 
I don't think the cardboard boxes will do any good protecting the ammo long term. Humidity especially will still find it's way in. Sealed in ammo cans, stored dry in a cool place like a basement should have an indefinite shelf life. I just cracked open a sealed can of 7.62x54R from 1968 and it's like the day it was made! I've shot lots of properly stored 303 that's lots older than that without issues. Humidity and temperature swings are the enemy. If you keep it sealed in ammo cans with good gaskets and stored cool in the basement you should be good for your foreseeable lifetime. I've got some stashed for my son for when I'm gone and 7.62x39 surplus etc is over $1 a round (look what happened to 303!)
 
Surplus 7.62x39 has been stored (& reused currently) since atleast the 70's...

So in a sealed ammo-can, any current .223/5.56 ammo should last just as long.

So 30 years, give-or-take 10 years...
 
Boomer74 said:
Surplus 7.62x39 has been stored (& reused currently) since atleast the 70's...

So in a sealed ammo-can, any current .223/5.56 ammo should last just as long.

So 30 years, give-or-take 10 years...
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I just opened some Chinese surplus x39 from 1964. It was still pristine in the crate, all functioned 100% and shot as well as the Czech ammo I have from the early 90's. I would say 30 years is well on the light side.


CanAm said:
50 years is a good rule of thumb, when stored sealed and cool/dry
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Seems fair, probably much longer, but 50 years should get you 100% reliability (or as close as it got when new).


Mark
 
How much does it make a difference that most older surplus stuff was corrosive primers? Do modern primers hold up as long over the years in storage?
 
mmattockx said:
I just opened some Chinese surplus 7.62x39 from 1964.
It was still pristine in the crate, all functioned 100% and shot as well as the Czech ammo I have from the early 90's.
I would say 30 years is well on the light side.

Mark
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I was being conservative... ;)

And I believe the OP was refering to filling his own ammo can, and how long it would last on the shelf. Not factory-packed cans.

He also wanted an "open-box" shelf life, which I would place around the 20-30 year mark also. Given it was "properly" stored in a cool-dry area.

:cool:
 
Given optimum storage conditions, it should outlive you. The ideal is cool and dry, without chemicals (including vapours).

Moisture is a problem, but not a major one. Inside a sealed can (in or out of the cardboard packs), there is only so much water that can cause problems, with or without temperature swings. The tighter the pack inside the can, the less air there can be and therefore the less water.

Of considerably more concern is temperature. Ammo fails because critical chemical components degrade. Cold isn't too bad; it actually slows down the degradation. Heat on the other hand is a killer aqs it speeds up the chemical reactions. If it's hot enough (Afghanistan summer hot, ie), a couple of months will turn good ammo into toast.

In a cool basement, protected from chemical vapours and excess water? Your grandchildren should be able to use it.
 
I have litterally dug an ammo can out of a swamp that was from the early 90's. The ammo was in this can in the swamp for at least 3 years, it functioned 100%

Dont worry about it, as long as you dont store it in water you will be fine for a very very long time.

Shawn
 
I have some 30.06 from WW 1. I should burn a couple of rounds off at nearly 100 years old.

Store it in an area where the temperature does not fluctuate much and it will last forever (or almost.)

I read somewhere that corrosive primers had a longer shelf life than non-corrosive, which is why the cold war soviets loved corosive primers so much.
 
Shot some original 11 mm Mauser black powder rounds that were dated to 1886, they all shot fine, God only knows how they were stored the last 126 years.
 
i like to seal ammo with a vacuum sealer and then into a ammo box it go's if the ammo is not in sealed cans that is(most surplus is) this stuff will last in a flood

it does get really humid down here
 
Throw it in an ammo can with some desiccant and a moisture indicating card (they can be found cheap up here). Inspect the rubber gasket to make sure the lid and can will make a good seal. Check it every few years and replace the desiccant. It's best to not have metal to metal contact, so keep the ammo in the original boxes, or in a bag, or whatever. Storing in a cool environment with minimal temperature fluctuations would be ideal. It'll out last you.
 
I am shooting some 8x57 from the early 50's. Good looking stuff. I have shot stuff that was much older. I am the official Canadian "old ammo" disposition depot.....
 
What about keeping shotgun ammo "loose" inside a clean military surplus ammo can, long term (100 - 200 rounds)? Good or bad? Shells are not as tuff/hard as brass ammo so I wonder if all the weight will deform them in a few years.
 
SantaClawz said:
What about keeping shotgun ammo "loose" inside a clean military surplus ammo can, long term (100 - 200 rounds)? Good or bad? Shells are not as tuff/hard as brass ammo so I wonder if all the weight will deform them in a few years.
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If you had a 6-foot-high bin ere worried about distortion over 250 years, maybe, but provided that the can has a good seal and the storage area is cool vice hot, it will be fine.
 
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