Anyone still have those old shotgun shells made out of that dense cardboad type stuff? Are they safe to fire if they've been sitting in the shed for 30 ish years? they were in a cool relativly dry place. upon opening one (safely of course) i found that the shot and wads seemed in perfect shape and the powder is dry and still very flammable. I just don't know if the fact that they don't seem outwardly waterproof would make them susceptable to weakening of the casing?
Using old Ammo
- Thread starter MrCamerican
- Start date
Last fall I fired approx. 40-50 assorted paper hull CIL and Eatonia brand shells at clay pigeons. There were lots of small bits of paper/card wadding on the ground out front of where I was shooting, more crud in the barrel than usual, but they all went bang (and I managed to smoke some clays real good). The Eatonia brand shells (no idea how old they would be, but old) had a heavy "knurling" pattern on the head and some of them developed partial splits, but there was no gas leakage. Some of the tubes looked varnished, some looked plain, but none of them developed any splits or perforations. Freshly fired paper shells have an awesome smell (probably toxic) that reminds me of going to the range with my uncle when I was a kid, back in the 60's. I would say go for it, just make sure they are not too long for your chamber.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
If they go bang, shoot them. I like using old paper shells, I just shot a bunch again last week. I have some 10-12 boxes of old Imperial and Gevelot shells in 16 ga. that I am gradually using up. They still kill game as well as ever.
thanks guys i think ill try them, what the hell if you havn't died doing it and theres three of you who have thats like a 75 percent chance i wont die!!!!!! I'll let you know how it turns out. HAHAHAHA ya I already made sure there the right length and gauge. there in good condition too so im sure it'll be fine. P.S. i already fired about twenty of those old imperial SSG high brass plastic shells......for a 2 3/4 inch shell they kick like a pissed of kangaroo on steroids!
