Old ammo still ok to use?

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Originally Posted by spasm3
I have 7.62x54r russian ammo from the 70's that works just fine. It was in spam cans.

I'm still using my 70s 7.62x54R too. I just bought a spam can from 1985 last week on Sportsman's Guide.
 
25 year old pistol ammo is so new I practically consider it factory fresh and new. Stored in a house, it will absolutely fire just perfect, like new ammo.

I did have a case of 7.62x54 with 1952 date stamps that had 25% duds, but the ammo was corroded and gross and had terrible storage conditions during its lifetime.
 
Originally Posted by wings&wheels
I have a vz52 in 7.62x45, oddball round only used in 2 or 3 Czech firearms. I acquired some surplus ammunition, but only wound up firing less than 30 rounds or so. There were a few duds, one that was weak to the point where if I hadn't seen dirt kick up, I would have checked the barrel. Final straw was one that hissed at varying intensity for a good 10 seconds with a wisp of smoke from the closed breech. Disposed of the rest.


You were smart to quit using that stuff. This is a good example of the importance of proper storage. Unfortunately, most of the 7.62x45 ammo that was imported was not stored properly before it was exported to the US. This is more common than not with what little surplus ammo is left in this caliber. Very cool rifles, though, and it's a shame that the ammo is so hard to get.

Proper storage is more important than the age of the ammo. I still shoot WWII era Russian 7.62x54R and have yet to experience any issues other than the occasional cracked case neck. The ammo was nicely sealed up in a metal tin and looks brand new.

Not sure if it's true or not, but I've read that the "corrosive" primers (primer compounds that contain Potassium chlorate as the oxidizer) are more stable than "non-corrosive" primers for long term storage.
 
Originally Posted by jjjxlr8
Originally Posted by wings&wheels
I have a vz52 in 7.62x45, oddball round only used in 2 or 3 Czech firearms. I acquired some surplus ammunition, but only wound up firing less than 30 rounds or so. There were a few duds, one that was weak to the point where if I hadn't seen dirt kick up, I would have checked the barrel. Final straw was one that hissed at varying intensity for a good 10 seconds with a wisp of smoke from the closed breech. Disposed of the rest.


You were smart to quit using that stuff. This is a good example of the importance of proper storage. Unfortunately, most of the 7.62x45 ammo that was imported was not stored properly before it was exported to the US. This is more common than not with what little surplus ammo is left in this caliber. Very cool rifles, though, and it's a shame that the ammo is so hard to get.

Proper storage is more important than the age of the ammo. I still shoot WWII era Russian 7.62x54R and have yet to experience any issues other than the occasional cracked case neck. The ammo was nicely sealed up in a metal tin and looks brand new.

Not sure if it's true or not, but I've read that the "corrosive" primers (primer compounds that contain Potassium chlorate as the oxidizer) are more stable than "non-corrosive" primers for long term storage.



Off topic:

Buffalo Arms is now showing current production 7.62x45. Silly money, $64 for 20 but at least it is available. I may just have to get a box or two, it is a cool rifle.
 
This topic can go in either direction. I never buy used ammo. I always keep my ammo in a dry environment that's climate-controlled. But even-then, just because the old ammo goes bang, doesn't mean I can still hit the barn target at 200 yards.... 10, 20, 30 years later.

I keep my ammo fresh and I won't store large volume ammo for any upcoming Armageddon. We are all going to die someday and I'm not sure I want to live immediately after World War III.

Enjoy your firearms (at places like gun ranges and hunting spots) and use that old ammo-up. Then buy more......
 
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I've bought lots of ammo. I'm not worried about range ammo that's a few years, or even a few decades, old, but I do rotate defensive ammo out regularly.

My stockpiling has more to do with avoiding the impact of future price swings on my hobby.

In 2013, you couldn't find 5.56 for under $1.00 a round. I've bought a bunch of good quality (brass, annealed, lacquered, mil spec) 5.56 recently for $0.28/round.

Ammo is very cheap right now, if I could've stockpiled gasoline when it was $1.29/gallon in 2001, it sure would've been nice in those days, just a few years later, when it hit $4.00/gallon.

OP, go ahead and shoot the ammo. You'll be fine.
 
I've shot ammo from the 40s and it fired as new.

25 years old is as good as new in my book, especially if it's been stored halfway reasonably.

The only "iffy" old ammo I've shot was some ancient "Kynock" branded .450/577 ammo out of a friend's Martini-Henry. I only shot one round(it's rare and expensive stuff) but all he's shot behaved as the one round I shot did-there's probably a 1 second delay from when you pull the trigger to it going "bang".
 
Originally Posted by bunnspecial
ancient "Kynock" branded .450/577 ammo out of a friend's Martini-Henry.


Quite an experience and quite a rifle! Followed by a viewing of Zulu I hope.

I've had a similar experience with old black powder ammunition, but I can't remember what pistol I was shooting.
 
Yeah, I have a hundred-and-forty-year-old 577/450 round lying around but it's too expensive to shoot even if they didn't have a reputation for not firing.

Forty-year-old Austrian 7.62x51 and fifty-year-old Chinese 7.62x39 is pretty common up here and seems to work fine. So long as it's stored OK ammo can last a long time, and the Austrian stuff still shoots sub-MOA.
 
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