22lr longivity

[NOTABIKER]

i am trying to have enough 22lr on hand to last me a while. somebody told me 22lr does not have a good shelf life like other ammo. i have no idea this is true. it would be a shame to have it go bad. i keep it in my house out of the weather. is 10 years shelf life reasonable. thanks

[dominic]

I've fired 22LR that was made in the 1920s-1930's without any problem. It all depends on how it was stored. If its kept dry and not handled, it could conceivably last 100 years. Skin oils and moisture can corrode the brass, but moisture is the real determining factor in shelf life.

[stephewc]

I've shot and still have Remington 22LR surplus ammo from 1995. Ammo works great with no issues. As mentioned above, properly stored ammo will last a long time.

[dominic]

I should say that .22s with paraffin waxed bullets will last longer and not oxidize as easy as plated rounds.

[kihnspiracy]

I have shot 20-30 year old rimfire ammo and only had 1 or 2 duds out of 4 or 5 bricks of it.

[macman9]

My grand father gave me 22lr he bought in The 1950s sometime. I shot half The Box and had no problem.
Its kind of funny. The on The Box of 22lr was like $0.95 for a Box of 50. He said he paid more because he use to buy ammo at The gas station before going camping. I have never found at any gas station I have been to.

[NOTABIKER]

thanks guy's . i will HOARD in confidence.

[bigbossman]

thanks guy's . i will HOARD in confidence.

Yeah - it'll last longer than any of us here.

I've got bricks from Wards, Penney's, etc that are all sure-fire. Same with old Remington, Federal, and Winchester. If it has been stored right, it will pretty much outlast you.

[x-007]

I started a long-term storage experiment with .22 LR ammo more than 6 years ago. I know that 6 years isn't a "long" time, but the experiment is still on-going.

Instead of storing the ammo in boxes and inside steel ammo cans, I emptied 10 boxes (500 rounds) into a clear plastic "Skippy" peanut butter container that was completely clean/dry. The plastic lid was screwed on tight, but without any sealant/silicone. So far, so good! No "fuzz", and the brass casings are still bright and shiny. Last year, I opened that container and removed 10 rounds, then recapped the container. All 10 rounds fired as if they were still new.

The experiment was more for the container....which was tested for water tightness without the use of any sealant on the lid. All I did to the container was smooth up the top of the lid with sandpaper. Oh, and I didn't use any dessicant packs, either, so I'm assuming that it's both air- and water-tight when the plastic lid is tightened.

[Eljay]

Maybe a year or two ago the CMP got something like 20 million rounds of mid 1990s Remington .22 and everybody thought it was pretty decent stuff. 15-20 years didn't affect it at all. Looked factory fresh. Admittedly each case had a kind of foil wrapper but nothing magic about it.

[NOTABIKER]

i am a 66 year old Geezer, i think it will out last me.

[jazman]

I don't think you have to worry about it going bad...may have to worry about finding enough though.

[G21Shooter]

It is ideal to store .22 lr ammo in a air tight container with a moisture absorber. That said its going to be fine for years stored in a cool dry place.

[postal]

I have shot 20-30 year old rimfire ammo and only had 1 or 2 duds out of 4 or 5 bricks of it.

If it was brand new rem 'golden bullets' you'd have 4-5 duds per box.... That stuff is garbage!!!!!!!


Just like any other ammo- cool and dry it'll last a LONG time.

[CSACANNONEER]

.22lr does not have a great shelf life. I can't seem to keep any on the shelf longer than 10 years.