Old shells - still usable?

[dgault]

Hi all. I just bought a new Remmy 870 Express which I'm picking up next Tuesday. I bought a butt load of shells for it (00 buck & bird shot).

Then my Dad tells me he has a ton of shells from when he used to shoot skeet. They are all Remington Duck/Pheasant shells in 12ga - 2 3/4. The shells are approx. ten years old. I have examined most of them and they seem to be in perfect condition. They were stored properly so there are no signs of corrosion and all the primers look good.

I would love to use his shells for target practice and save my new shells. So my question is, can shells sit around for 10-15 years and still be usable?

[pdq_wizzard]

Hi all. I just bought a new Remmy 870 Express which I'm picking up next Tuesday. I bought a butt load of shells for it (00 buck & bird shot).

Then my Dad tells me he has a ton of shells from when he used to shoot skeet. They are all Remington Duck/Pheasant shells in 12ga - 2 3/4. The shells are approx. ten years old. I have examined most of them and they seem to be in perfect condition. They were stored properly so there are no signs of corrosion and all the primers look good.

I would love to use his shells for target practice and save my new shells. So my question is, can shells sit around for 10-15 years and still be usable?

in short yes as long as they weren't stored under water

[sargenv]

I have fired shells of the Mark V variety that fired fine.. these shells were the precursor to the Winchester AA Compression formed shells that sold for a number of years.. they now have a different type of Winchester AA that has a separate basewad... so if the shells look good, they are likely going to fire just fine. The worst thing that can happen is a blooper where the wad sticks in the barrel. If it doesn't go "Bang" you'd be wise to check the barrel for a stuck wad.

I have reloads that are older than those factory loads and they fire fine.

[randy]

I wouldn't want to depend on them to save my life but they should be great for a practice or two. Take something heavy with you to drop down the barrel in case you get one that dribbles out the end of the barrel and maybe the wad is stuck in the barrel.

[PEZHEAD265]

If they were stored in a dry place they shouldn't be a problemThey should be plastic I shot paper shells that were 40 years older then that and they went bang every time.Shoot them up!

[dgault]

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking the same but i wanted to confirm before giving them a go. Thanks again.

[.22guy]

They'll be fine, have fun!

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Yeah, they're fine...

I've shot some old shells in the past. My Dad had a bunch of 1960s-1970s era wax-paper shells that we shot. The paper disintegrated on a few of them but they busted clays just as well as anything else...

[Rover]

They're junk, throw them away in my trash-can, not the one on the side-yard, the one in the garage next to the tig welder, it's nice and clean. Come by and drop them off whenever.

[Rob454]

I still have shotgun shells that my BIL gave me. Some of the stuff is dated early 80s and Ive shot it and works just fine. So if it was properly stored theire gonna be fine for shooting

[ysr_racer]

So my question is, can shells sit around for 10-15 years and still be usable?

More like 40 or 50 and they'll still be good.

[joepamjohn]

They will work. I still shoot old Sears Ted Williams Duck loads when I go for Pheasants and have never had a miss fire, but you did say they were "Duck and Pheasant" which means they are high brass (heavy recoil) and larger shot. The larger shot and recoil is not condusive to good clay busting percentages. Also, don't shoot them at an organized range where there are shot and velocity restrictions.