Home defense ammo condition

[BMartin1776]

I have ammo loaded in mags for home defense and its all oxidized, do i need to be concerned at all?

[The War Wagon]

No.




/thread

[Dan_Eastvale]

I have ammo loaded in mags for home defense and its all oxidized, do i need to be concerned at all?

I have 1000s rds various commercial calibers I purchased in the 80s and 90s that are all tarnished but function well. Stored in hot garages in CA and now Utah.

[BMartin1776]

I have 1000s rds various commercial calibers I purchased in the 80s and 90s that are all tarnished but function well. Stored in hot garages in CA and now Utah.

Really! Ive been concerned that some ammo I have (approx5-8yrs old) is getting too old but apparently not.

[Scratch705]

if you are that worried, shoot them the next time you go out to the range, and buy new ones to replace them.

[boopiejones]

if you are that worried, shoot them the next time you go out to the range, and buy new ones to replace them.

[inyocountymark]

not a issue but as others stated....good idea to recycle out at least once a year........also inspect for splits or cracks in the brass...

[FeuerFrei]

Oxidized how? Corroded? Bullet or case or primer area? All the above?
I need a picture before I answer.

The condition requires confirmation since it's ammo that may be called upon for any HD situation. You want to know, not guess or ball park it.

I have seen some really crapped up ammo go bang and some NOT.
Just exchange the old for fresh for the time being OP.

[Win231]

IMO, defensive ammo is important enough to avoid using it if it looks that bad.
I've shot a couple hundred rounds that were stored for 20 years. I had 4 that wouldn't fire - dead primers.

There are many variables that would affect the reliability of old ammo - what temperatures it was stored at, how much variation in temperature, how well the factory sealed the primers, whether or not the case mouth was sealed, exposure to solvents/lubricants, humidity, etc.

For serious purposes, I'd replace it.

[CoopsDad]

I buy a new box of HD ammo for my defensive firearms twice a year; I run the old stuff out at the range (backyard) and reload the mags with the new stuff.

Like replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors twice a year, it's the cheapest insurance out there.

BTW, I've never had a FTF with even the oldest HD ammo I've ever shot, and I once found a box of .357 Mag that I bought when I lived on the east coast 30+ years ago. It all shot perfectly.

[plumbum]

Brass turns brown and dull - no problem
Exposed lead is oxidized and green chunks on brass - probably needs cycled out.

I’ve got some PMC from the late 80’s that still goes bang quite nicely.

[CinnamonBear723]

Ur probably ok. My personal ritual is to change home defense/duty ammo out once a year.

[timbo399]

Humidity is my only real concern. I've shot ammo stored in very hot temps for years that all shot fine. Ammo pretty resilient. I bought 1k rds of Belgian .308 Milsurp that was stamped '74 and was all tarnished really badly and they shot great out of my M1A.

I'm more concerned about magazines working on HD/carry guns. For my HD guns, if I have a loaded mag sitting around/in gun for over a year I shoot it out at the range and replace w new rounds in same mag.

Yes, I understand the springs don't go bad just cause loaded, but still just like to be sure they will work if I ever really need them.