Shelf life?

[gobler]

With all the threads on stocking up on ammo, what is a realistic shelf life of let's say 9mm fmj? Would a few years be gtg? Kind of wondering if some old ammo I have is still good.

[Merc1138]

100+ years as long as it's kept clean and dry. Look at the surplus ammo people buy, some of that stuff was made in the 60's-70's and it's perfectly fine.

[captain_chau]

if it's in a spam can those things will last till the hell freezes over!

[edwardm]

I came across some old Winchester/WCC U.K. contract ammo labeled as "submachinegun ammunition". Lot #'s put it at 1939 or 1940 manufacture. Since I had a couple boxes I decided to test a few rounds. It all went bang.

[erik_26]

CLEAN and DRY..... those are the magic words.


If you store it properly, it should out last you.

[SanPedroShooter]

I've had some headstamps going back to the fifites. No problem. Clean and dry and it should last your lifetime.

[gobler]

Wow!! Good to know. Thanks.

[Untamed1972]

With all the threads on stocking up on ammo, what is a realistic shelf life of let's say 9mm fmj? Would a few years be gtg? Kind of wondering if some old ammo I have is still good.

I bought some mil.surp 9mm awhile back...date stamps on some of the boxes were from the late 70's some from the mid-80s. Haven't had a misfire with it yet and shot at least a couple thousand rounds of it. I think as long as you keep it dry it should last along time.

[Tier One Arms]

I store all of my ammo in GI cans [except for my ready service good stuff]

[ATTACH]120575[/ATTACH]

I have fired '53 headstamp out of these in the not too distant past.. 5~10 years ago..

[ATTACH]120576[/ATTACH]

Nice stash there. But yes, as long as you keep the ammo cool and dry, it will be good for many years to come.

[Divernhunter]

I have a bunch of 1937 ammo and it shoots fine. I also have some ammo made in the 1880's but will not shoot it since it is worth more as collectors stuff. I have reloads made in 1972 which shoot fine. Most of my ammo is in the garage.

[cannon]

The last ammo I shot out of my Enfield was Turkish manufacture from 1919. Worked great.

[CSACANNONEER]

Search is your friend. This topic has been covered at least a couple times within the last week alone.

[CaliforniaLiberal]

With all the threads on stocking up on ammo, what is a realistic shelf life of let's say 9mm fmj? Would a few years be gtg? Kind of wondering if some old ammo I have is still good.

Modern ammunition has not been around long enough to really know what the shelf life is if kept in a cool, dry place. As has been noted here, military surplus ammo in sealed cans has been stored in warehouses for fifty years or more and then sold to civilians without any loss of potency. It has been speculated that ammo kept inside at a steady temperature will last longer than ammo stored in the garage and subject to swings in temperature but I don't think this question is settled yet.

Put your ammo in sealed ammo cans and store it in the back of the closet and it will last longer than you will live.