20 year old brass still good?

[Dirtlaw]

Brass may corrode a bit, but it doesn't age per se. A rock may crumble a bit but it doesn't age, per se.

[gregorymoto]

as long as it is clean and smooth. I've been shooting some 38 wad cutters my grandfather loaded up in the 60's and they shoot great.

[nick]

yes, I recently shot some hot dear loads from the early 80's and the brass looks great after.

"Loads for the Dear" (c)

[bigbossman]

I've fired old factory ammo that occasionally splits at the neck, so old brass can and does get brittle sometimes. That being said, I'm loading and shooting plenty of 30-06, 7.62, and .45ACP brass that is from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. And some of it is WWII vintage.

[VonRyan209]

That brass will still be good enough for one firing at least. I say one because you may have split necks after the first firing, but after that if you anneal them you shouldn't have to worry about them.

Even if you don't anneal they'll probably be fine for multiple firings. It's not the same, but after using 1960's 30-06 brass along with 25+ year old primers and powder, it has shown me as long as they are stored with the minimum amount of care they'll last a while.

[Fjold]

I reload my 308 with Lake City match brass from the 1960s

[Cowboy T]

I reload my 308 with Lake City match brass from the 1960s

My LC brass isn't quite that old, more like the 1990's to early 2000's. But it works and gets plenty of reloads.