Ive shoot a lot of old ammo before with almost no problems. Alot of 40 plus year old ammo by major American manufacturers i.e. Luballoy, Super X, UMC, etc. As some one stated above it it had more kick than current "lawyer loaded" ammo and was damn accurate. Im currently working on a case of R-P +P swc ammo that I got from a buddy. It was our city's duty load when we were in diapers and it still touches of with authority and accuracy. That ammo was stored in the PDs basement for ever and then my unheated New England garage for the last 10 years. As for ammo in the last 15 to 20 years Ive missed ammo in clothes pockets and it gone through the wash. .40 S&W SXTs and Gold Dots Ive pulled from the wash and set aside and tested at the range later. BANG every time. Had an FBI load from one of the major three go through the washer then drier and when it came out it had a round nose lead profile from all the tumbling. BANG once again. So for target WHIPLASH I wouldnt worry and for carry run a test batch of it through the gun youre gonna carry it in.

THAT AMMO IS FINE TO USE. I FIRED WW II .45 ACP AMMO, THAT I FOUND PARTIALLY BURIED IN AN ABANDONED MILITARY SHORE FORTIFICATION--A SALTY ENVIRONMENT SUBJECTED TO EXTREMES OF HEAT AND COLD. THE AMMO AND THE MAGAZINES IT WAS LOADED IN ALL FUNCTIONED PERFECTLY………

__________________
'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

This ammo was stored in my mother's basement for 45 years. Was it in a cool place? Yup. Was it in a dry place? No. The one box has a bit of staining on it. This pile of .22lr ammo shoots just fine. In fact, out of my Ruger 10/22, the old bulk ammo is more accurate than my newer bricks.

__________________
-John

The OP question has been answered consistently and many times over--but just to add support...

Back in the mid-60s when folks mail-ordered things from magazines (if you don't understand these terms, it's okay), Dad ordered a crapload of French manufactured 45ACP. This stuff was absolutely gorgeous 230gr ball with brass-jacketed bullets, loaded 25 roads to a paper box. I believe the stuff was early 1950s manufacture. I just finished up the last of it about 5 years ago or so, and there was never a bad round as I remember.

Now, he also bought quite a bit of 7mm Mauser manufactured in the late '30s, and maybe every few 100 rounds or so there'd be a hangfire, or a very rare misfire. I recall some cases would show pinholes in the wall where corrosion had eaten through the case but wasn't apparent until after firing, but there was never an issue I can recall.

Exactly! I have shot some reload 222 Remington my dad reloaded ~1959 and it was dead nuts on target at 200yd. Once inch group! My dad left me his Mod 722 Remington from Jan 1953 with a Weaver K-10 (El Paso) scope. Very sweet gun.

I have fired thousands of rounds of many calibers and nationalities. Many of them were military grade manufacture and dating back to WWI or WWII. The only misfires I recall were WWII dated 7.62X54R Russian steel case stuff that was likely improperly packaged or stored showing external signs of deterioration. I recently found an ammo can that I stored away some .45 ACP and 9MM back in the mid '60s. The smell when I opened it was fantastic! It all shot flawlessly. Decently manufactured and well stored ammunition has a long shelf life. I am only concerned with freshness for my carry weapon.