It was a Sunday and I loaded at least one box of 357's. They were a 158gr lswc with 2400. I won't give the exact charge even though it was not a max load in 1988. I fired some this morning and they worked just fine. 25 years does not seem to hurt reloads, at least not these.

I also finished off a much newer box of 45 Colt that I loaded in Oct of 2000. They also worked just fine. I would not worry too much about "old" reloads you might have on hand.

how were they stored the past years?

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if you're gonna be a bear...

"They've been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnalls' back porch since Jan 24, 1988."

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Still Running Against the Wind

A Carnac reference??? That's older than the reloads!

We have a finished basement, heated in the Winter and cooled in the Summer. They were in a paper cartridge box.

I have some 12ga trap and some duck loads that I loaded in 1967 as that is when i joined the Navy and haven't load shotgun loads since.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

25 years??? Hell, I've got shoes older than that!

Glad to hear that yours works also..........

I loaded up some 357 magnum ammo back in '88 with the
old Speer SJFP 160gr jacketed, lead tip bullets with Unique powder.
They still shoot fine but I am down to just one full box.
The lead is a little "Frosty" in some spots but no big thing.

Just stored on a shelf with no special treatment.

I like the "not max in 1988" part.

I recently chronographed some 140gr .357 ammunition that I'd loaded with 296 sometime in the 1980s. It was listed as max at the time and I found my (undated) notes about working up the load.

It definitely still fired, averaging 1533fps (sd 16.1) in a 6" ruger security six and 1829fps (sd 14.2) in a 10" contender. There were no signs of excess pressure in either gun (that is, neither blew up), but I don't feel a need to push the .357 that hard anymore.

-Mark

I hunt with 40 - 60 year old Shot Shells (many are made from paper) I inherited from my Dad and have shot plenty of US Military Surplus ammo from as far back as the 1940's. Some of my original hand loads that are 35 + years old still work flawlessly and Ive never had a FTF JUST because ammo was old. My ammo storage place is climate controlled and has low moisture which is the key for proper ammo storage.

On a similar note, I just finished up an 8 pound can (about 33 years old) of Bullseye Powder that was the first can of powder I ever bought! Still using primers left to me from my dad that have to be at least 45 years old. They have both performed flawlessly. Again...... proper storage is key IMHO.

I have the remnants of 2 boxes of .357's and a partial box of .38 Spec "snake loads" from the same era. They still shoot good. I thought at first they weren't as accurate until I remembered my old eyes and shaky hands.