Thread: Old reloads
View Single Post
 
Old 01-24-2022, 06:28 AM
Biggfoot44 Biggfoot44 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 2,060
Likes: 2
Liked 1,595 Times in 888 Posts
Default

1995 isn't old .

If stored under not terrible conditions , the shelf life is not quite indefinite , but beyond anybody's lifetime . Smokeless ammo hasn't been around long enough to have yet established definitive limits . But I will make a couple observations not from personal experience :

From period sources , during transition from corrosive to non- corrosive priming , it took a while for the non- corrosive to be perfected .

Particularly around the early 2000's the younger widows of WWI Veterans were passing away / going into assisted living , and cleaning out the old family homes . Consequently , there were lots of print and early accounts Granddad's WW1 era guns being rediscovered , put away not fired since , along with period ammo either loaded , or in original boxes . A number of contemporary gun guys then tested said guns and ammunition in the interests of science , curiosity , and impressing their fellow gun and history buffs .

Going from cumulative memory , and oversimplifying :

Up thru +\- 2000 , aka about 80yo , most of the written accounts were to the effect of " Everything fired , seemingly normally .

As we progressed into 21st century , aka approaching 100 yo , we saw more accounts to the effect of " Most of the rounds fired " , and " They fired , but with noticeable variations in recoil , report , and slide cycling " .

My totally unscientific , wild guessing take :

Factory Ammo up to 75 yo is presumptively good , unless reason to suspect poor storage conditions .

Over 75yo needs to be tested , and preferably chronograph'ed .

Reality check - 100 yo ammo is more valuable as a collectible , or a refrence exemplar , than for shooting .
Reply With Quote