shelf life of ammunition

[mjarrels]

I know that I have ammo well over 30 years old and when I do fire... works fine. Like some one else said, there is a huge market for old collectabe ammo. I have about 8 or 10 old ammo boxes (empty) that I have on display.

mark

 

[clemsonfor]

.22 shells that were over 25 years old and they worked fine .

thanks, not like i'm going to throw old stuff away, that's for target practice, but I don't use the shotgun,
and frankly, which will raise the hair on your necks, not sure I'm confident doing so. Which means I need to take it up the mountains
and practice, use up the old stuff, and get wide eyed when I have to replace the ammo.

Hmm, with NY being as restrictive as it is, can I transport my guns to NY from PA and not be treated as a terrorist?
Ammo in one place, rifle in another, bolt out, etc.

appreciate the input, have little experience here.

Unless this is a really small light shotgun with say pistol grips there not that bad? That is unless your really small like a woman or a man that weighs like 150#s. I think there talked up more than they are. Esp if your shooting bird shot, there is little kick, buck shot or slugs there is more but if its a full size there not that bad but if you dont shoot much i can see it being a lot.

As far as transport, this is america as far as i know you can take long guns anywhere even the stricktest gun control areas. My bolts never come out of anything unless i am cleaning it? I dont think they will say anything as long as thier unloaded and your onthe way to a range.

 

[clemsonfor]

View attachment 301600View attachment 301602

thanks. The shotgun shells I have are Italian, and plastic. Birdshot for home defense. Do I need to up my shotgun game here?

That PMC is current production stuff, i have some turkey loads that are marked just like that and i know i bought them in college in the early 00s maybe 9 years ago-10? Those are fine, home defense i would use buckshot personally, bird shot closer than 30ft is nasty but buckshot withing 30ft will tear a hole in anything short of say half inch steel plate!!

 

[Soundguy]

That PMC is current production stuff, i have some turkey loads that are marked just like that and i know i bought them in college in the early 00s maybe 9 years ago-10? Those are fine, home defense i would use buckshot personally, bird shot closer than 30ft is nasty but buckshot withing 30ft will tear a hole in anything short of say half inch steel plate!!

i have some pmc like that that are about 25ys old. stored indoors, climate controlled. they go bang just fine..

 

[daugen]

That is unless your really small like a woman or a man that weighs like 150#s

I wish...no, I'm a 5-11 230 pounder that has no problem with kick, that wasn't my concern.
I guess since I haven't used the gun much at all, kinda worried I'll operate it correctly if the time ever comes when I have to,
which hopefully will be never. Yup. Practice. And keep the safety on as much as possible...

thanks guys.

 

[clemsonfor]

this is good to know, thanks. Seems it's just a no fire situation, rather than a dangerous malfunction.
So how do you dispose of shells that don't go off? Not sure the garbage men want them...

Yea its not dangerous to you or anything, there is nothing that age will do to make that round any more EXPLOSIVE than it is the day its loaded. The powder just absorbs water and gets moist or properties changed so that the primer will no longer ignite it to fire or it will either fire at a reduced rate due to not having the full burn potential, this like pointed out could be bad if the bullet does not actually leave the barrel.

 

[clemsonfor]

Here is the deal and i know many will hate me and stone me for this but a locked gun is of no use to you!! If you dont have really small kids or (not joking or kidding saying this) a mentally handicapped or deressed family member in the house i would leave that lock off of it!! If you really need that thing you have to remember where the key is, then unlock it and find your rounds to load all while your door may have just been kicked down in the middle of the night.

I dont keep all my guns locked and loaded but i always have one out and loaded where i can get to it easily, then in the safe i usually have a shotgun locked and loaded with buckshot that will be the oh ***** weapon that i hope to never have to pull out to use it cause something really bad is going down. Also there may or may not be a loaded AK in that safe as well with atleast one loaded mag.


Im just saying this cause you said that the shotgun was for personal protection.

 

[Bird]

I'm a 5-11 230 pounder

daugen, you have my sympathy because that's just my size, too, and I haven't had the will power to lose 40-50 pounds to get back where I was when I was wearing a uniform.:laughing:

 

[daugen]

Im just saying this cause you said that the shotgun was for personal protection.[/QUOTE]

yeah, I hear you, and on many levels agree with you, functionally. But no way am I leaving shells in a gun all the time.
I always wondered as a volunteer fireman when someone's rounds would start cooking off in a house fire.

 

[daugen]

daugen, you have my sympathy because that's just my size, too, and I haven't had the will power to lose 40-50 pounds to get back where I was when I was wearing a uniform.:laughing:

Well, I'm gonna have to fess up here, I got up to a porky 260 before my primary doc literally ordered me to lose weight or get prepared for diabetes. I lost fifty pounds over Christmas of all times, the year before last. And this xmas, well,
the math tells, I've packed some back on. But I can still comfortably wear my new pants, which dropped six inches in waist size. And I treated myself to some nice Carhartts and other logging jean type stuff and I'm not going to wear
those out anytime soon, so I just have to fit in them. That seems to be controlling me. Maybe 200 someday. Maybe. I haven't been under 200 in thirty years, big framed, always wanted to be very happy and a little fat...

We used to target practice with a 20 gauge when we were little. Someone would throw tin cans I think off the front porch and my Dad, and older brother, would blast away with the shotgun.
Used that shotgun many times on rabid animals. Most effective. The 12 gauge the one time I used it certainly had more push to it, and of course was louder, but not that much. Really a matter of what shirt or coat you're wearing.
The loudest thing I ever shot was a police chief's 44 Magnum. I walked away with wide eyes much to the delight of my friend the chief. Must be hard to focus on the second shot on one of those, trying to see through the flame and smoke
and ringing of your ears. I know, sounds wonderful right?