still shooting some 30/06 occasionally that I loaded in the 80s.
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50 year old reloads
- Thread starter mountainmoped
- Start date
I used to think storage affected ammo. It really doesn’t. If the primer is sealed and the powder is dry, it will fire reliably. I found a box of corroded 9MM. I cleaned them up, and all fired with no problem. I’ve got WW2 ammo that fires like it’s new.
Shoot them. I am shooting up a bunch of my dads pistol reloads. mainly .38 special and .45. They go back as far as the 70's and were all loaded with Bullseye. They are smokey and accurate. His .357 loads are primer flattening but if you look at load books of the era loads were hotter than current loads. I shoot them all since I know the history.
I picked up a 1915 Westinghouse Mosin in the late 80's and a guy had some 1937 ammo for it. I shot the ammo up through the mid 90's. Smoked but otherwise ok. Lot of cleaning afterwards.
and I'm also sorry for your loss...
and I'm also sorry for your loss...
When I press bulk Ammo, I act as though I’m making the loads to be used underwater, and seal the primers, with finger nail polish, and where the shot goes into the brass...it can be aggravating when your doing 10.000 but at least u know your powder is dry!
I have tested these with the soak test, but only had made it for a week, and that was enough, factory loads will soak for that long, I challenge someone on here, to soak 3 regular rounds in a cup of water for a week, and see what happens!
You should be selling that WW2 ammo, not shooting it. Collectors love that stuff.
Heat can break down powders though, making them burn faster. It probably won't cause a misfire but could still cause dangerous pressure spikes.
I would be careful with any ammo that has been stored in a hot place for a long time...
