How long will reloaded ammo keep vs Manufactured ammo

[Phyffe]

Guys,

Just wanted to ask, if your experience, will reloaded ammo keep just as long as manufactured ammo assuming they are stored in the exact same way and location?

TIA

[double-d]

Gawd, I sure hope so.......... still have ammo I loaded in the 80's

[Chuck James]

Shot some rifle ammo a few months ago that I loaded 18yrs ago.

Rem. 25/06,
Rem. Nickel Plated Cases
53.5grs. IMR 4350
Nosler 100gr. Ballistic Tip
Winchester Large Rifle Primers 

Still works great!!

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Handloaded ammo that is stored in a corrosion free environment is just as robust as factory ammo and will outlive it's maker even if he is very young when he assembled it.

[JBruns]

Handloaded ammo that is stored in a corrosion free environment is just as robust as factory ammo and will outlive it's maker even if he is very young when he assembled it.

Agreed. I have the same experience as above. I never give it a 2nd thought.

[M1A4ME]

Back in 1982/83 when I was working on making the most accurate groundhog loads I could make for my M700 VS in .223 one of the powders I tried was BLC2 with the 45 grain bullets I was using.  One of the many powders that fell by the wayside was BLC2.  I stuck with IMR4198 for years.

When I moved to the Richmond, VA area in the spring of 1985 all my ammo/powder/primers/guns went into the attic. 

Roll forward to about 2012 or so when I ran across a box of those reloads sitting on a shelf in the attic while looking for some other stuff.  I put them in my pocket, finished what I was doing and came downstairs.

Next time I went to the range I took my vARmint rifle.  An AR15 built as close to the bolt action M700 as I could build.  24" bull barrel, nice trigger, big scope and as close to a 1 turn in 12" barrel as I could find at the time (1 turn in 11", weird, I know, no idea what it was really made for).  Those BLC2 rounds, about 30 years old by then and most of it in an attic with terrible heat/humidity in the summer and cold/humid in the winter) shot the best groups that vARmint rifle ever shot.  I came home, cleaned the rifle, and my next trip to the gun store I bought more BLC2.

I'm sure, at some temperature, ammo can be damaged.  So far, none of my ammo has been stored where the temperature/humidity is controlled and it has worked great.

One thing is for sure.  The internet is a great place for people to pass on their experiences.  And even what they hear of other's experience and very few people take the time/trouble to verify what they pass on.

Work in a big factory/office building?  Ever notice that bad news, or bad rumors about someone get passed around at a rate/volume so far above the good news and good things about people by a rate it's impossible to measure?  Yeah.  Human nature I guess, to be more interested by bad news.

It probably is a good idea, if you load ammo up to store it away, to buy some surplus GI ammo cans and store you ammo in those.  Easy to stack/store, protects the ammo (vs a standard box) from getting lost, damaged, wet if the roof leaks, etc.

[bang bang]

Guys,

Just wanted to ask, if your experience, will reloaded ammo keep just as long as manufactured ammo assuming they are stored in the exact same way and location?

TIA

no they will not.

By law, you must dispose of them 5 years after purchase and send them directly to me. 

[Wobbly]

Guys,
Just wanted to ask, if your experience, will reloaded ammo keep just as long as manufactured ammo assuming they are stored in the exact same way and location?

So as I remember you were retiring from the military to go live in TX with/near your granddaughter. Does this mean you are now in Texas ??

To answer your question... as long as it's in a cool, dry place you're OK. You don't need to do any special desiccants to remove all vapor from (say for instance) an Army ammo can. But it certainly won't hurt either.

Glad to have you back.

[Krugermeier]

You can find "corrosive brass military surplus" ammo from the 1960s for sale online. I've seen gun stores with ammo from the 1920s on display as novelty. Figure the first thing to degrade on ammo with age is the combustibility of powder and primer, then metal corrosion from brass and bullet.

I'd trust anything to shoot.

[Phyffe]

Guys,
Just wanted to ask, if your experience, will reloaded ammo keep just as long as manufactured ammo assuming they are stored in the exact same way and location?

So as I remember you were retiring from the military to go live in TX with/near your granddaughter. Does this mean you are now in Texas ??


Glad to have you back.

Hi, Wobbly. No, you probably have me confused with another member. I'm the guy who lives in the Philippines and has to contend with all those crazy gun laws and high ammo prices.

[Krugermeier]

Guys,
Just wanted to ask, if your experience, will reloaded ammo keep just as long as manufactured ammo assuming they are stored in the exact same way and location?

So as I remember you were retiring from the military to go live in TX with/near your granddaughter. Does this mean you are now in Texas ??

To answer your question... as long as it's in a cool, dry place you're OK. You don't need to do any special desiccants to remove all vapor from (say for instance) an Army ammo can. But it certainly won't hurt either.

Glad to have you back.

Hey Wobbly, I saw your signature about Dillons reloading equipment. I can’t send PMs for some reason. Any chance you have 300WM dies?

[Wobbly]

Any chance you have 300WM dies?

Sorry, no.