Ok so heres the deal,

(backstory): Im at work last week and a co worker ask me if I know any websites to sell used guns on. I tell him I have some at home and Ill get them for him on monday. Well a little later in the day he comes up to me and says Ill make you a deal, you take the old ammo off my hands and ill give you the gun. So I said yes . So this past monday I recived my new (to me) Remington Speedmaster 552 He got it back in like 71 or so. But my main question is what is the shelf life of ammo? He had the ammo for atleast 25 years. Im not the most knowledgable when it comes to ammo so any info/advise would be greatly appreciated. Ill post pics of the gun in a little bit, if anyones intrested in seeing it.


Alpine

 

If the brass is not corroded and the lead or copper bullets look good, the ammunition should fire safely. Do you know if it was stored in a dry location? Does the box or container have water damage? If all looks good, you should be fine. I would just be careful when trying it out, no 'speed event' shooting, just in case of a mis-fire and you get a bullet left in the barrel between shots.

I have fired M1 Garand clips loaded for the Korean War and they functioned just fine.
Clean the rifle, lube it and fire away!

 

so the deal was, you take the ammo and get a free gun?

 

I'm with Russ, if it looks ok, it should work ok. I use alot of surplus ammo in my Mausers thats twise as old as your ammo, it works just fine.

 

You guys are probably right about using old ammo but why take the chance? If something goes wrong, it could be a very costly mistake just to save a few bucks. I don't like spending money if I don't have to either but I know first hand that hospital bills and funerals aren't cheap. I say throw the ammo and get some new stuff. Just my thoughts.

 

+1!!!!!

I've got some 7.92 mm (8mm) Mauser ammo that is from the early '50s that is just like new.
Also, some '06 ammo for my M1 Garand that is from 1943. All of it goes BANG, every time!
Now, they are both 'corrosive', so, the cleaning routine is different than with current 'non-corrosive' ammo.

Also have some '06 ammo (in en bloc clips for the M1 Garand) from the late '60s and early '70s that is like new!
Shoot 'em up!

IF the ammo is clean and was kept in a dry location, you should be just fine.

Congrats on the new 'toy'!!!!!!!!

 

What is the chance - being seen with ammo seriously past the "born-on-date? If it's bad, it won't shoot. The only dangerous thing I can think of, and this is really remote, is the powder may have degraded to the point where it will still fire, but not have enough energy to push the bullet out of the barrel, creating a blockage for the next round. But, hey - if your next round is just as bad, no worries.

 

Free gun? COOL!

Old ammo is fine if stored properly. the Civilian Marksmanship Program (NRA) requires surplus ammo dont they? There is a lot of surplus ammo out there that is firing great, so dont worry. I agree with pchristman if it is bad, it just wont fire, but if it does, and has less than adaquite pressure, watch for the dreaded Squib.

93f250 has a point too, if it scares you, buy new stuff and soak the old stuff in a bucket of oil. Heck after all, sounds like you got a smokin deal on the gun! whats a few bucks for new ammo and piece of mind?

 

Like the guys say, if it looks good, it probably is. One thing that can hurt ammo is storage in hot places. Humidty makes it worse. But if it was humid, usually the case will corrode a bit. Heat breaks down the powder. If you know how, you could pull a bullet and pour out the powder and take a look at it. If it is like fine powder or pepper flakes it may be broken down. Usually powder is like broken pencil leads or flat round disks, or tiny ***** or sometimes diamond shapes, almost never really looking powdery. Also if you notice a Vinegar smell, it may be broken down

When you first shoot the gun, the biggest risk is normally Squib loads, ie duds or near duds. Follow ALL the SAFETY rules for misfires if this happens, downrange, 30seconds etc. If you hear a pop but no bang, be sure to inspecy the barrel to make sure you haven't got a dud bullet stuck somewhere down the barrel.

I have ammo from as far back as 1938, good ol **** 8x58R(if I recall) for my 1895 Steyer Mannlichers. One case was like new and I had no duds. The other case was a bit more beaten up and the ammo cases a bit dark. I did have a few hangfires, ie a short delay between trigger pull and firing.

I have some Egyptian 8mm for my Mauser from the 50s that has maybe 2percent hangfires and an occasional dud. So it all depends how well it was stored and how well it was made.

I have tons of surplus ammon of many types and usually the grungy dark cases are the ones that give me a little trouble.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

You're probably right but I wouldn't do it. Like I said in my original post, it's just my thoughts.

 

Just a clarification. . . The CMP is NOT the NRA. And no, the CMP does not require surplus ammo.

From odcmp.org: (Boldface added by me, for emphasis!)

The CMP was created by the U.S. Congress. The original purpose was to provide civilians an opportunity to learn and practice marksmanship skills so they would be skilled marksmen if later called on to serve the U.S. military. Over the years the emphasis of the program shifted to focus on youth development through marksmanship. From 1916 until 1996 the CMP was administered by the U.S. Army. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (TITLE XVI) created the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice & Firearms Safety, Inc. (CPRPFS) to take over administration and promotion of the CMP. The CPRPFS is a tax exempt not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that derives its mission from public law.



We now return to our regular programming.

 

Yeppers, all I had to do was take the old ammo off his hands and he gave me the gun for my troubles :P

Thanks to all for the advice. Heres a link to a few pics of the gun and a pic of the ammo. (dont mind the drywall the gun is sitting on as im in the middle of tearing apart my back bedroom. Cant even use my pool table as its a drywall holder lol )

Alpine

Edit for missing link lol
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=4010093
look under gun

 

That gun will shoot just fine with the ammo provided. I'll take the free ammo! If you are that concerned take it to a gun shop and have them inspect it.

 

I agree with that if it looks good, it's ok. I have 2 Mauser's that see 1950's manufactured corrosive ammo only and it goes BANG everytime I pull the trigger.

I also have an M1 Garand that I've fired 1940's manufactured tracer and armor piercing loads in and it was just fine. The main thing to do is just clean the weapon really good after you shoot it to keep the bore clean and shiny.

 

That CCI ammo is fine. That rifle looks very dangerous though! Please send it to me immediately to ensure your safety...