old ammo ?

[rebs]

when is ammo too old to use ?
I have a box of 300 savage shells that are about 40 years old, are they safe to shoot ?

[rdbalmer]

I just shot some .223 ammo that I bought close to 30 years ago and it performed great. Under 1" groups at 100 yards. I would have to say that if your ammo was stored in a dry area and is not corroded I wouldn't be afraid to use it. I would guess that alot of the military surplus ammo available is fairly old also. Rob

[rebs]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it

[Phil T]

Go shoot your deer with it.

[High Ball]

If ammo is kept in a cool dry place, it can last a very long time. I can not give you an exact answer but I can tell you that I reloaded some .375H&H shells back in 1971 (several boxes) and I let a friend of mine who came to my place shoot my rifle. I looked for some ammo but could not find any for the rifle and then my wife stated, there is some in the vault remember. Well the date on the box was 1971 and he and I fired half 10 rounds, 5 each. They seemed just fine to the both of us.

[Nick Kanauz]

As long as it is kept dry, ammo stays active. We used WWII M1 rounds in the 70's for Nuclear Security Ordinance training without a misfire. In fact, I shoot a Savage 99R in .300. I just got a box of rounds from my buddy that he got from an estate sale, with a store sticker showing a 1968 price tag on it, and every one of the rounds fired, and grouped very well at 100 yards! I do however, shoot only Federal rounds for hunting. They always fire, and my groups average a half inch at 100 yards.