component shelf life question

[crashgordan]

Greetings...

so last year i purchased 1k of primered cases, powder and bullets...

ended up going out of the country and didn't get to reload them as planned.

my question is:

how long will these cases w/ primers in them be viable for reloading? and if it's not long, how can i store them in a manner that will extend shelf life? sealed bucket w/ nitrogen/oxygen absorbers??

the powder is still in the sealed container, same question for the powder...

likewise, i would assume that even once loaded, this stuff is only good for so long as reloads...

thoughts???

thanks guys for your help...

[Caster]

Shelf life is dependent on storage environment. If they were kept dry at a reasonable temperature, they will outlast your grandkids. I have shot Turkish surplus made in the 30's. You know darn well the Turks didn't store this stuff in air tight, humidity controlled 70 degree rooms. I have zero failures and kept a seriously bruised cheek [this stuff was HOT!]

I just finished a canister of bullseye that was at least 25 years old.

I was given some primers by a good friend here on TGO. He gave me a few boxes to display in my shop. They were in WOODEN trays. How long's it been since they did that!?!? I wager they are a good 50-75 years old. Curiosity got the best of me so I loaded one. Guess what? BANG! These weren't stored in hermetically sealed blah blah blah, they were just sitting in his shop, God only knows how long. I hope I am never so hard up that I actually need them but I wouldn't hesitate to if the situation presented itself.

It's important to adhere to good storage practices. It's not THAT big a deal. Keeping stuff dry is paramount. Moisture is the great destroyer. Second to that, try to keep them out of extreme heat. 100+ degree temps can have ill effects. If you're worried enough to take the time to ask about it, I'd bet you're okay.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Caster

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I'd say Caster's right on target, there. I keep mine in a cabinet in the basement of the house. Cool and relatively dry.

They should definitely outlast me. Keep powder well sealed and it will keep for a long time, also. I'm still using some

old Accurate Data Powder 2200 that's 15 years old. I have some 50 year old primers that I'm sure are still good.

[Guest USMC 2013]

Not bad info so far. Here's my take and this is actually part of what I do for a living. Keep the primed brass clean, dry and in a military style ammo can and it will be good at least 10 years. Not a big isssue there but if you see a corroded one dispose of it.

As for the powder. All propellant is nitrogen based, nitrogen breaks down over time and propellant goes bad. For this reason stabilizers are added to propellant to extend the shelf life. Depending on how fast the stabilizers break down dictates shelf life. Testing is done every 5-10 years, depending on type, on all propellant. New propellant should be good for at least 5 years if stored properly. New means what year it was manufactured, not when you bought it. Heat and humidity are your enemy. If you had some propellant that is older than 10 years just call the company and ask what percentage of the stabilizers are still present and if the powder is still good to load with.

Once loaded you eliminate some variables with the propellant and your ammo will be good for at least 10 years if stored properly. Properly, in this case, means in factory like boxes (not loose) and in military style cans. The Army commonly uses small ammunition that is 20-30 years old without issue.

The big benefit of the military ammo cans is that they have been tested to withstand quite a bit of abuse and are almost water proof. They have a gasket on the inside. I have found ammo left in a military can that was left in the woods at least 5 years and the ammo was in perfect shape when we opened the can.

Apologize for being wordy, but wanted to give as correct an answer as possible. Semper Fi,

Joe

[crashgordan]

Awesome

You guys rock.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge