Shelf Life ????

[Idahotrophyhunter]

With all this renewed "gun control" talk, i have started the reloading stock up and hoarding -

Approx. - 2000 22lr ammo/ brass, bullets, powder, primers for 500 375 ruger loads/ brass bullets, primers, powder for 400 270 loads.

My question is if I store this ammo/components in a tempature and humidity controled indoor enviorement, How long can I expect a shelf life to be? 5 years, 10 years??? Longer????

 

[DrMike]

If powder and primers are kept from extreme heat and high moisture, the shelf life will go well beyond your years, I should imagine. Seriously, heat and dampness are the two most damaging aspects to storage.

 

[JD338]

Keep it cool and dry. Life expectancy would be indefinitely.

JD338

 

[Guest]

If it helps any, I have some Win748 I bought when I started reloading. I bought several pounds as it was my choice for the 30-30 I loaded for. You can imagine how long it takes to go through a pound at 36gr per load, so I still have a bit of that powder left. Still works the same as it always did, and gives the same velocities in the old 30-30. I still have some of the last batch of pistol primers I bought, too, and they just went bang at the range a while back, without any trouble, either. Bought those in 1996 or so - right before I got married and stopped shooting as much...

 

[BeeTee]

I got my first dud the other day after 40+ years of handloading many Ks of rounds. I can hear the powder in the case when I shake it. I suspect a bad primer, from a batch I bought 10+ years ago. The Ruger 308 firing pin hit it normally. I store primers in a sealed container with desiccant. I dunno.... BT