Ammunition age

14 June 2008, 03:36

PSmith

Ammunition age

Howdy All,

I just got some Dakota Arms ammunition for my .416 Rem and .300 H&H. It was sold to the original buyer in August 2001. Can I use it in Africa or should I just use it for practice? Thanks.

Paul Smith
SCI Life Member
NRA Life Member
DSC Member
Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club
DRSS
I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery
I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas"

"A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck

14 June 2008, 05:06

Stonecreek

It ain't a carton of milk with an expiration date! Seven years old is still in its infancy for ammunition. Shoot it with confidence. You'll find ammunition on the shelf in many stores older than that.

14 June 2008, 05:49

PSmith

Thanks Stone

14 June 2008, 20:53

Ehg5640

PSmith: Just a suggestion. I compare the total cost of a safari in Africa to the the cost of the ammo I (will) shoot and purchase the "best" ammunition that I can for what animals I am going to hunt. The "best" ammo is the least expensive part of the trip.

15 June 2008, 13:59

Will

quote:
Originally posted by PSmith:
Howdy All,

I just got some Dakota Arms ammunition for my .416 Rem and .300 H&H. It was sold to the original buyer in August 2001. Can I use it in Africa or should I just use it for practice? Thanks.

\

Answer you own question by taking it to the range and chrono a few of each. If they are giving close to the expected velocity, then it is apparently okay.

-------------------------------
Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
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16 June 2008, 02:27

Michael Robinson

Should be fine, but to be sure - and you need to be sure - check it out at the range, as Will suggests.

Not too long ago I fired fifty rounds of WWI vintage .45 ACP through my Colt with nary a hitch.

16 June 2008, 08:54

Wildlife Artist

I have and do shoot ammo thats 60 years old and it shoots fine.

16 June 2008, 12:21

Ganyana

We started to see problems in some batches of Federal Premium .416 Rem ammo that was 8 years old. The ammo was bought into Zim in 1997 and now, a decade later, many of the rounds have begun to break the crimp and the bullets push forward out of the cases. Simple enough to see- just look at the crimp- if the canelure is showing- it is practice ammo.

The only ammo I have ever seen this with is .458 Win and .416 Rem.

Still shoot pre WWII kynock ammo in my 9,3 for practice and the lad who bought my .404 is still working through a couple of cases of kynock ammo. I get the occasional hangfire with very old ammo oof uncertain origin. The .404 ammo is still in it's original packing crate and dates from 1949. Never had a missfire or hang fire.