in the last couple of weeks, i've been cleaning out the old house i grew up in.... i haven't been inside it in nearly 20 yrs... owing to "family differences"....i got my tc contenders back, a 20 ga sxs, and lots of old reloaded ammo... and some factory stuff too... the reloads are marked as to what they are, and the cases are not split or corroded...its mainly .243, 30/30. 303 brit, and 225 win...with miscelaneous stuff too.... it has been packed away in dry west texas, inside, away from heat and cold....i'd like to be able to use it...does "aging" make anything different???... right now, im shooting 1974 korean milsurp ball in my garand... it is in clips, bandoleers, and sealed ammo boxes...no problems with that stuff.... will my reloads be any different???

As long as you are sure as to the load and it is in good shape there should not be a problem.

i am using 30-06 reloads that i loaded in 1969, and they perform o.k.

I would disassemble it, and reassemble it, checking out powder charges.. and possibly replacing the primer, if I was that concerned about it...

I have had about 9 Zillion Rounds of loaded ammo around here, 18 cartridges left over from this hunting season, 24 left over from that hunting season... etc...

I have started disassembling them, putting the bullets back into the boxes, putting the powder in small canisters, and then use them in load developing or for the powder trickler when I am loading up some more ammo using that type of powder...

of course the cases are just used for loads now....

I have disassembled some loads that the powder all corroded up... so I scrap those of course..

I would suggest that before you shoot this old ammo, you try seat the bullet just .005 deeper in order to crack it loose in the neck. Old reloaded cases sometimes "weld" themslves to the bullet, and make HIGH pressures.

Well there are 6ea. 8mm, Mod 98s here that are shooting ammo dated in:

Germany "1938".

Turkey "1943",

Equador "1954"

21RPR " 1956"
Once in a while There is a missfire. It usually goes off the second try.

If your ammo was good 20years ago it more than likely still is. roger

quote:

does "aging" make anything different???.

just shoot em.....if they was safe when they were made, they're still safe.....especially since you describe them as physically good on the exterior.

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
I would suggest that before you shoot this old ammo, you try seat the bullet just .005 deeper in order to crack it loose in the neck. Old reloaded cases sometimes "weld" themslves to the bullet, and make HIGH pressures.

This is exactly what my response would have been... Way to go Terry!

+1 on the cold welding.

I remember an article on this by M.L. MacPhearson in Precision Shooting some time ago. I believe that he found that if the bullet and case neck were quite clean at assembly the bond between the two could become quite strong over a period of years. I seem to recall that he documented increased pressures but I don't recall whether things became dangerous or not.

This doesn't happen with military ball due to the goo that the bullet is sealed into the case with.

Seating the bullets a smidge deeper would be a prudent thing to do. You may also be able to tell if they've welded if you feel the bond break when doing so.

It would be interesting to hear what you find.


.

quote:

Originally posted by Two tone:
+1 on the cold welding.


Seating the bullets a smidge deeper would be a prudent thing to do.

Having re thought I too think it is prudent; probably unnecessary but definitly prudent. roger