A couple of weeks ago I was out at the range zeroing a new scope on one of my rifles(7RM). I usually bore sight at home and then use a couple of old Factory rounds or old Reloads to get me close to the bull before I start burning the good stuff. I had a few old Rem. Factory 150 CLs (the ones that had the little ring inbetween the can. and point). The first one kicked pretty hard and after glancing at the Chrony and reading 3260 across the screen, I knew somin' wasn't right. When I bolted the case out I noticed it was split wide open . I guess there is a possibility the powder had broken down alittle from being tossed around from here to there but, it sure was kind of strange.

Anyone had the same experience w/ Old Factory ammo?

Reloader

Last year I found a couple box's of Rem 180 gr 300WMg that I had forgotten about. I was messing around changing scopes between several different guns and decided to shoot the old 300's ..wrong answer. My Savage 116 will shoot 3 to 5 in the same hole everyday all day using Hornady 180 SST's or Fed Prem 180GK's but past the 25 yard bore sight in target the Remington loads were holding a 12-15" group at a 100. No pressure signs or problems...just terrible accuracy...not even good enough to hog hunt with at 50 yards reliably!
Ron

I have had problems with old factory loads, but never old reloads. Several weeks ago, I had a box of 20 cartridges reloaded from 10 years ago for my 7mm mag, and they shot perfectly. They easily outperformed, as they should, a box of brand new Federal premium with the same bullet (160 Nosler Partition).

A few years back I shot some Remington 30-06,
180 gr factory loads that had been properly stored for 20 years. The first one split from front to back on the main body of the case in 5 places evenly spaced around the case. I was so glad I had glasses on or I would be using a white cane now. I promptly disassembled the factory ammo and crushed the brass. I hope this is not a common occurence for Remington ammo. Maybe it was a bad lot of powder. I will not shoot old Remington ammo ever again.

Hot - - Cold - - -Hot - - - Cold - - - Hot - - - Cold...... Makes ammunition old!

I have had the blessing of a basement for many years where my ammunition is stored. Temp is probably 65 degrees year round.

Most ammunition trouble stems from my opening line. Case splits were even called "season cracking" when I was young.

I shot some Remington (.35 Rem) the other day in the red and green boxes. It was 50 years plus old. Accurate and uniform.
Three years ago I shot a winter limit of Cottontail. No big deal, but the Remington ammo was barely Kleanbore! The shells were .25 Stevens rimfire (in copper cases) that were loaded in the late 20's! They all fired! They still do!

One's garage or shed with nature's temperature control kills ammo quick......you can count on that.

BigRx

I still have a few hand loads for my .270 that are almost 40 years old. I loaded them when I was 15. My son shot his first deer with one of them ten years ago. This weekend I shot a few of them and they still print inside an inch at 100 yds.

I don't have this problem, because I RARELY EVER fire factory ammo. But I once shot several hundred rounds of U.S. GI .45 ACP hardball that was headstamped FA 18. This was loaded during WWI!! It fired fine, and chronographed 820 FPS average velocity, just as it did when it was loaded. Of course, it had been in government storage in an ammo bunker all the intervening years.