Rimfire shelf life - Page 2

psalm7 · January 24, 2015, 05:27 PM

Iv got .22 shorts and CCI cb longs that I bought around 25 years ago and they shoot well . Iv stopped shooting them because they are hard to find now .

deerslayer303 · January 24, 2015, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Whoever told you that, Deerslayer, was just wanting to take your "old" surplus off your hands.....did you sell them any?

No not at all. It was a thread in a facebook group where people were complaining about folks panic buying and hoarding .22lr. Someone mentioned, they didn't know why anyone would store rimfire ammo for long periods, as it doesn't store well and last that long. And others on the thread seemed to agree. But I got all the info I needed here to debunk that nonsense. Thank you guys!

solvability · January 24, 2015, 08:08 PM

During the drought I found a box of Rem Golden .22s from 1974 - not only shot but were better quality than the current ones - I think properly stored ammo is good for a long time!

B.L.E. · January 24, 2015, 08:40 PM

I just think they made better rimfire ammo back in the older days, especially Remington. When I was a teen, duds were all but unheard of, and that old box of Remington .22 shorts I found backs this up.
Maybe it's the race to the bottom competing for the market that only regards retail price.
Remington ammo used to be good.

Today, I look for Wolf MT and settle for CCI standard velocity target. No duds and both very accurate in my rifle.
Also, if you figure inflation, that vintage ammo cost as much as the good ammo today.

Even shooting the more premium ammo, the most expensive part of shooting my .22 is the trip to the range and range fees.

Gaucho Gringo · January 24, 2015, 10:09 PM

I still have .22 from the mid to late 60's as my oldest .22 ammo and have a more from the early 70's. They all still shoot good.

FITASC · January 24, 2015, 10:40 PM

I've got .22 ammo that is over 20 years old; I take some out now and again and it shoots fine.

**JohnKSa** · January 24, 2015, 10:43 PM

Rimfire doesn't keep as well as centerfire.

That's not saying much--centerfire keeps forever if it's good quality and stored under decent conditions.

22-rimfire · January 25, 2015, 08:22 AM

I have a few bricks of 22LR that date back to the 1970's. I went through several buying binges in my lifetime with promotional 22 ammo; one being in the 1980's, and one being in the early 2000's and before the last shortage. The better grade stuff tends to be purchased and shot within a few years. I can't attribute many duds to age.

bangerjim · January 25, 2015, 01:16 PM

I have hundreds of "wester auto" brand 22LR's in thier original boxes ($0.49/box!) from the mid to late 50's and they fire just fine. Tested a few just to be sure. Stored in the house under "human living conditions".

3-5 years in nothing.

banger

B.L.E. · January 25, 2015, 01:31 PM

Quote:

I have hundreds of "western auto" brand 22LR's in thier original boxes

I'd be willing to bet that it was made by Federal. Most of the "house brand" ammo was relabeled Federal.

RodTheWrench · January 25, 2015, 01:50 PM

I bought 4 of those 1996-97 Remington Nascar "racecar tins" during the peak of the craze (Sept 2013?) from a guy at a small-town gun show for 5.5 cents a round. They had 7 boxes of Remington ammo - 1 each of Thunderbolt, Cyclone, Viper, YellowJacket, High Velocity(HP and RN) and Target. I sold the boxes and empty tins on Ebay for average 12 bucks apiece, so I think I made out pretty well.

And yes, it all shoots fine.

My brother has a brick of Blazer RN that has a $9.99 tag on it - I'm guessing late 80s? He recently got some newer ammo, so has been shooting the old stuff up. Works fine in semi-auto or whatever you put it in.

peggysue · January 26, 2015, 07:45 AM

I have 22LR over 45 years old...no problems. All depends on your storage. Consistent temp dry room...

CLC · January 26, 2015, 12:53 PM

My friend inherited a ruger .22 from his dad and it came with a couple boxes of ammo more then 10 years old and he has a lot of ftf and fte with that ammo. The gun was stored loaded for vermint control so maybe the springs have weakened as well. It shoots fine out of my single six but some of the rounds sound really strange, almost like the are underpowered or something.

twobit · January 27, 2015, 01:50 PM

Still shooting some I bought in the early 1970's. It was $10 a brick

. Has always been stored inside the house.

**44 AMP** · January 27, 2015, 05:20 PM

If you paid $10 a brick in the early 70s, you got taken!

tfdchief · January 29, 2015, 10:20 AM

BLE, just to prove how old I am, I used to load shotshells with the old Rem 57 primers.

I have never had ANY old ammunition fail, not even any of my handloads. I recently found a couple of boxes of 38 Special, 165 gr hard cast bullets (my castings), light Red Dot target loads, that I loaded in the 70's. Still shoot just fine and accurate as ever. I don't have my casting stuff anymore, but after finding and shooting these old rounds, I wish I did. They are as accurate as anything I am loading today.
Chief

deerslayer303 · January 29, 2015, 10:23 AM

Umm what is a Remington #57 primer? No 209's back then?

DPris · January 29, 2015, 11:37 AM

I & a buddy both bought a bunch of Remington back in the 1980s, he still shoots what he has left.
Mine was used up long ago.

I don't know who's saying rimfire doesn't store well, keep it relatively cool & dry and it can last for decades.
Denis

dakota1911 · January 29, 2015, 06:51 PM

I think it is mainly how it is stored. Every now and then I come across an old box of .22 I bought in the 80s and it is fine. The price on the box makes me laugh of couse.

jasmith85 · January 30, 2015, 12:01 PM

Quote:

If you paid $10 a brick in the early 70s, you got taken!

I was thinking the same thing. I'm pretty sure I've seen bricks for around $10 within the last 10 years.

Buzzard Bait · January 30, 2015, 03:40 PM

I have some new 22 ammo that has a few duds in it .I had a few boxes of 22 shells left over from a person who passed away that I think is 1960s era stuff that shot well with no misfires boxes were faded and falling apart though.
b

thallub · January 30, 2015, 04:28 PM

In my stash is some .22 WRF, .22 Winchester auto and .25 Stevens ammo. Some of that stuff was made before WWII. Had the guns out a couple years ago, every round fired at that time.

Gaucho Gringo · January 30, 2015, 08:44 PM

I will have revise my first post as even in the late 50's and into the 60's and 70's we had an occasional dud .22 round even then. I don't there ever was or will ever will be any kind of ammunition or explosive device that is 100%. Just look at all the unexploded ordinance from WW1 or even the Civil War that pops up. Or the dud US torpedo's in the first year of WW2.

B.L.E. · January 30, 2015, 08:58 PM

Quote:

I have some new 22 ammo that has a few duds in it .I had a few boxes of 22 shells left over from a person who passed away that I think is 1960s era stuff that shot well with no misfires boxes were faded and falling apart though.
b

I really think they made better rimfire ammo back then. Duds, even in .22 rimfire used to be almost unheard of.
Of course, the price we paid for ammo back then reflects the quality. If you adjust for inflation, a $.79 box of 50 .22 LR back in 1968 would cost $4.60 today. A box of 25 shotshells that cost $3 back in 1968 would cost $17.50 today.
It used to actually pay to reload shotshells.

smarquez · January 31, 2015, 01:59 AM

I just shot some PMC .22 stuff today that is at least 15 years old, maybe closer to 20. It is good stuff shoots to point of aim very consistently and no ftf/fte.

January 24, 2015, 08:40 PM	#29
B.L.E. Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Somewhere on the Southern shore of Lake Travis, TX Posts: 2,603	I just think they made better rimfire ammo back in the older days, especially Remington. When I was a teen, duds were all but unheard of, and that old box of Remington .22 shorts I found backs this up. Maybe it's the race to the bottom competing for the market that only regards retail price. Remington ammo used to be good. Today, I look for Wolf MT and settle for CCI standard velocity target. No duds and both very accurate in my rifle. Also, if you figure inflation, that vintage ammo cost as much as the good ammo today. Even shooting the more premium ammo, the most expensive part of shooting my .22 is the trip to the range and range fees. __________________ Hanlon's Razor "Do not invoke conspiracy as explanation when ignorance and incompetence will suffice, as conspiracy implies intelligence and organization."

January 24, 2015, 10:09 PM	#30
Gaucho Gringo Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 366	I still have .22 from the mid to late 60's as my oldest .22 ammo and have a more from the early 70's. They all still shoot good. __________________ 357 Taurus Gaucho, 22 Heritage RR, 2-Pietta 1858 44 NMA Remingtons, Pietta, Euroarms & ASM 36 1851 Navies, 31 Uberti 1849, 12 ga H&R Topper, 16 Ga Western Field, 43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block, 44 ASM Colt Walker, High Point C9 9mm, Winchester 1906 22, Rossi 62 22 rifle, Uberti 1860, H&A & IJ 32 S&W BreakTop, 36 Euroarms 1858, 32 H&R 04, 22mag NAA SS BP revolver, .44 Rodgers & Spencer, IJ 38 S&W BreakTop, IJ 22 Sealed 8

January 24, 2015, 10:43 PM	#32
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,974	Rimfire doesn't keep as well as centerfire. That's not saying much--centerfire keeps forever if it's good quality and stored under decent conditions. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

January 26, 2015, 07:45 AM	#37
peggysue Junior member Join Date: May 20, 2014 Posts: 1,835	I have 22LR over 45 years old...no problems. All depends on your storage. Consistent temp dry room... Last edited by peggysue; January 26, 2015 at 07:57 AM.

January 26, 2015, 12:53 PM	#38
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	My friend inherited a ruger .22 from his dad and it came with a couple boxes of ammo more then 10 years old and he has a lot of ftf and fte with that ammo. The gun was stored loaded for vermint control so maybe the springs have weakened as well. It shoots fine out of my single six but some of the rounds sound really strange, almost like the are underpowered or something. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

January 24, 2015, 05:27 PM	#26
psalm7 Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2014 Location: Middle TN Posts: 543	Iv got .22 shorts and CCI cb longs that I bought around 25 years ago and they shoot well . Iv stopped shooting them because they are hard to find now .

January 24, 2015, 08:08 PM	#28
solvability Member Join Date: March 5, 2005 Location: HSV Posts: 98	During the drought I found a box of Rem Golden .22s from 1974 - not only shot but were better quality than the current ones - I think properly stored ammo is good for a long time!

January 24, 2015, 10:40 PM	#31
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,443	I've got .22 ammo that is over 20 years old; I take some out now and again and it shoots fine.

January 25, 2015, 08:22 AM	#33
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	I have a few bricks of 22LR that date back to the 1970's. I went through several buying binges in my lifetime with promotional 22 ammo; one being in the 1980's, and one being in the early 2000's and before the last shortage. The better grade stuff tends to be purchased and shot within a few years. I can't attribute many duds to age.

January 25, 2015, 01:16 PM	#34
bangerjim Member Join Date: March 17, 2013 Location: SW Desert Posts: 57	I have hundreds of "wester auto" brand 22LR's in thier original boxes ($0.49/box!) from the mid to late 50's and they fire just fine. Tested a few just to be sure. Stored in the house under "human living conditions". 3-5 years in nothing. banger

January 27, 2015, 01:50 PM	#39
twobit Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2010 Location: Coyote Creak, SW Texas Posts: 597	Still shooting some I bought in the early 1970's. It was $10 a brick . Has always been stored inside the house. __________________ Twobit, Strive to live up to the opinion that your dog has of you.

January 27, 2015, 05:20 PM	#40
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,820	If you paid $10 a brick in the early 70s, you got taken! __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

January 29, 2015, 10:20 AM	#41
tfdchief Junior Member Join Date: January 27, 2015 Location: Central IL Posts: 1	BLE, just to prove how old I am, I used to load shotshells with the old Rem 57 primers. I have never had ANY old ammunition fail, not even any of my handloads. I recently found a couple of boxes of 38 Special, 165 gr hard cast bullets (my castings), light Red Dot target loads, that I loaded in the 70's. Still shoot just fine and accurate as ever. I don't have my casting stuff anymore, but after finding and shooting these old rounds, I wish I did. They are as accurate as anything I am loading today. Chief __________________ Handloaded for 50 years

January 29, 2015, 10:23 AM	#42
deerslayer303 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2011 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 2,652	Umm what is a Remington #57 primer? No 209's back then?

January 29, 2015, 11:37 AM	#43
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	I & a buddy both bought a bunch of Remington back in the 1980s, he still shoots what he has left. Mine was used up long ago. I don't know who's saying rimfire doesn't store well, keep it relatively cool & dry and it can last for decades. Denis

January 29, 2015, 06:51 PM	#44
dakota1911 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2007 Location: The Great American Desert Posts: 501	I think it is mainly how it is stored. Every now and then I come across an old box of .22 I bought in the 80s and it is fine. The price on the box makes me laugh of couse.

January 30, 2015, 03:40 PM	#46
Buzzard Bait Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 502	no guarantee I have some new 22 ammo that has a few duds in it .I had a few boxes of 22 shells left over from a person who passed away that I think is 1960s era stuff that shot well with no misfires boxes were faded and falling apart though. b

January 30, 2015, 04:28 PM	#47
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	In my stash is some .22 WRF, .22 Winchester auto and .25 Stevens ammo. Some of that stuff was made before WWII. Had the guns out a couple years ago, every round fired at that time.

January 30, 2015, 08:44 PM	#48
Gaucho Gringo Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 366	I will have revise my first post as even in the late 50's and into the 60's and 70's we had an occasional dud .22 round even then. I don't there ever was or will ever will be any kind of ammunition or explosive device that is 100%. Just look at all the unexploded ordinance from WW1 or even the Civil War that pops up. Or the dud US torpedo's in the first year of WW2. __________________ 357 Taurus Gaucho, 22 Heritage RR, 2-Pietta 1858 44 NMA Remingtons, Pietta, Euroarms & ASM 36 1851 Navies, 31 Uberti 1849, 12 ga H&R Topper, 16 Ga Western Field, 43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block, 44 ASM Colt Walker, High Point C9 9mm, Winchester 1906 22, Rossi 62 22 rifle, Uberti 1860, H&A & IJ 32 S&W BreakTop, 36 Euroarms 1858, 32 H&R 04, 22mag NAA SS BP revolver, .44 Rodgers & Spencer, IJ 38 S&W BreakTop, IJ 22 Sealed 8

January 31, 2015, 01:59 AM	#50
smarquez Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2011 Posts: 135	I just shot some PMC .22 stuff today that is at least 15 years old, maybe closer to 20. It is good stuff shoots to point of aim very consistently and no ftf/fte.