The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old August 23, 2001, 05:22 PM   #1
Fly320s
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 3, 2001
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 281
Shelf life of uncleaned brass

I don't reload ,yet, but am planning to start in the future. I have about 2000 once-fired cases that I have kept after I've been shooting. All this brass is from the major manufacturers and none was ever reloaded (to the best of my knowledge).

My question: Is there a shelf life for this brass? It's never been cleaned, just picked up and deposited into zip-lock bags. I'd like to keep it for when I start reloading, but I want to make sure it wont corrode.

Thanks for the info.
Fly320s is offline  
Old August 23, 2001, 05:30 PM   #2
Jorah Lavin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 1999
Location: Indian Land, SC USA
Posts: 593
So, whadda ya wait'n fer?

Git yaself a tumbler from Cabella's or somewhere and start tumbling those babies!

Jorah Lavin is offline  
Old August 23, 2001, 05:38 PM   #3
Mal H
Staff
 
Join Date: March 20, 1999
Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia
Posts: 16,939
If the ziplock bags are air tight and you didn't store the brass while working in a corrosive atmosphere ( extremely unlikely ), then the brass should outlast you. I don't think leaving it "dirty" will affect its shelf life a lot. But needless to say, brass left with any chemical on them can't last as long as clean brass.

Actually I have some very old brass that isn't in ziplock bags and it is still in fine shape. I'm sure the prevailing humidity conditions as well as industrial pollution in the air could easily affect the longevity of brass, dirty or otherwise. You never know what is going to mix with what and cause some corrosion.
Mal H is offline  
Old August 23, 2001, 09:50 PM   #4
slickpuppy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 29, 1999
Posts: 928
For my unprocessed and processed brass I store it with vapor corrosion inhibitor tabs available from Brownells and Midway. Cleaned and polished brass stays looking pretty good; unprocessed hasn't grown any craters in them after a few years.

I store them in military ammo cans with the tabs enclosed along with silica gel packs to absorb moisture. Once you have removed the moisture from a milspec ammo can with the silica gel and you verify the can's seals work you won't have a problem with corrosion at all.
slickpuppy is offline  
Old August 26, 2001, 12:56 PM   #5
MADISON
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 1, 2000
Location: Roanoke, Virginia
Posts: 2,678
Dirty brass's life?

I began reloading in 1970. Not until 1986 did I get a tumbler or anything to clean brass. I still have some "Super-Vel" brass from the 70's. 30 years?
MADISON is offline  
Old August 27, 2001, 11:36 AM   #6
Cheapo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 19, 1998
Posts: 986
Centuries!

As long as:

1. NOT fired with mercuric or phospate primers (both very old technologies)

AND

2. NOT fired with black powder

AND

3. NOT stored with humidity or corrosive contaminants as stated by the earlier posters.
__________________
Let us never forget that the only legitimate source of government power is the citizens. If WE cannot exercise a certain power, we cannot grant it to the state.
Cheapo is offline  
Old August 27, 2001, 10:06 PM   #7
JAMES L.SMITH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 19, 1999
Location: Lakeland Fl.U.S.A.
Posts: 173
I'm still loading some LC56&57 brass I got from my uncle back in the early 60's.Still have 2 each bandoliers 5rd.&8rd.not fired.Thank you army reserve!
__________________
MONTANI SEMPER LIBERI
JAMES L.SMITH is offline  
Old August 28, 2001, 12:04 AM   #8
Big Bunny
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 9, 1999
Location: New South Wales - Australia
Posts: 605
Brass Question.

Start polishing and you will want to reload them!!!

BB
__________________
Bad boys, bad boys...watcha goin' to do - watcha goin' to do when they come for YOU ?!
Big Bunny is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.05830 seconds with 10 queries