Old Ammo

Spanky · October-12-18 11:10

I bought a Marlin 60 .22LR to keep under the bed for Wifey back in 1987. Bought a single box of Winchester Super-X "just in case". Loaded the Marlin with 17 rounds and put it back into the cardboard box and put it under the bed. I/we forgot about it. When we moved, it went back under the new bed. I/we forgot about it.

I remembered it was there after reading this forum so much and getting stirred up about guns (I actually have seen it many times cleaning under the bed, but it has become just background clutter/noise). I dragged it out and emptied the magazine (put it back under the bed) and took the ammo to the range today.

Amazingly, ALL 50 ROUNDS FIRED!. (They all fired, but not very many hit the 12 x 18 target.) There was no care given to the ammo AT ALL! They were exposed to heat, humidity, all of it (and we now live in FL). Guess they made good stuff 30 years ago.

bearcatter · October-12-18 12:10

Well, firing isn't everything. You do say most missed a sizeable target. Could be a little moisture in the powder, or the bullet lube was dried up. Normally, if ammo is kept in reasonable temps and humidity, with heat and AC, it will stay good for more than yours 30 years.

One thing you should do is thoroughly clean and relube that Marlin. Clean up the stock if needed and put some stock wax on. With heat and humidity, you may well have corrosion, especially in the bore. The original lube will be dry and gummy, and wood may be dry. Not good for the gun, and not as safe to shoot.

Spanky · October-12-18 12:10

Guess I should have said that I ran the ammo through my NAA-LR, the Marlin is back under the bed. I put another 50 rounds of fresh ammo through the mini with no better results on the target. I am blaming my aging eyes, so hard to see the sight in a range's lighting. Actually I'm just a really bad shot.

bearcatter · October-12-18 12:10

Nah, maybe you just haven't had regular practice. You did say the Marlin was back under the bed before you went to the range. I wondered what gun you did put the old ammo through, and at what distance. I hope your Marlin has stayed okay, it's a classic.

Spanky · October-12-18 13:10

Marlin looked WAY better than I had thought it would be. In fact it was pretty much new looking, no rust or gunk anywhere.

I shot the LR mini at appx 15 feet. The holes weren't showing up on the target the way that I imagined it in my mind! (Like a golf swing. Felt as good as Tiger, but looked like a duffer). 12 x 18 target and I couldn't even find some (a lot) of the holes. Yeah, I would say that I need a lot more practice. I wish the range were closer.

OLD and GRUMPY · October-12-18 16:10

Spanky--- Welcome to "our gang". Don't get it you are a young punk.

Big fan of old ammo. few years ago I fired off the last of my dads .22 from the 50's --to 70's. (lots of old posts). NOT 1 FTF !!!

During the ammo shortage I dug crusty rounds out of the dirt under the bench. Wipe and fire.

New stuff is crap. Still trust CCI. Aquila. Try them. They smell like piss but no FTF in a thousand rounds. Mexico got this right.

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?targetLocation=%2F_%2FN-7547%2B4294966180%3FNp%3D2%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_visible%253A1%252Ccustomertypeid%253A1%2529%26Nrpp%3D24%26Ns%3Dp_metric_sales_velocity%257C1%26Ntpc%3D1%26Ntpr%3D1&userItemsPerPage=48&persistedItemsPerPage=0

Spanky · October-12-18 16:10

Quote from: OLD and GRUMPY on October-12-18 16:10
Spanky--- Welcome to "our gang". Don't get it you are a young punk.

Ha, ha. My father thought he was related to "Spanky" on "Our Gang". I remember.

Warthog · October-12-18 18:10

Well, All I have is older 22LR, though I did buy case of fresher 22LR Recently, it is now put back as the old stuff is plentiful and needs shot. But it will either wait for spring since I use and outdoor range and it gets pretty cold, windy and snowy here in the wintertime. BUT if I am healed before things get too frigid I will go and do some shooting and let folks know how well or poorly I did with PIX.

billmeek · October-12-18 20:10

Quote from: Warty62 on October-12-18 18:10
...as the old stuff is plentiful and needs shot.

Talking to a couple of my friends after I found the old CCI MiniMags to be more consistent than new boxes, the consensus seemed to be that older 22LR ammo was better than the new stuff. Not in just CCI either. One of my friends mentioned how his old Winchester rounds worked perfectly in an Contender, but the new ammo he bought this year didn't.

While I'd want a lot more data to say it conclusively, I suspect that the older ammo is better and I'd shoot up the new stuff instead.

bearcatter · October-13-18 08:10

Most all of my .22LR is early Nobama era, before the worst of the shortage and ammo production getting ramped up. Thanks to him, I accumulated over 30k rounds. I haven't bought any .22 for two years, and my stash will likely outlast me. I'm not worried about it staying shootable, and I am mostly shooting newest first. I agree that newer ammo doesn't seem as good, on average.

Warthog · October-13-18 12:10

Same here Bearcatter, I would go to my LGS and if I didn't find anything I liked get myself a brick or two of some sort of rimfire ammo just to have. I wound up with so much of it that I had to buy new ammo cans and store it in them, then it turned into a I need more room thing. Now, I am just doing my best and trying to get some shooting it.

bearcatter · October-13-18 14:10

Sounds like we could both feed a .22 machine gun....

miker · October-15-18 11:10

I recently acquired some old 22 ammo (50's and 60's) from a friend who was cleaning out his mother's house... Mohawk, Federal, Remington, and Winchester. All of it worked just fine.

miker

zorba · October-17-18 18:10

I've shot a lot of old ammo, mostly WW 2 surplus Nazi 9mm. Out of a couple of hundred rounds of the stuff, only 2 didn't fire, although several needed a "second chance" due to the hard military primers. OTOH, I inherited an old revolver in .38 S&W, and 18 rounds of ammo. 14 fired fine, 2 squibbed plus (read: Fired enough to get the bullet out of the bbl, but not much more), and 2 didn't fire at all despite multiple attempts. This stuff looked terrible, Goddess only knows what my late Father did with it, or where he got it from...

linux_author · October-19-18 14:10

Quote from: Spanky on October-12-18 13:10
Marlin looked WAY better than I had thought it would be. In fact it was pretty much new looking, no rust or gunk anywhere.

this was the amazing reaction i had when checking out my Mossberg 341 last week... the barrel blueing was in great shape, and the barrel rifling was mirror clean!

(i cleaned it up anyway)

i only have the 7-round adjustable magazine for it (can use shorts, longs or long rifle) - may have to spring for a new mag, but jeepers, a new 10-round reproduction mag without the adjustable feature now costs more than half of what i paid for the rifle!

great story about the ammo... i have some .32 S&W ammo from my father-in-law that is most likely in the 80-year age, and it might be interesting to try a cylinder in his .32 Safety Hammerless... i wonder if the original 20-round box is worth anything?

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

OLD and GRUMPY · October-19-18 14:10

Quote from: zorba on October-17-18 18:10
I've shot a lot of old ammo, mostly WW 2 surplus Nazi 9mm. Out of a couple of hundred rounds of the stuff, only 2 didn't fire, although several needed a "second chance" due to the hard military primers. OTOH, I inherited an old revolver in .38 S&W, and 18 rounds of ammo. 14 fired fine, 2 squibbed plus (read: Fired enough to get the bullet out of the bbl, but not much more), and 2 didn't fire at all despite multiple attempts. This stuff looked terrible, Goddess only knows what my late Father did with it, or where inghe got it from...

Z ! glad you are still with us. Family is thinking about bugging out of Ca to Nevada.

-------------------

38 S&W. My son got a S&W Victory In 38S&W. British marks. We sent thousands under lend lease in WW2. We think this is one of them

38 S&W was a under powered load. .145 gr. The Brits found that if they loaded her with a 200gr slug (38-200 Brit) they got the same punch as there .45 loads .

brit

OV-1D · October-19-18 16:10

I sure hope theres no expiration date to ammo , I have some dating back fifty years , all types and calipers . I'm glad it isn't black powder ammo they would be oozing nitro probably , ha .

Uncle_Lee · October-20-18 04:10

Quote from: OV-1D on October-19-18 16:10
I sure hope theres no expiration date to ammo , I have some dating back fifty years , all types and calipers . I'm glad it isn't black powder ammo they would be oozing nitro probably , ha .

Shouldn't be any nitro in black powder.

Honky Tonk Man · October-20-18 06:10

Quote from: uncle_lee on October-20-18 04:10
Quote from: OV-1D on October-19-18 16:10
I sure hope theres no expiration date to ammo , I have some dating back fifty years , all types and calipers . I'm glad it isn't black powder ammo they would be oozing nitro probably , ha .

Shouldn't be any nitro in black powder.

Charcoal, sulfur, and salt peter, correct? I've been wrong before.

zorba · October-21-18 14:10

Quote from: OLD and GRUMPY on October-19-18 14:10

Z ! glad you are still with us. Family is thinking about bugging out of Ca to Nevada.

You sure won't regret it. I haven't seen anything good happen in that state since I left - just more craziness. I miss the scenery, and I miss some of the people, but I sure don't miss the politics! I felt like a Jew fleeing Germany ca 1933...

Uncle_Lee · October-22-18 03:10

Quote from: Honky Tonk Man on October-20-18 06:10
Quote from: uncle_lee on October-20-18 04:10
Quote from: OV-1D on October-19-18 16:10
I sure hope theres no expiration date to ammo , I have some dating back fifty years , all types and calipers . I'm glad it isn't black powder ammo they would be oozing nitro probably , ha .

Shouldn't be any nitro in black powder.

Charcoal, sulfur, and salt peter, correct? I've been wrong before.

Correct

I don't think the Chinese knew about nitro way back when.