How I RUINED My Stockpile Ammo Stash
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Welcome to BAAM Ranch! In this video, I'm sharing a critical lesson in prepper survival that I recently learned firsthand. Join me as I recount a frustrating encounter with a batch of 9mm due to a seemingly innocuous ammo storage mistake. The journey from SHTF prepping to navigating survival scenarios is a complex one, and this experience highlighted a vital aspect that every prepper should be aware of.
At BAAM Ranch, we're all about preparedness and survival, and this experience resonated deeply with our mission. I'll delve into the repercussions of improper ammo storage, discussing the impact of fluctuating temperatures, exposure to sunlight, and humidity on your ammunition's performance. This story serves as a stark reminder that even the most careful preppers can overlook crucial details. Whether you're an experienced survivalist or just starting your SHTF prepping journey, this cautionary tale is a must-watch. Subscribe for more insights on survival, guns, and SHTF prepping at BAAM Ranch, and don't forget to hit that like button if you found this information valuable. Stay tuned for more content that will keep you prepared and safe.
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If your are a Canadian prepper, city prepper, off-grid prepper it doesnt matter, the principals are the same. Its not all about your SHTF loadout, food storage and bug out bag, but also making sure you can be successful and provide for your family today.
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SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON!!
tRump lost and is going to prison for treason.
So what does this have to do with anything? Send both trump AND Biden to prison. Personally, I’m not letting either live rent free in my head. Trump and what ever guy you pick are equally trash. I’ll pin this comment to the top so you can help me earn more money with interaction for the algorithm
Liberal democrats are the true enemy of America.
Lol
Interesting, wanna talk about treason how about allowing and encouraging unknown people from all over the planet to come in through our southern border and make our nation less safe. That is treason, so if you actually cared about treason and weren't just some stupid liberal you'd be talking about our current president, but you're instead talking about someone who isn't in office any more. Be careful, your IQ is showing.
Trump 2024
I would never throw loaded ammo in the trash. You can get a bullet puller for $15. Reuse recycle
Agree. In some places you can actually get in legal trouble.
Some years back I got some ammo that had been stored the same way...guessing humidity made either powder or primers go bad. But we pulled the bullets and reloaded the cases, and so got somethings useful out of it.
I just pinched em with pliers, bullet squeezed out and the rest got a shot of oil
Exactly what i would do...
I was about to say the same, you can also take the brass in for money at a recycling center or sell them to a relosder
How right u are gunny
I was an Air Force Weapons Instructor and the military, (All Branches), run the same storage procedures. The stable environment is a big part of that, but there is much more to it. Plastic bags are fine if you're taking your ammo on a canoe trip, but they can cause problems and are a bit redundant if they are going into an ammo can. The can itself being water tight.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is putting those cans on a cement floor. This causes moisture to form under the can and before you know it, the bottom of the can rusts out and the ammo is again ruined. You need to keep the cans off the floor by using pallets or shelves. Keep an air space of a few inches around the cans. Keep them at lest a few inches away from the walls as well.
The Air Force has rifles?
I have ammo cans lined up against each other in a Liberty Ammo Can safe. Would that also be considered unsafe for the ammo?
@@michaeldowling4160 The Air Force was the very first branch to adopt the AR pattern rifle in any form. They bought a number of Colt AR-15s for security forces before the Army or Marines ever adopted the M16.
@@onalert413 but do they know how to use them? Lmao
@@michaeldowling4160 yes that's why ammo storage is so important. Lol
We once had some .45 ball ammo from 1945 in the original boxes that worked just fine 41 years later. If stored properly ,ammo will last quite a while.
Absolutely
I have some 1917 steel case .45 acp that still fires well w/no special storage considerations...
I had a box of 3006 ammo that was stored in a shed and thirty years. And when I shot it it shot like I bought it yesterday.
I was given some WW1 - steel cased German 9mm ammo. It works great !!
I have a a few boxes of the .45 ball ammo as well, in the original boxes, and they all have been perfect. They were stored on a shelf in my grandpa's garage for who knows how long. Where he lived the humidity was usually not very high and it was hot south texas climate, but if it had been stored where I live now near Louisiana- it probably wouldn't have been the same.
My brother had some 223 ammo stored in my mother's garage for decades. The environment ranged from 28F to 105F with moisture in the winter. The ammo was just sitting in a box and the brass was tarnished. I told him I'll take it if he didn't want it and he said you are a brave soul. Well, all 5 boxes went bang in a good way
Probably all green. It would have been fine if he was able to keep it off the ground and used a humidifier
Dehumidifier @@tax905972
DEHUMIDIFIER
I have ammo over 30 years old. Always stored indoors, in Ammo cans. always in original boxes. Never had an issue with a single round.
I have never had a problem. Original boxes in 20mm ammo cans. It’s stored inside on pallets. Temp is consistently 60 to 65 degrees.
Same here . Always left in boxes placed in ammo cans and kept in a climate controlled environment
Same here. I have ammo from before my father died 25 years ago that still works. The only ones that show degradation are 22lr birdshot enclosed within clear plastic projectiles which were brittle and cracked and broke
Yup same here! Leave it in the original box and place in an ammo can. The can has/should have a rubber gasket on the lid to help with moisture. I also keep the cans indoors in a controlled environment...heck I keep all my car cleaning supplies indoors as well. If you end up with some loose ammo, don't use a ziploc baggie, get a vacuum sealer and seal them in those bags, you vacuum out all the air and then place in a tightly sealed container. Some plastic 5gal pails also have a rubber gasket on the lid, which could be used to store ammo also...always check the lids for a rubber gasket!
Yep. In ammo cans and indoors. Your house is certainly going to vary in temperature, but it's never going to freeze in there (as long as humans are occupying it) and even if it's 100 degrees outside, inside your house is going to be 80 or less, even without air conditioning. Keep it indoors and in cans, you're good to go.
Don't throw them away. Pull them apart and reload them. You might only need to replace the powder and primer. The bullet might be salvageable.
My thoughts exactly. Never throw away perfectly good brass, especially when it's never even been fired, heck, I'd buy it off him and I don't even reload. I do melt down old brass to cast other items or make stock for CNC/lathe turning.
I tested 5 rounds of 357 mags in water for 3 days. 3 fired ok. Pulled the other 2 and the primers were damp. I reloaded them with new primers and the same powder and they fired ok! The next test I put finger nail polish on the primers. After 3 days under the water all 5 fired!!! Yes, don't though good brass and bullets away!
@@Allazander I do that with old car batteries. Use the acid for cleaning purposes and the lead cells get smelted and cast as new uncoated bullets.
@wookiehammer cleaning what with battery acid?
@@m998hmmwv7im wondering the same
Stored federal shotgun shells in an igloo cooler in a shed for 20 years. Bought out kmart when they closed. Still shooting them today. Zero problems. I use ammo cans for metallic case rounds now days. But keeping ammo dry is the most important thing.
Going through the Dew point..
Like water on a car.. Dew point.
Might have been bad ammo to begin with, no way to know and assuming it was the storage conditions without a control makes this worthless.
@@joek6791didn't he say he put half in a zip lock in his go bag and half in a zip lock in the coffee can? So the go bag is the control as it shot fine.🤷♂️
You just opened a memory up in my mind! I forgot about the Kmart outdoor section! I can picture it in my head still at the Kmart in Corpus Christi Tx!!!!!
@@jimtheedcguy4313 heck yeah man kmart.
When my father passed a few years ago, he had several boxes of 38 sp ball ammo that was reloaded back in the 50's, and every round fired perfectly. He has stored it in an old leather briefcase in his office that stayed indoors the whole time he had it. All you need is a proper environment for storage.
I lost my ammo stash in Katrina. It ended up all soaking in salt water for hours, and then sitting on a shelf in that condition for several weeks. It really took the air out of me. I had probably 20,000 rounds or so. So, I feel your pain.
That sucks man! As stated, this was just some that I sat down and forgot about, sure glad it wasn't 20,000 rounds! Ouch
So all your prepper plans failed when the S actually HTF. So how did you survive?
@@ostrich67you sound like a Lib
@@andrewkenseth4814 Yes and a proud one. Now tell me why "prepping" isn't stupid.
@@ostrich67 There are different types of prepping for different types of SHTF situations. You don’t stock pile ammo in prep for a hurricane... That’s straight up liberal logic. Considering he survived Katrina (while thousands of others didn’t), I’d say he was prepared enough.
My favorite method of storing guns/ammo/electronics/batteries is in weather proof totes with silica packs inside!
Putting the ammo in plastic bags likely caused the problem. If you left it in the original cardboard packaging it wouldn't have trapped condensation.
Bull, You ever breathed the air in a livestock barn, what do you smell? Ya & that crap mixes with water vaper from the constant warming & cooling.
Nah, if you sit boxes of ammo in a non climate controlled barn, it's going to ruin just as fast as this.
A sealed ammo can might extend the shelf life a little, but when you have extreme temperatures like that, the ammo can will only do so much.
Cardboard holds moisture. If you’re gonna keep cardboard in ammo cans, make sure to put PLENTY of dessicant in there also.
Gotta keep your powder dry.
I have ammo that was stored in ammo cans in a hot garage in south Texas humidity for over ten years. Everything 9mm, 40S&W, 38/357, 223, 7mm mag, Even the 22lr works great zero issues. The stuff you have that failed must have been wet for a long time.
He stored them in plastic bags that's why he also buys ammo that doesn't have sealed primers that's also not very wise.
I wish my 40,000 pistol primers did not go bad on me.
@@alwaysfreedom9354 What do you mean, what happened to them?
@@alwaysfreedom9354yea how did you store those to make them go bad. I get it was humidity. Primers I’d say can with silica pack as that small space and crucial piece of the component justifies silica packs and some extra effort 😢 sorry for your loss. That’s a 3600$ hit To replace at todays prices. 😮
A lot depends on the sealing of the primer pockets. If the primer pockets aren't sealed, the moisture can creep in. An ammo can with a good seal should keep ammo indefinitely. I have some ammo stored from 1987 that still shoots fine.
Military ammo uses sealant on both the primer & the bullet. Premium defensive ammo may have sealed primers. Brownell's has primer sealant on their website.
I bought some Roy's years ago. @@Urbicide
It's a hard lesson learned, proper storage of ammo is important. It's good that you found out the "trash" ammo didn't work while practice shooting instead of a critical self-defense situation. Also, don't throw away the ammo, the gun powder and the primers might be damaged, but the bullets and brass cases are still good, so reload them.
Same goes for guns.
Drastic temperature fluctuations in a humid environment destroyed a few guns my mother had stored in a small “safe”.
Think of the condensation that appears when a soda can is removed from the refrigerator.
Multiply that by 4 years of air conditioning on and off, heaters on and off.
The moisture with dissimilar metal corrosion destroyed the aluminum frames.
I had some ammo that was stored in my car trunk, then an attic in Florida then in Georgia. It was packaged in the retail cardboard packaging. After 20 years it worked perfectly. Plastic bags will block the movement of moisture and cause condensation while the cardboard breathes.
Good point.
This.
I believe it's the plastic.
Paul Harrell just did a video where he left several top brands of ammo in their box in his car for a year.
99.9% reliability.
Definetly plastic bags are the issue. As the case is that they are not entirely sealed EVER and even if putting a desiccant pack in with the ammo, eventually that pack will reach its absorption limit and be useless, while the bag is still able to allow a small amount of moisture through the seal as well as was stated already limit the ability for the moisture to be carried away and even build internal moisture by way of condensing atmospheric moisture. How plastic bagging DOES work though is through the use of a Vacuum Sealer and the special heat sealable bags that are used in conjunction as well as the adding of a desiccant pack or two along with the ammo. This way ACTUALLY hermetically seals the ammunition from the outside environment and the added desiccant will absorb and make moot any moisture that was on the exterior and/or interior of the cartridges themselves. Added benefit is you can pack up whatever desired amounts you believe to be best suited for yourself and your usage, and you can even make combo packs for, lets say, your most reliable and favorite deer tool (actual term replaced due to likelyhood of it triggering a nuking of my comment) and the side arm you most feel comfortable with when your in Deer Camp. then you take all those neatly packaged, hermetically sealed bundles and stick em in either a QUALITY plastic ammo can or a metal one, whichever you prefer, to precent them from accidentally being punctured or ripped and losing their vacuum and seal. Plastic cans you can store essentially however you like, metal on the other hand needs to most definetly be kept up off of concrete and should even remain elevated off of metal shelving with a wooden or plastic mat or plank and allowed an air space of at least a half inch around each individual can to allow for air circulation to reduxe the possibility of condensation affecting the can itself and rusting it out. If in a location that has high humidity, storing in a more temperature stable environment is preferred, as this will reduce the liklihood of condensation occuring. Plastic on the other hand has a much less tendency to create condensation. Not that it cant, just that its FAR less likely to. Storing ammo in this particular way will see to it that your cartridges can be stored INDEFINITELY and without the need of pulling reusable desiccant packs every 4-8 months to recharge them in the oven.
@@sheepishmclemmingston5550Very Reason-able. A lot of not-so-common-sense, dash of practicality and
functionalism_ the design of an object should be determined by its function rather than by aesthetic considerations, and that anything practically designed will be inherently beautiful... Fire Away Ammunition!
Sir, a High-Five to you !
I shot cardboard shotshells years ago, they were over 50 yrs old at the time...they were in Grandpa's basement for their life, worked fine everytime
I rotate range ammo, If I shoot 50 rounds, I buy 50 rounds! However I found putting ammo in bags (at least in my climate up here in Northern MA) is a bad thing! I remove my ammo from the boxes (boxes hold moisture) and put them into the ammo cans and before I close the can I put a couple silica packs in the can to absorb any moisture. I learned that from my uncle and I have some of his ammo from the 80s that still shoots fine. I buy the 50 gram desiccant packs off amazon, they are cheaper than others and they work awesome and if they do absorb moisture you just pop them in a microwave for a few minutes to dry them out and re use them. The ones I buy change color when they absorb moisture.
You can also by pure silica cat litter and make your own using drip coffee filters.Use unscented litter with no chemicals.
I use a Seal-a-meal to vacuum seal my ammo. So far it seems to work well.
Use the Mylar bags, not the plastic, and they will last longer than your gun. The regular plastic bags will unsealed sometimes.
@@jamestidwell8762 Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into it.
Found some made just for the seal a meal.
Thanks.
Where did you find Mylar bags?
@@DavidFowler Amazon Avid Armor food storage bags
I've had some ammo (rifle and shotgun) for over 50 years and was perfectly fine, in fact I still have some of it left over. But it wasn't stored where the temps fluctuated too extreme. It's always best to rotate all preps, food and ammo and store it properly at more steady temperatures. It should last for years.
Also, never throw away bad ammo, it can be reloaded.
I don't even reload but I have picked up a lot of spent casings to melt down and recast as other items or cast into bar/round stock for CNC/lathe use.
@@Allazander With the high cost of everything these days, it pays to recycle the valuable metals. A little time and work saves you cash and well worth it. It's amazing what people can make out of it. 👍👍
I use ammo cans,make sure the seal is greased and my .223/5.56 is usually loose in the containers. 9mm I leave in the box and put in a can and also use desiccant packs. So far so good for the last 3-4 years. My 2 cents 👍🏻
Anyone wondering what to lube the seals with, I use Vaseline or I go to the pool supply and get O-ring lube. I have a pool and I buy several tubes of the stuff every spring to lube up the O-rings on my filter.
@@colemartin8683 IIRC US military and surplus ammo cans use a neoprene or rubber gasket, so you're supposed to use silicone grease/lubricant as petroleum based products including grease will degrade and eat at the material over time. You'd think petroleum vs petroleum would make them more compatible, but for whatever scientific/chemical reason I should probably know/remember but don't, they're not and petroleum based products are NOT safe against other petroleum based products like plastic.
So I'd beware of and look into the Vaseline before using it more as that's petroleum jelly, about as "Petroleum Product" as you can get, but AFAIK O-Ring lubricant/grease IS silicone grease due to this very reason as applying a rubber pressure seal and lubricating it with something that eats and/or weakens it would defeat the whole purpose. So stick with the O-Ring lube and you should be fine.
I store most of my 12g ammo in a single surplus .50cal ammo can, and was thinking of greasing the gasket too till I looked it up and realized the Lucas Red N' Tacky #2 lithium grease I lube the receiver rails and mag tube of my Auto-5 with would be a terrible idea. I didn't feel like going back to the store and the gasket wasn't dried out or cracked, so I just made sure to wipe down the gasket in the lid and the lips of the cans top that press into it to remove what little dirt/sand there was so any foreign object contamination couldn't compromise the seal and considered it good.
When i first started stocking ammo in 2020 i had all these questions, but what i ended up doing has proven successful. I use 50 cal cans for .45 and 12gauge and 30 cal cans for 9mm .223 and 5.56. Every time i bought ammo i dated the box and decided to keep it in its original boxes. I simply use those sillica packs and keep it in a safe thats off the ground in a closet. Im just now within 500 rounds of finishing my 2020 ammo and have decided to keep doing it this way since theres no humidity fluctuations or light fluctuations. I do lose valuable space by keeping it in its original packaging but it helps me document the batch # and makes it easy to grab a precise amount. I like to simply jot down how many rounds and what brands in a small 3m notebook of how many rounds of what brand was used in what model for resale or trade in purposes. And if i do get any that dont cycle correctly or i get squibs i know what batch and what brand to keep an eye on incase of a catastrophic failure. Should i need to start keeping my ammo in an environment where temperature and humidity will be an issue, I bought a vacuum sealer to help better the odds. Now that ive started it in a certain way its easy and relatively thoughtless as far as quickly rotating the stock
Holy crap… just throw it in a ammo can with 1 bag of silica and be done, or just train more and not worry about it.
@Sevendeucegroup not hard to stay organized and neat, especially when I have 14 ammo cans full. I train twice a week usually and it's easy thought free system. Some have better mental capacity and organizational skills than others
@@hukedonfonix1671soon you will forget what you have and it’s funny i just use silica packs and have cans lining the underside of my bed in my safe and a reloading room in my guest bedroom 😂I find the coolest surprises when I come across things I stashed years ago ❤keep it INDOORS GUYS! If it’s in a basement please use a dehumidifier
Smart
@@hukedonfonix1671 Doing way too much lol. I've been stocking up since 2010, like someone mentioned, just throw em in a 50 cal can with silica gel and they'll be good. My stuff from 2010 still fires perfectly fine.
Never use plastic bags, either store it loose or in original boxes inside a metal ammo can. Add a silica pack and your children’s children could use the ammo you bought. And keep the ammo indoors!
LOL. Why? I have been storing in vacuum sealed plastic bags my whole life with no issues.
@@trbig67 Just wait until you have an issue with ammo and they ask for a lot code.
Funny you say that, I just went to the range with some ammo from the 60's in th original box that was my grandfathers and every round fired!
@@KissMyGooch Keep them cool, keep them dry and it’s no lie 😂
@@427SuperSnake1 If I ever have an issue with some ammo, it's simply going to be an issue I have with ammo. I've stockpiled ammo for a lot of years and if I ever have an issue, it's going to be on ammo that is many years old and the manufacturer isn't going to help me at that point anyway.
Let me add to this, the box reads store in a cool dry place. Just trying to help.
Who reads directions??? Haha you are absolutely correct
Hello Matt, You explained that perfectly, as an ex-LEO from the early 80s, and someone who has been doing these things for 57 Years, My EDC ammo is rotated every so often, as Its exposed to hot and cold temps, and humidity, my defensive ammo is Law enforcement and has nickel plated brass and sealant on the primers, all ammo is stored in field boxes that keep water and humidity out and I put desiccant packs in all, and they stay in a controlled environment, I'm pretty sure they wound fire after 10-20 years, Thank you for posting, subbed. 👊 😎🇺🇸
Hey thanks!! And yes, buy the best quality ammo you can justify and store it is the best way you can
Whenever I buy ammo, I take the time to write the date and source on the individual boxes. Then, use the oldest first, like you say , first in first out. No issues unless I get a bad round occasionally.
About 10 years back a family friend asked me to help clean out her garage which had been flooded in a storm. Her husband had passed away and at that time she had moved his still locked gun lockers to the garage, which had subsequently been submerged in the flood.
All three cabinets were locked and had to be cut open. One faired better than the others, but not by much, all three had taken on water. All his rifles were or had been wet, and the ammo was nearly all soaked. He had the top shelf of each cabinet full of boxed ammo, and in the bottom of each cabinet were several canvass bags of loose shotgun shells. All the black powder and supplies were stored in a 50cal can.
All the rifles were damaged to some degree, other than one barrel, all were able to be cleaned up and made functional again minus one shotgun barrel. The shot shells were rusty and sitting in a soaking wet canvas sack, there were dozens of boxes of larger rifle rounds in boxes that had melted away from them, and the ammo on the top shelve had begun to corrode from the humidity in the cabinet.
I sorted through all the ammo, anything that was pitted or showing any rust that wouldn't wipe off, got broken down. Nearly all the brass rifle ammo was fine, even some ancient looking 30/30 rounds that had turned completely green from the moisture. Once simply wiped down, they fired just fine.
We broke down over 400 12ga shells, all had serious rust, some were actually rusted through already. We dumped out the shot in jars for reuse, and dumped the powder into an old powder can. Surprisingly the powder was dry, not a single shell had wet or clumped powder.
Many of the shells were rusted to the point they wouldn't even fit into the chamber.
They were left sit on a shelf for nearly a year before I finally decided they had to go.
Out of curiosity, and since it was the fourth of July at the time, I figured i'd try and fire off each of the primers out back in an old junk single shot H&R. To my surprise, every last one of them fired. I even reloaded a couple lightly with the reclaimed powder with some bird shot to see what would happen and it fired just fine.
After some research I found that smokeless powder is not ruined by water, it works just fine once it dries out again.
The casings however are what got ruined.
The worst of the rifle ammo was a box of 308 Winchester, which had turned green and looked pretty bad, but all it took to clean them up was a quick wipe down with some steel wool.
I broke the lot of them down, cleaned the brass, and reassembled them. All were just fine when fired several years later.
Everyone of the shotgun shells, which looked like brass, were in fact just brass plate over steel.
I'd venture to guess that if they were brass, they too would have been just fine.
What kills most smokeless rounds is the primer, as long as the primers fine and the case fouling isn't too bad and can be cleaned up it should work fine unless unless it was in some really bad conditions or in bad ones for an extended length of time. This is why military ammo will usually (Though not always) have the bullet and primers lacquer sealed to the cartridge case, especially since odds are its gonna be sitting in ammo cans in warehouses/ammo dumps for years before it gets pulled out and issued, unless there's a current high-intensity conflict going on.
This is especially noticeable with surplus Com-Bloc ammo like 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, etc, which usually have a very distinctive red lacquer sealing the bullets and primers (Unfortunately due to subpar storage conditions and being decades old, the reliability of Combloc surplus ammo isn't always guaranteed. This is especially noticeable with surplus 7.62x25 Tokarev since it's a lot older, being replaced in the 60's-70's by 9x18 Makarov, and usually were stored in poor conditions i.e. spam cans packed in wooded crates stacked floor to rafters inside warehouses with no climate or temperature control; all while mostly being in Baltic countries and their freeze/thaw cycles).
For blackpowder it's an entirely different story as BP is hydroscopic meaning it's so thirsty it actively absorbs moisture from the air and will degrade just from that if left exposed/unsealed, especiallyover longer periodsof time; literally being submerged in water... Maybe you could try drying it in a toaster oven outdoors in a safe place and with the door pointing in a safe direction "Just in Case", but if watching "Everything Black Powder" has taught me anything, it's that BP is EXTREMELY susceptible to contaminants and you have no idea what was in that water from everything that's soaked into it from the flood. So even if you replaced the primers or they survived, and you were able to reclaim the black powder, odds are your muzzle velocity and reliability would be very inconsistent along with having worse powder fouling. So maybe you can keep them for plinking where it's less of an issue, but if they're cartridges save those and the bullet/pellets but as for the powder you'd be better off just buying or making new BP and reloading the cases with that (Everything BP has an excellent video of the process to make high quality DIY BP and its surprising easy, funnily enough they also test different charring different carbon sources into charcoal in attempts to make the ultimate BP, and so far they've peaked at Cottonelle toilet paper "Because that's just what they had lying around for TP" and that TP BP met and even exceeded the performance of top shelf BP brands).
You shouldn't stow ammo in zip lock bags, they will retain moisture. I store mine in original box they come in and put in ammo cans with a moisture absorbing bag. And always in a stable environment. I have done it that way for 30+ years and not one bad round. Ammo will last a very long time when stored properly.
You could disassemble the bullets, test a few primers in case minus gunpowder and bullet to determine what caused the failures, and there are only two reasons a bullet won't fire, either the primer or the gunpowder.
I keep all my ammo and reloading powder and primers in the house and in their original boxes. I feel putting them in plastic bags will cause condensation to build and with no escape, will destroy the ammo.
Why would anyone put ammunition in a plastic bag, in the first place?
Always put dessicant in the ammo can. You can seal the primer and bullet/brass junction with nail polish as a seal.
If you buy surplus ammo the part where bullet meets casing and primer will be sealed with a clear red enamel only problem is it can also lead to malfunctions
This is true, use a can as airtight as possible and use desiccant to dry it out and ensure it stays dry. Why can't people understand this?
@@stephenkowalski2448 I do mylar bags or turkey bags with desiccant.
@@stephenkowalski2448yep silica gel is priceless and cheap! Lol
Use an impact bullet puller which is slower than one mounted in a reloading press but the impact style bullet puller will let you reuse the projectile dump the powder then you can chamber the brass and fire the primers so you can then safely start the reloading process of tumbling the brass decapping it then all subsequent reloading steps
Thanks man!
That is what I do.
I have some very old 22lr. It's well over 70 and still shoots well. It's all about keeping your powder dry.
Same same. Came across some .22LR that had been sitting in drawer since 1982, and they fired perfectly 40 years later.
Hence, The old saying ! 😂
@@user-yz6gy1wb9u Not my experience with .22s. And pistol primers. I wish someone had told my 40,000 pistol primers they never go bad.
Glad to hear this! It's too bad it happened to you. I store mine in ammo cans with those dehumidifier packets and in the house. The very few people who know, don't think it's a good idea, for various reasons.
I keep most of mine indoors as well
Same here, no issues as of yet. Keep in mind, my ammo is maybe 5 years old...I live in Commiefornia and bought as much as I could prior to the ammo background check
@@kennash7583 *the unconstitutional ammo background check
@@kennash7583sorry you have to deal with that im up in washington so your laws have started to become mine as well...just hang in there all gun laws are infringements of 2nd amendment remember that.
@@bluecollaramerican3884 not MY laws but I agree, they are trying to go nationwide with this crap. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!
Never store ammo in an unconditioned space!
Your video showed up in suggestions. It looked interesting, so I watched it.
A great video. An actual informative and useful video without trying to sell me something!! Keep it up! And yes, I did like and subscribe!!
Hey thanks brother! I appreciate it... to be honest I just hit 1000 subs a couple minutes ago... you may well have been my 1000th sub
Never put ammo in the trash! Dangerous!
I store in sealed ammo cans with a few silica packs and inside the house. It will outlast me.
I now do something similar to that as well
Silica not silicone
@@richardcarden4161 lol I figured that was what you were saying
@@richardcarden4161 you’re right I should have checked my spelling. Thanks
What some military have done before selling or tradeing ammo for food or other supplies have done is this: They heated water and placed the ammo in a bucket of hot water. . . They let it cool and repeated. As it cooled the moister was drawn in rendering the primmer and powderr ineffective. In this way they secured food in the winter and weighed down thier enemies with mute ammo. Interesting story.
Well, you can at least save the bullets and brass. Pull the bullets and carefully decap the primers, dump the powder. I keep my ammo in the original boxes in .30 or .50 cal ammo cans. For long term storage I also paint the primers with Markon. From what I understand it’s the temp extremes that’s the worst thing which you describe. Thanks for the reminder!
Excellent, experience- based video. Thank you for passing the information along!
Thanks
If you have ammo you want to trust your life on, you need to keep it stored under the best possible conditions. Zip lock bags inside ammo cans with good seals, and if possible indoors. Moisture wicking packs are not a bad idea either. If stored propperly, ammo can stay good a very long time. I have seen ammo that was made in the 1930s work reliably today.
You don't even need the zip lock bags.
Just store it inside your house.
Not the basement, garage or anything like that.
If it lives where you live, it will last a very long time with minimal effort.
I suggest you learn to reload and then you can pull and save the bullets, brass and dump the primers and powder then reload the rounds and then shoot them just fine. Be sure to inspect the primer to be sure they did not get wet also! You just saved at least 1/2 the cost of the round.
Seems one of the best ways to preserve ammo for several years is to vacuum seal it and keep it in a cool, stable environment. I don't own a vacuum sealer so I've never tried it myself but I know people who do vacuum seal their ammo and they seem to have a lot of success storing ammo that stays reliable for use.
It can work but still not as efficient as a can. Not as easily to access either. I learned today that concrete will cause moisture and that ammo cans should not be stored on concrete. A lot of garages have concrete slabs inside like mine and that’s where I store my empty cans but not anymore😎
@saucyscrambler8710 well that really depends on what one would consider their personal version of "efficient" means. Storing them in a vacuum seal would actually completely negate any effects of moisture or rust, allowing ammo to be stored without that concern and that to me actually sounds more efficient for long term storage. As I said, I personally DO NOT use vacuum seal technology for anything but I do store my personal ammo and other supplies in very robust water proof, plastic containers specifically designed to store ammunition even if it is burried in the ground. I just add a desiccant before sealing the container and I've stored ammunition for over 5 years using these containers which I was later able to easily reopen and retrieve the ammo... the ammunition was fine and still working reliably after that time. Any ammunition I keep is either in one of those containers, in one of my gun safes or in in other plastic ammo cans, inside mylar bags designed to store ammo and placed atop some heavy duty plastic shelves I bought at Home Depot and I also always use desiccant in anything I use to store ammo, including my gun safes in order to absorb any moisture. I guess we all have our own different methods of storage and we should all stick with what works for us if that's what we choose to do.
I had 2 speed clips of 556 I got from the early 80's. I literally had it for 30 years. It was loose. I tripped over it so many times. It was in one of my tool boxes for a while. A cardboard box in my garage. It went from southern California to North Carolina, to the Bay area, to the central valley, back to the Bay area, and finally the eastern Sierras. One day rummaging thru storage I came acrossed it again. The speed clip was rusty. The shells were green and corroded. I stuck it in an old steel coffee pot and sprayed it with ZEP-45. A month or so later I removed it from the speed clips and wiped it down with a shop towel. Loaded it in a mag and took it to the range. It shot flawlessly!
Back in the 1980s, I bought 10 cases (1,000 round each wood case) of Norinco 7.62x51 military grade 147 grain ball ammo. Cases were berdan brass with sealed primers. This ammo was stored in an ammo bunker where the high summer temps ranged up to 112-120°F and winter lows down to 28-30°F. Every round of this ammo fired just as expected with no degradation of accuracy. The key was the ammo has sealed primers and never got wet or corroded by condensation. The same goes for IMI 9mm ammo sealed in ammo cans and military grade crated ammo that had never got wet or damp.
Keep it dry, keep it dry, keep it dry.
I have 308 from WWII Still working! I keep them in ammo boxes off of the floor in a storage closet in my house.
And it seems that exposure to the time machine didn't hurt it at all.
Use a new ammo can with a good rubber gasket that seals when you close. I just pour the ammo into the ammo can like the one u got but its a newer polymer type ammo can with a rubber gasket as i said b4. Throw some silica packs in there and its good to go. Leave it in ur crib at like room temp and low humidity. Itll last years .
As you , ammo can with new Desiccant and it will last many years. Cool dry area.
Yep, only reason to bag it would be to store different size ammo in the same can.
I heat rice in a pan to fully dehydrated it then throw a hand full in ammo cans.
I store ammo cans in the lowest end of the basement, in case of a fire this area will be the first to be flooded.
Be careful with those plastic cans .When they are full and heavy.When you pick them up by the lid handle. The lid can flex causing the seal to open letting air and moisture in. You might want to consider switching to mil type metal cans. Just a thought.
Good video man! I hope a lot of people see this, it’s important. I have a neighbor that keeps all of his out in the (not climate-controlled garage). I’ve been trying to get him to bring it in to the house. I keep mine in my bedroom closet in ammo cans, with silica gel packs in each can. And they do get humidity in the cans still. Just had to “recharge” (dry them out in the oven) today. Have to do that about every six months, and my house’s humidy only varies from 40-60% year round.
Always keep ammo in original boxes in case of a recall. Then when putting it in an ammo can and throw in a couple sicla packs for moisture.
Agree, I keep in original boxes, storage in wood drawers in a chest of drawer. Inside house, control temperature. And a bunch of those silica bags
I found that temperature variations can vary greatly. I have ammo stored in temps in the low teens, all the way up to 115*F. The key is humidity/moisture control. Ziplock bags or any plastic baggies don’t work. I just keep them in sealed ammo cans like in the video. A sealed ammo can is what the military has been doing for decades.
I use my wife's vacuum sealer to seal my primers after placing a date inside the bag. You could store ammo the same way.
I vacuum seal EVERYTHING. But yes, especially primers. Even the projectiles. Toss in an oxygen eater and a desiccant. Years and years later they still look brand new with zero discoloration. I can't tell you how many years I've been doing this with .22 rounds also. Buy a brick, dump the box into a vacuum bag, spread even, oxygen eater and desiccant. I have some that are over 20 years old and they still look and perform just like brand new.
Yep...I've heard that when temperatures Fluctulate in big swing like that ....that's is one of the big no no for ammo unfortunately you learned this lesson by mistake but very good also for new gun owners to hear!!! Good stuff thanks for sharing
It’s not bad ammo. mix it with some good stuff and make it your “malfunction drill” ammo
Noooooo... one squib is one to many..
I kept ammo just in the boxes on a shelf in a cabin in Alaska We have big temperature swings and the cabin is only heated when we are there never had a issue with ammunition not working
Back in ‘95 I bought 1100 rounds for $115 still vacuum packed from Mother Russia. I looked at prices yesterday and apparently I quadrupled my investment by now. Probably the only wise decision I’ve made in my life. 😂
First rule is always store your ammo in a cool, stable environment at a low humidity level. I personally never bag ammo. You may introduce humid air in a sealed environment. My ammo is reloaded lose in ammo cans and sealed with a silica pouch. For six months of the year i run a dehumidifier in my basement to keep humidity below 50%.
Get a bullet puller and reload with fresh powder and primers. Knowing how to reload, and with your son would be time we'll spent. You could do this on rainy and/or cold days. 👍
PS. Videos like this are just as important as videos showing how to store ammo correctly. Thanks for this video.
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Humidity probably did the most damage. Good lesson to learn. I have some ammo that I have had in a storage building for a few years. Dry, but hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Not that cold (South Texas) but plenty of 100 degree days in the summer. I hope that I don't have to replace all of it.
Dont store your ammo in plastic bags that trap & draw moisture. Just dump them straight in the can.
I placed my ammo boxes in vacuumed sealed pouches with desiccant packets and then stores in my safe with reusable dehumidifiers. This is also how I stored my primers as well, no issues at all.
Thank you for the video. Hopefully, you sharing your mistake will prevent someone else from making the same mistake.
That is my goal
I would say it was not temp changes but moisture intrusion, For those of us that keep firearms in our vehicles and even law enforcement that have long guns and loaded mags in their trunks where summer time temps can get over 130 degrees and winter temps up north get into the negatives, ammo can take swings in temps. There was a cool test on You tube a while back that tested hot ammo vs freezing ammo, it all functioned fine. it was wet ammo and ammo that got wet and then dried off that had problems.
It’s always a better idea to have a live stockpile than a static one. Use from one end while continuously adding to the other. Keeping a constant rotation. That’s a good rule to use for anything you’re stocking.
I learn lessons slowly I guess
That goes for a food pantry also!😁😁
Good show. Good intell. Thank you.
It's not the cold. It's the heat. The other enemy of ammunition is moisture. Sealing the cartridge or your plastic bags, as long as the humidity is low when you package it, or add desiccant in the bags, and or storage container.
Be very leery of any ammo that has been exposed to salt water. It can self ignite when drying out.
I didn't know that. Do you know this for a fact how do you know? I have some 556 ammo that I use in the power heads I take spearfishing. I always shake them to see if they're dry inside still, but I didn't know that if they got wet and could actually present a hazard. I have some rounds that have been underwater for more than 30 hours that I tested in the work fine. I used to run 7.62 by 54R power heads and I had some cartridges that add 40 plus hours in the water and still fired one caveat to my observations is that before putting them in the power heads I have painted the primer with nail polish
@sandcrab805 of course it can't self ignite from saltwater, that's ridiculous she made that up!😂
Always have an "area" where you handle ammo, firearms and storage of ammo. Always have on hand what you need to store the ammo. On my bench i have a vacuum sealer and rolls of vacuum seal bags that can be cut to size when needed. When buying ammo, regardless of how much, the process is always the same. If there is ammo in longterm storage of that caliber i bought, they get pulled, and those older rounds are what I will shoot with. The new rounds get repackaged/resealed in vac bags with desiccant baggies inside. The bottoms of the ammo cans that store the vac bagsz they get a layer of kitty litter and a piece of stiff card paper on top, so vacbags dont rub against the kitty litter. The inside bottom of each ammo can has an inventory of whays in the can. That gets updated with whatever new caliber was replaced with. Then those ammo cans get stored way in the back as longterm storage. Shirt term storage has similar setuo but without vacuum sealing bags. Instead each ammo can has an oiled and whole rubber gasket and inside the the ammo can is first placed a piece of dry cardboard on top of a layer of kitty litter, and then a large ziploc bag is placed inside. All ammo is placed inside the ziploc bag thats inside the ammo can and eventually sealed/closed before closing the ammo can. The only other way ammo is stored is in caches, and thats a different topic, or "for the day", as in im taking it shooting. The ammo im shooting gets labelled as "from store" or from a specific ammo can/year, etc. "Batch". This way in the rare event when shooting, there are any misfires or squibs, i can look up which lot the ammo is from and if its from a larger collection thats in storage, those get pulled and completely replaced and they will be used for range shooting/practice. Ammo is only "stored" in magazines for the day because theyre only loaded in mags when going shooting. Anyway thise are my neighbors methods and what he does and it's worked for him.
I'm gonna say that tossing ammo components is not wise. You can always find someone who will use the brass and bullets for great justice.
Always good to hear other folks' experiences. Thanks for the lesson.
So maybe the temperature fluctuations degraded the powder??? That sucks though. Good lesson to learn.
I'm assuming so... I did learn the lesson though
Exactly. Your casings are brass & your bullet is lead or lead jacketed in copper. Every metal or metal alloy has a different heat coefficient which will cause them to expand or contract at different rates in constantly shifting temperatures. The crimped seal between casing & bullet will loosen allowing miniscule amounts of humidity to contaminate the powder or the primer.
Mylar bags with small dessicant bags & excess air pushed out will protect your ammo forever
Thanks for the info, I store my ammo with Silica Bags to reduce the moisture caused by temperature changes and I have som 20 plus year old stuff that works fine.
It may be possible that because the ammo was stored in plastic bags that the temperature changes caused condensation to form ruining the primers or powder. Being completly sealed and allowing no fresh air may have caused condensation inside the case?
exactly, this wouldn't have happened if stored in the boxes they came in then in the ammo can, the plastic did its job, it held the moisture but on the wrong side!
I bought one of those food storage machines that pull a vacuum on a bag. I put about 80 to 100 rounds in each bag. The ammo needs to be in its original box or the points on 5.56 may punch a hole in the bag. So far so good.
Large fluctuations in temperature breaks down the powder which is probably what happened
One tip I can offer to you (something I personally do when storing my ammo) is to place a silica packet in each ammo can. While it will not protect the ammo from very large degrees/fluctuations of moisture it will help to keep the ammo dry and free of corrosion. You can buy silica packets cheap online as well. Honestly I put one in all of my tool drawers, toolboxes, silverware drawers, ammo cans, gun safes (use 2-3 in large gun safes), etc. They work wonderfully, just remember to change them out every year or so. Anyway just a personal opinion/practice.
Hopefully you have learned from all of the comments to NEVER store your ammo in these zip lock plastic bags anymore. If you're looking for ways to break down large bulk purchases or if you reload in large bulk as i do. Usually in 1000 to 10,000 Increments. There's several different ways to store this ammo so it won't do what thid ammo you left out in the barn in this sealed bag. Ultimately the best way is to store it lose in those Surplus Ammo cans. Be sure the seals on the lids are good and drop at least one of the moisture killer packs in with each full can. I personally use two in each of my 30 cal cans. I also store ammo in 5 gallon buckets with the screw on lids. However since there's about 7-K rounds of 223 in a bucket like that. I use multiple moisture killers including one on the top that tells me if things are to damp and they need recharged in the over for a few hours. I also wear gloves after i run my reloaded ammo threw the tumbler the last time before it gets stored away. Just to be sure and get any oils or anything thatbi might have on my hands at that time. If you ever see ammo from the Western Block European countries. Its usually wrapped in paper that helps absorb any unwanted moisture. Old Black and White news paper (Not colored adds) Will do the same thing. So will the paper you use in Body Shops to mask off areas you don't want paint on.
I have come across ammunition my dad bought in the early sixties, it’s in the original box and on some of the boxes it said Store in a cool dry place. It works just fine and I gave a friend some 30-06 ammunition that was dated LC-44 on the on the head, it worked just fine for him.
I think you could use the ammo for training practice even if you don’t try to reuse the components. Someone might be willing to pay for it.
It sounds like maybe moisture got into the powder of the ammo.
Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts. I make sure to rotate through all my ammo. I keep all my ammo in 30/50 cal cans and verify the seal annually. I also have desiccant in each can. I use mineral oil on the seals every year, as well.
Never throw loaded ammo in the trash, (usually against the law), give them to a local re-loader for the brass, just met one at the last gun show in my area!😁😁 Or donate to a gun range that saves brass!😁
I pooped the bullets out with pliers and gave the rest a shot of oil
The slugs are worth more then the brass. Get a collet puller and a single stage press rebuild that shit a pound of powder goes forever loading 9mm like a thousand literally
Hunter Biden does it, why not us?
Never throw even bad rounds away!!! EVER!!! In a SHTF scenario, even if they don't function they can be traded as raw material to a reloader.
Or they can be taken apart and reloaded. Most times its just the primer that goes bad. Ive seen ammo that was 100 years old reprimed and it all shot fine.
We’ve got ammo left in a remote Alaska cabin for decades, only stored in the original boxes. (.22, 9mm, 12 gauge) 20F below to 90F above temps, seasonal and humidity fluctuations, and it always works fine. I think the problem is storing ammo in a sealed container/bag where moisture is locked in. Maybe having enough of those moisture absorbers helps, but I’m not gonna break what doesn’t need fixing.
WARNING!!!!!: Some people in comments store their ammo next to the Bud Lite in their Liberty safe
Vid of how ammo was disposed of
th-cam.com/video/vW3mECH5B9Q/w-d-xo.html
would you like to know a secret about factory original GLOCK magazines I found out about ?
If ammo is stored near household cleaners it will go bad too. has some kind of effect on the primers.
the GLOCK company told me that their center fire high capacity magazines springs are poor quality and will cause your pistol to malfunction if you keep the magazine fully loaded for more than 8 months.
@@tigermanmccool4037 some center fire ammunition has sealed primers.
Been shooting glock mags for just shy of 20 years... ilk swap spring out every year or so and I have never had an issue
Excellent video. Good explanation of what happened. Oddly enough, I have a couple of boxes of Peters .25-35 shells that my grandfather bought. It was always stored in the house, no plastic bags, just the paper boxes, and it shoots just fine. Oh, yeah. My rancher grandfather died in 1974.
Video shooting bad ammo
th-cam.com/video/q7SmRiVHGbM/w-d-xo.html
Weekly Prepping Advice and Tips: th-cam.com/play/PL7miNuIh_5BERbIhfMIO5JcWiVFzqR7aP.html
Here is another FYI...........carried a .380 semi auto, loaded with Federal ammo for I'm guessing about a year. Went to fire it, and it was delayed firing, although the primer fired correctly. All 7 rounds did the same. (Primer fired, delay, then bang). I got out the same box that the ammo had came from and they all fired fine. After talking with many others as to what had happened, I only found one person who had experienced it too, except he had carried his in the box in his truck for some time. Our conclusion was that carrying ammo in a vehicle or on your person for extended periods of time does something to the powder from the constant shaking. Have you ever experienced or heard of this?
@Jason7.62x39 .....not sure what it does to it. But I can attest that it is not reliable after extended periods of carrying. Just something to be aware of. 👍
@@americansfirst1095 ~Maybe it’s the sweat moisture from your body?
‘Hornady’ makes ‘Outfitter’ ammo that is specially made waterproof.
~I think (black) ABS plumbing pipe is tougher than (white and grey) PVC plumbing pipe. PVC is more flexible. ABS is more durable and shock resistant. ABS is better than PVC for handling cold temperatures but ABS can warp or bend under direct exposure to sunlight. ABS comes in Schedule 40 snd also Schedule 80 which is thicker. ABS does not rust, rot, or corrode and comes in about 1” inch ‘to’ 24” inches in diameter and can be cut to a desired length. If it is used >>>for waterproof storage
You are throwing away 100's of dollars of components!! Sounds like it damaged the primers. The powder , casing, and projectile are probably still good..
Had some OLD Super X 22. Left in original boxes in garage. Temps from 20’s to near 100. Boxes have been in garage for about 30 years. Worked just fine in 1022. Cycled perfectly
Temperature cycling will reduce storage life faster than anything. Stock rotation is always a smart idea. Valuable lesson learned,
It takes a lot of humility to talk about this and post. You have helped educate me not to do the same. Thank you.
You ever heard the phrase "keep your powder dry"....drastic fluctuation in temp, will nearly always cause condensation...O2 absorbers aren't a bad idea, but not necassary, like you said, when stored in a constant, and fairly dry climate.
I have 7.62, 38 and 357 ammo I bought and stored in 50 cal ammo cans in 1995, with desiccant packs. Ive only opened the cans 4 or 5 times since storing them but as of last year every shot I pulled out of the cans fired properly and accurately. Im a firm believer in air tight ammo storage.
THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP. I had a FIRE in my BEDROOM at 3 am back in 1/17/23 and unfortunately a few of my TOYS and a small stash of ammo got TORCHED about 2%-3% loss. The rest got taken out of its hiding place by 4-5 friends and myself (I'm 71 and have left knee problems since 1983) so I wasn't much help. My stash was mostly in 50cal. cans and a couple of 30 and 20mm., they filled up the entire bed of a small pick-up truck. The weapons went to friends who had several safes and the ammo to a storage place. The storage unit got broken into and ALL MY ammo was taken, I did have some insurance on it BUT NOT ENOUGH. I had $5,000 of insurance but there was probably more than $15,000 in ammo. At least I did have the $5,000 worth of insurance. Hope you have BETTER LUCK THAN ME. NOT WEAPONS WERE STOLEN but a couple were badly torched and a couple that are SALVAGEABLE.🤔😳😵💫😩😖😡🤬😮💨😓
I hate that, but I would never store important things like ammo or guns in a storage locker, those things are notorious for getting ripped off!!!
I bought a safe for my guns, and I bought a safe for my ammo. I got dehumidifier rods in both of them. I have no problems .Just took my grandson plinking with 22 I bought about 15 years ago, give or take a year. Controlled environment is a must. Thanks, just subbed 🤝
Very good observation my friend. My motto is if you are comfortable temperature wise, your ammo will be too. Fluctuations in temp and humidity will ruin the powder. We subscribed!
I put a box of Thunderbolts in the top of a closet about 20 years ago. Shortly thereafter my old man passed away and I built a new house on the same property. I took a windows out of the trailer house so for 10 years that trailer house sat with no heat windows open two or three feet from the closet in Oregon. It gets super super wet. Very high humidity. Super super hot about 10 years. After I put those 22s up I found the box. The box is in good shape. I got the Ruger 10.22 out all 50 of them fire just fine. Many of the same conditions you described in your video. The only difference was they weren't a plastic bag drawing moisture.
I ordered a case of ammo for a Swiss rifle built in the 1800's for a customer of mine in the mid 1980's. Don't recall the caliber, but when we opened the case and inspected the boxes they looked like they had just been packaged. When we opened a couple of the boxes the brass looked like it had been made the day before. Further inspection of the cartridges revealed that they were stamped with the Nazi headstamp (eagle and swastika) and dated 1938. The boxes were stamped Hungary (in German). The ammo fired perfectly said my customer.
I'm not sure that Baam Ranch is correct in his assumption about the ammo going bad because of how his ammo was stored. I am not saying he is a liar, I am just saying that maybe it was a bad lot of ammo.
In the mid 80's I loaded a lot of ammo. Out of curosity I wanted to see if I could make ammo inoperable by submerging the 6 or 7 or so rounds in water. After 3 years the brass was so corroded that they would hardly fit in the chamber without having to scrape off the corrosion. The lead tips were corroded white, but did not affect the loading of the chamber though. Every one them fired perfectly. This ammo was stored inside so maybe it was temperature issue.
A scuba diver, retrieved 50 cal Rounds, from Moses Lake Wa. These had Been under water many, many years, and still fired.
With all that being said, I pulled the seat out of my dad's 86 ford ranger and found a crusty old .243 round he had dropped and forgot at some point over the last 30 years. It went bang.
Buddy, here’s what you do. If you take any prescription medicine or whenever you buy aspirin or something over the counter, save the desiccant that comes in the bottle. Whenever you store ammo, whether it’s in an ammo can or otherwise, toss in one or two of those desiccant packages. I get regular medications, so I’ve got dozens of those things. That’s what I use them for.
I found a sack of .45 ammo in my great grandfather's storage shed. I know for a fact is was out there for more than 15 years. It was in an incredibly humid state, with also some harsh winters with long periods of temps well below zero. Made it through the whole bag with no issue.
For many years there was a good reason why most foreign military ammunition was Berdan primed, often with corrosive primers. These had an amazing shelf life, especially when stored under stable conditions. The corrosive part was the mercury used in primer construction. That is one of the main reasons why military rifles usually have chrome-lined bores. BTW, the mercuric salts, left by corrosive primers, can be removed by rinsing with warm soapy water, then you use regular bore cleaners to finish the job of removing powder residue.