cartridge shelf life

[malc57]

what is the cartridge shelf life ,ive got some 12g that are over 30 years old ??

[WelshLamb]

as long as theyve been kept dry, they will probably still fire!

[fenboy]

They will be fine , I recently used a few 100 Winchesters that were made in the 70s

[Floating Chamber]

I recently shot a shed load of Eley from the 1930s. They had copper caps (primers)

[bedwards1966]

There isn't one. If the cartridges have been kept in a very damp environment (that will be obvious at they'll be very rusty) then it's possible that the powder may be damp, if ever you get one that doesn't go bang properly do check your barrel is clear of the wad before loading another cart (this applies to any cartridge though, it's just more likely if the powder has got damp).

[fieldwanderer]

I read somewhere that old cart's kick more because the powder absorbed a certain amount of moisture out of the air. No idea how curate that is though

[Alycidon]

They will be fine if kept dry. I shot some 30 year old Eleys a while ago, one had an odd sound when it went off but the bird dropped, other than that perfect.

 

A

[clayslayer]

Damp is the big problem military return after 10 years but cartridges will go a lot longer if stored correctly if they go off like damp sqiubs move them into a warm dry atmosphere for a couple of months if they still sound wrong get rid of them.

[Vince Green]

Not shotgun but there is still lots of fifty year old military surplus rifle ammo going round.