Things last a long time.
Posted on 10/05/2013 6:55:29 AM PDT by Kip Russell
How long is forever? Proper stored means moisture free and heat/cold extreme free. It will be in mint condition as long as those conditions are maintained.
When I got it, it was full of that damn Cosmoline, but after taking it apart and cleaning all that crap out, and refinishing the stock, it's good to go.
Longer than you will last.
Generally concur with all said so far.
.303 Enfield ammo manufactured by the Pakistani Ordnance Factory (POF) in the 1960’s, however, is demonstrating significant “click-bang” behavior, though.
Stick with ammo manufactured in the First World and you should be OK.
“...I’ve fired 50 yr. old 32-20 ammo....in a 1934 Colt revolver. (cost Grandpa $11 mail order)...”
Yep! It’s this kind of info that should just totally scare the govt. communist take-over libs completely spitless. Even IF the sorry bassturds managed to outlaw every gun and bullet on the market today, there are billions and billions of rounds out there from the past along with who knows how many working firearms. Kinda makes their meager 1.5 billion round arsenal kinda small-looking...LOL
Hey, all you NSA types, stick that in your damn “database” and smoke it. Also, you ain’t gettin’ paid...you should just “man” up and quit...LOL...Oh wait, did I said, “man”? Sorry.
About 15% was corroded and is being disassembled as time permits. Of those rounds I've disassembled I've touched off bit of powder from several and it appeared good. The Bredan primers on the corroded cases have all been dead though.
Of those rounds that do not have case corrosion, I've fired about 150 rounds and have had about a dozen misfires.
Before moving from CA to AZ I stored about 2000 rounds of cheap Chinese 7.62x39 underground for about 10 years in plastic pipe with hot glued ends that I'd dried with dry ice and packed with desiccant. It's over 20 years old now. I've fired about a quarter of it and it's all been good.
Ammo will last a long time if you keep it dry.
I used to own a .32 cal rimfire Smith & Wesson "Old Army" made in 1867. At a gun show, I found some .32 black powder cartridges made around 1910 or so. The revolver fired every round without a hitch.
I was on a US Navy destroyer in the 1980’s. The small arms ammo was mostly WWII surplus, the .45 and .50 caliber. (yes the Navy considers Ma deuce a small arm)The 7.62 rounds were from the Vietnam era. LOL. The bridge had binoculars that were WWII issue also.
There are 2 bunkers full of American Mad Anthony Wayne black powder here lost from 1777 retreat- I know where it is and I ain`t gonna go near it.
Things last a long time.
Firearms - Forever
Modern Ammunition - >70 years
I shoot 100 year old rifles all the time, and used a 70 year old rifle to shoot sub MOA groups with 70 year old ammunition this last summer.
Heat, humidity, and politicians are their only enemies.
I own 3 three weapons that are over 125 years old and they all work just fine (when you can spare the ammo). It seems to me the amount of use is way more important that age when saying how long they will last. As to the ammo question, there is quite a lot of 50-75 year old military ammo around that still works well, and much of that was somewhat poorly made, by today’s standards. Well maintained guns and good modern ammo should last several generations. Unless, of course, the balloon goes up and we HAVE to use it.
In the refrigerator, about 4 weeks. In the freezer, 6 months..
A non-polymer firearm that is prepared for long term storage will still function 1,000 years from now. By properly stored, I mean stripped, then cleaned, then each part packed within a thick coating of cosmoline/heavy grease. For the wood parts, I'd probably soak them in oil, the dip them in hot wax. 1,000 years from now, clean everything, lubricate it, put everything together and it should function as if it did yesterday.
For how long ammunition can be stored before slow, long term internal chemical reactions render it unreliable, I do not know. If stored in a cool, dry area it will last a long time. There have been threads here from time-to-time about U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan using .50 cal ammo that was produced for WWII and sat in some warehouse somewhere all these years until being dusted off and sent to the troops. Related question: how long will the ammunition last?
While working for the Army in explosive and weapons testing, we sectioned cannonballs recovered from near Gettysburg.ALL the black powder expelling charges were still functional. These cannonballs contained grape shot held in place by pitch with a black powder core.
Personal experience:
I was gifted a Colt AR15 SP1 a few years ago that hadn’t been out of its box since it was bought new in 1973 after the owner fired five rounds through it and put it away. When I received it, it was dry as a bone and had zero wear, rust, or discoloration. Bore was like a mirror after I ran a patch down it. This rifle was stored up in a closet in its original box in a desert ranch home since Nixon was President. It function tested perfectly, needing no maintenance or new springs or anything.
The oldest ammo I’ve ever shot was US military .30-06 that was packaged in a sealed can in 1934. Every round fired flawlessly.
Civil War era cannon balls have been found and they still worked as designed.
Odds are Revolutionary Era balck powder would still function, depending on storage conditions.
That powder would probably bring a great deal of money to collectors.
Its all in the storage.
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