Safe to use 30-year old ammo?

Is it generally safe to use 30-year old ammo? I have a family heirloom .270 Weatherby Mag along with my Uncle’s hand loads. He was an exceptional gun guy and handloader, but should I be concerned with the age of the ammo? Thanks.

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I’m no expert by any means but I think it has to do with how it was stored, like in a dry spot. I have used some 22 cal stuff that is that old and some worked fine while others did not fire. Was not a safety issue just would not want to drop the hammer while aiming at a deer and have it not go off.

I’ve shot lots of Vietnam era ammo with no issues. If it was stored nicely, like John stated, it shouldn’t be an problem.

I’ll start with your uncle’s handloads. I could NOT find any current load data either on the IMR database or from a quick look in the Nosler (vol 6) manual and 2 of my other factory reloading manuals that show any loads using IMR 4064. Thus, I could NOT determine if the stated 61 grain powder charge was within the known safe pressure range.

Also, the 120 grain 270 Nosler bullet has been out of production for well over a decade, so there hasn’t been reloading data published in manuals for that specific bullet for quite some time.

Unless you or someone you absolutely trust has shot those handloads and know with certainty that they are safe in YOUR rifle, I would take steps to verify that these loads at the stated powder charge are within pressure safety limits or I would not shoot them.

Overall, I would NOT shoot anyone else’s handloads unless I had personal knowledge of their construction and the steps taken by the reloader to insure safe loads.

Again, personally, I would say that for the 10 rounds you have, I would simply pull the bullets and start over unless you can verify to your satisfaction that the given load on the box is safe.

The short answer regarding is American factory ammo that is 30 years old is generally considered safe is that there are few known large-scale safety concerns with shooting modern ammo with smokeless powder. So I would say the consensus I have read regarding ammo of that age would indicate that factory ammo is generally safe at that age.

All ammo should be inspected for case neck cracks and other signs of problems. If it doubt, toss it out. Also, you must know that the ammo in the box is actually the ammo that came in the box.

The main “problem” with older ammo is that prior to the mid-1950s, almost all ammo used primers containing a chlorate priming mixture. This mixture contained salts and as such, it was corrosive and would corrode chambers and barrels. Because of this corrosive primer mixture, I would not shoot any ammo made before 1955 not because of safety, but because of the corrosive mixture.

So a mixed answer for you.

Depressing to think I’m older than that box and that box looks freakin old .

Well if you do it just be aware you might end up kaboom’ing the heirloom. even the best handloaders could have thrown an extra charge accidentally.

i have cans of IMR 3031 powder that could be from the Nixon or Johnson administrations and I load 223 ammo with it and it works fine, so i would imagine you should be good. If you have any interest in selling that old box the ammo came in, let me know what you’d want. I kinda collect old shooting stuff and i think that would be neat on my shelf. The only thing I’d be scared of is that they are reloads, so I might check reloading guides and make sure what he has listed is within SAAMI specs.

Steve

All the casings in that box where I can see the spent primer look HOT!

Signs of excess pressure, primer flow.
I’d discard.

That powder listed on the box (if correct) is REALLY hot for that cartridge. There’s no telling what they will do in that rifle. I’d look for some factory loads to shoot that gun.

This is taken from my Lyman 47th Edition. I have no comment other than I would agree that it looks pretty hot.

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For reference, primer flow can be SLIGHTLY misleading BY ITSELF as a pressure sign. If there’s too much of a gap between the OD of the firing pin and ID of it’s hole on the bolt face, primers can flow fairly easily (certain eras of REM 700s were notorious for this). The edges of the primer cups don’t look to be flattened out at all, which in my experience is a more telling sign of true over pressure.

That being said, as others have stated, only shoot these if you truly trust whoever loaded them up.

waldo9190 wrote:

For reference, primer flow can be SLIGHTLY misleading BY ITSELF as a pressure sign

Agreed, looks like extractor indents too though. Signs to walk away

Good eye by fish blood and Jake for coming up with some load data.

I would put those handloads in the DO NOT SHOOT category.

There is simply no reason to push a Weatherby that hard. When you can get roughly 2900 to 3000 fps in a middle of the road load, I can see nothing good coming from maxing the load for an extra 200 fps or so.

Also, to the guys that road, how many loads have you found where max accuracy was found in the last grain or are max recommended?

I’ve never had it happen that I recall. It seems the sweet spot often ends up being in the middle of the range.

My 223 load for coyotes has a 50 grain vmax sitting above a full charge of IMR 3031 and it shoots dime size groups at 200 yards. That would be the only load I have that shoots the best at a max load. Heck, the bullet crunches when seated. I did advise above, though, to check the load data on his loads to make sure that they weren’t too hot. The rifle that I hunt with for my Vmax loads is a CZ 527, but it also works well in all my ARs.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Also, to the guys that road, how many loads have you found where max accuracy was found in the last grain or are max recommended?

I’ve never had it happen that I recall. It seems the sweet spot often ends up being in the middle of the range.

I’d have to look at my notes, but I believe I have 3 loads that are all up there. However, I will say that when I’ve used the OCW development method, I usually find a load near the middle and one near book max that shoot well, and if groups are not all that different I’ll usually opt for the higher performing load (unless loading for a rifle where a softer load is desirable).

One good practice (in my opinion) is to always try and reference 2 or 3 different data sources when working up a load. I’ve found that my Lee book, Western Powders PDF (or Hogdon, IMR, etc), and Barnes/Nosler data can vary on the max load by a couple grains for the same powder/bullet combo.

Isn’t most of that really cheap corrosive eastern block stuff ( brown bear and others) from 60 years ago? I Read it had been stored in tuna cans in caves so maybe that maked a difference, but still super old.

I too am concerned by the appearance of the primers on the spent loads. I would maybe pull the bullets, dump the powder, and save the brass if you hand load or can gift them to someone who does. They look too hot to me. At the least, disregarding your personal safety, why damage an heirloom?

Thanks everybody for the advice. I carefully and safely shot 2 of the rounds without any problems. I finally found some new ammo at Scheels and now will use those rounds going forward and keep the handloads as mementos only. Thanks again, safe shooting!