Shelf life of reloads?

[Idaho_Potato]

If I get a load dialed in for a hunting rifle - is there a shelf life for those rounds? Thinking about loading up 250 or so and vacuum sealing them. I don't shoot my hunting rifle more than 20-30 times a year. Is this a bad idea?

 

[jd270win]

I’ve shot both factory and reloaded ammo much older than 10 years old with no issues. I’ve never noticed a change in POI or group size that couldn’t be attributed to some other factor.

I am dubious about vacuuming sealing- if you have an airtight seal at the neck and primer, the pressure differential could potentially pull a bullet (or worse) a primer out a little bit. Probably wouldn’t be an issue though, I think I have seen vac pac’d mil surplus ammo somewhere.

I’ve have very good luck storing reloads loose in ziplock bags with those little desiccant packs.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

I’ve shot both factory and reloaded ammo much older than 10 years old with no issues. I’ve never noticed a change in POI or group size that couldn’t be attributed to some other factor.

I am dubious about vacuuming sealing- if you have an airtight seal at the neck and primer, the pressure differential could potentially pull a bullet (or worse) a primer out a little bit. Probably wouldn’t be an issue though, I think I have seen vac pac’d mil surplus ammo somewhere.

I’ve have very good luck storing reloads loose in ziplock bags with those little desiccant packs.

Good to know, thanks. I might cut the vac off right when it starts to pull tight and call it good. I just want to get the oxygen out.

 

[Achigan1]

Shot some 300 H&H and 250 Savage loads today that were loaded more than 10 years ago, dry storage in an MTM box but no special treatment. I didn’t even seal the primers. They went bang and flew into the same groups as the ones I loaded last night.
Was just going to use them for foulers but they shot just fine. Evidently I haven’t changed recipes lol.

 

[Daniel G. Banting]

If you avoid anything obvious like excessive heat/moisture you will find shelf life similar to yours.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I use oxygen absorbers (amazon or Uline) for long term storage. Ziplocks or other types of plastic bags with duct tape.

 

[litewings]

Was wondering this myself. Getting back into shooting/hunting after a long hiatus. Have some reloads from 1987. They were very accurate at that time, Now accuracy from the same rifles is not good at all. Could be me, kinda rusty.

 

[PA Hunter]

I have .300 RUM loads I loaded in 1997 with Reloader powder and Accurate. Just shot some this year and still perfect no velocity loss at all with my chronograph and I had them stored in a horrible place in my garage hot in summer constant temperature changes. I have since moved everything to my cellar but everything was loose in plastic ammo boxes.

 

[robtattoo]

I've shot plenty of .303 brit surplus that's north of 60 years old. Wasn't stored in anything special, just wooden crates. It shot like it was loaded yesterday.
Don't worry about it.

 

[Shrek]

There are issues with neck tension and necks bonding to the bullets. For ultimate accuracy you should load only what you are going to shoot. I’ve had very old ammo work harden so much from the neck tension that all the necks cracked when I shot them. We’re talking about some 30-30 rounds from the early sixties but they did fire. I coat my bullets with hBN so neck weld isn’t a problem but over time the necks would still harden and increase ES and SD.
There’s also the possibility that the powder goes bad. If you have ever had a bottle of powder turn a rust color and dusty you know it can happen. Another reason not to load until you need the ammunition.

 

[Muley Buck]

I agree with Shrek, the shorter the better. I try to not store loaded ammunition for longer than a 2-3 months. Ideally within a month would probably be best. I haven't messed with any HBN yet, but I am curious about it and would like to in the near future though. I have shot my own handloads a year after being loaded and there wasn't a whole lot of difference in POI. But there was a difference, only thing was they did consistently shoot a little higher than normal, we're talking average 2-4 in high at 725. Probably due to a "cold weld" yielding a little bit higher pressures. At least that's what I deduced from the info I had.

 

[[email protected]]

I have and shoot reloads that my granddad reloaded before he quit shooting when I was 14 I’m 31 now so good to 17 years at least.

 

[MillCreekMike]

I found some .308's my dad loaded in 1968 topped with Win silver tips. He had that load dialed in for the old model 88, they still shoot great.

 

[MT257]

Once they are loaded, if they have a good seal you should have no worries they will last a long time.

 

[Az Rancher]

Have fired some reloads that were 30 years old all went bang, but I didn’t have any previous chrono data.

 

[Comerade]

I have used very old handloads and if I do these days I will break the neck weld bond by seating the bullet a hair deeper- you will hear a pop as you do this.
These days I seat bullets long and seat to requirements at the time of use. This bond drives up pressures and p.o.i. .

 

[easychair]

Thanks for the Question and answers, I go in reload marathons and never shoot all the rounds I've loaded.

 

[robtattoo]

I don't know it this short of a shelf life matters, but I was at the range this afternoon, playing around with my LR 6.5 bench gun. I shot 30 rounds of 140vlds that I loaded 2 years ago, just to shoot them, & 40 rounds if 140vlds I loaded on Sunday. There was no discernable (out of the usual es/sd) velocity difference I could notice over the chrono, and all rounds impacted within the same target area at 1250 yds. From that particular sample group, I wouldn't be concerned. But all my rounds, especially my target stuff, is stored in a temperature & humidity controlled environment. Over that time span & under those particular circumstances I didn't see a measurable difference.

 

[Sawfish]

This 100 yard group is from a 35 Whelen Ackley Improved Encore pistol using .35 Whelen Encore ammo that I loaded for my .35 Whelen rifles over 25 years ago. Stored in a GI Ammo can for over a quarter of a century.

 

[Speedbump]

I've never encountered any problems, or decline in performance, with older reloads. I've used stuff 30-35 years old. I tend to believe that components are more likely to age gracefully in a carefully built ammo than in bulk containers.
Proper storage is important in both cases. Most any reloading guide will explain those requirements.