Are bullets good forever?

Question

I have some .38 special bullets that I"ve had for 25 yrs. and there is no telling how long they were around before I got them. There are several different kinds also. Should I try using them or get rid of them?

Answer 1

as long as it's been clean and dry it should go boom.

Old ammo and the boxes it came in can be a valuable collectable... do a little reasearch before you shoot up any full boxes.

I have has a few old boxes that were worth the price of 3 or for boxes of new stuff from Wally world.

Answer 2

i have ammo dating back to the tale 40's that works well. if the ammo appears to be in good condition without a lot of tarnishing and damage, then it should be fine to shoot. though if you have any doubts, no sense in risking it.

Answer 3

If ammunition is stored in a reasonably dry area free from extream temperatures it should last indefinatly.  I've shot military ammo from WWI that was still good and commercial ammo that was older still and was in good condition.  On the other side of the coin, I've run across ammo of fairly new manufacture that wasn't stored properly that was unusealble.  

Answer 4

Bullets last forever, they are made of lead.

The powder and primer may be bad.

Follow the basic rules of common sense.

If you feel safe shooting them and they are in good condition then use them.

I would not rely on them for home defense though.

If you want to dispose of them just take them to the Police station and they will destroy them for you.

Answer 5

They will be safe to fire.

Sometimes the powder or primers will degrade and lose

power, so they might not be reliable, but they won't damage your gun.

They might have corrosive priming, so clean the gun carefully after using them.

Answer 6

Use em then go buy new ones.

Answer 7

I have personally seen and fired ammunition loaded with both smokeless and black powder that was close to the century mark in age, all of which functioned just fine, as it had been stored and cared for properly., in a cool, dry environment.

Any ammunition that receives such proper care can be expected to have just as long a lifetime expectancy.

I have some WWI I vintage steel-case .45ACP, as well as some milsurp .38 SPL. ball that belonged to my father, all of which are old than I am, and I have little doubt that any of it would function if I chose to fire it.

As long as it is in good condition, I doubt you need have any concern with shooting your old .38's as the worst that could happen would be misfires, which can be disposed of in safe manner.

Answer 8

Not forever but ammunition does have a long storage life provided it is kept out of the weather and stored in a dry place.  Twenty-five years is not excessive for ammo.  If there is not noticiable discoloration, corrosion, etc. they're probably still viable.  The only way to make sure is to try one.  If you're using your .38 Special for defensive purposes let me suggest that you just buy a fresh box of quality defensive ammo.  I like the .38 Special 110 grain Federal Personal Defense Hydra Shok round.  A box of twenty won't put you in the poor house and you'll be sure it'll go 'bang' when you need it.  This particular round is not a +P or +P+ so it'll work even in older .38 Special revolvers.

Good luck.

H

Answer 9

Use em.*