Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

? asked in SportsOutdoor RecreationHunting · 3 weeks ago

What are the dangers of using 5 year old aluminum cased ammo?

Recently became a gun owner again after purchasing a G19 offline (nowhere to be found during covid locally) and bought all the necessary accessories BUT I'm kinda lacking in the ammo department. I'd say after my first 100 round range trip I'm gonna be down to only having my 4 mags full and no spare anything. 

I did however have the foresight to keep all the ammo from my previous guns I've bought and sold over the years AND they've all been 9mm so all the ammo can be fed through my new gun. The issue is some of the ammo is upwards of 5 years old at this point (all carry ammo I've spent every range round I've ever had) and hasnt been stored ideally. But none of the rounds have rust on them and they're all good brands, Hornady, Barnaby, Federal Etc. and all primers look good to go I've scraped up around 60 rounds looking in my car and around my house. So the question is should I give them a good dust off and keep em to the side or should I have a good day at the range with em and just call it a day.

OR the horrible third option. Are there hidden dangers I should know about? When I started keeping em I woulda shot em without thought but now that in wiser I'm a little skeptical.  Would love to know if I have to re buy any of these rounds which have all skyrocketed since lockdown and beyond.

P.S. RIP Yahoo Answers I've been coming here for years sad to see this might be one of my last questions

4 Answers

Relevance
  • Mr.357
    Lv 7
    2 weeks ago

    I would say they have at least another 50 years of useful life if you don't see any damage.

  • 3 weeks ago

     Properly stored ammo will last at least 100 years.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    There`s really no danger to the gun nor the shooter with aluminum cases. The reliability should be a concern with any ammo. I would not reload aluminum cased ammo because some aluminum alloys do not anneal leaving the same surface as brass. 

     Brass has a substantially higher melt point than aluminum that makes suitable reloading. Fire your aluminum cased rounds one time and you will have very little, if any, problems.

    Not impossible to reload a quality aluminum cased round...just needs to be done by a more meticulous than average re loader that has the right equipment and experience using that equipment.

  • 3 weeks ago

    If it was stored in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight, it should be fine. I have ammo thats over 40 years old and it fires just fine. Try a few out and see what they do to make sure.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.