Old 12 gauge ammo, any good?

[Keith_Indy]

These are "Western Super X Magnum 00B" of unknown age. As you can see some of them are bulging and others are discolored where they look to be starting to bulge.

No longer have a 12 gauge, so I'm looking to get rid of these. BUT don't want to sell them if they are suspect.

If no good, what's the best way to get rid of them safely? I was thinking going to Hamilton county hazardous waste site.

 

[Cameramonkey]

No apparent damage, corrosion, contamination by oil or other fluid, etc. You are good.

bullets and shells generally dont go bad just due to time.

 

[Leo]

I am sure they are fine, a buddy used to give me the loose shells he found in wrecks working at the junk yard. Even some of it that had been wet when boom.

 

[Ziggidy]

I'd be very careful. You better get rid of them ASAP to someone who knows how to utilize old ammo.

I usually charge people to take old ammo off their hands, but since you are on INGO, I'll do it for free.

 

[2in1evtime]

I was taught never to shoot shotgun ammo that is bulged, something to do with powder turning to something else????? kind of like dynamite that has sweated use at your own risk!!!!

 

[Leadeye]

A good stout SBS shotgun with cylinder bore choke will shoot just about anything. It's as close as you can get to a blunderbuss in modern guns.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

The slight bulges are from where the lead buckshot pellets are corroding a bit, hence expanding, and pushing outward on the casing. A couple of them might not chamber, or may be stiff in chambering, but the majority should be fine even if you can see the pellet inside. I've fired some of similar vintage with no trouble and you could sort of see the pellet inside, like on yours, on all of them.

Fair warning - I have shot some pretty hideous stuff in particularly suited strong guns.

For the rounds that refuse to chamber, someone may still want to cut them open to salvage and remelt the lead buckshot pellets. Give those to a friend that casts, etc. Especially in these days of shortage, waste not want not!

 

[jason867]

Check out what Matt @ Demolition Ranch on YouTube fires from his shotguns.

They are quite resilient!

 

[Knight Rider]

What’s the worst that can happen, they go bang?

 

[Keith_Indy]

What’s the worst that can happen, they go bang?

They go boom and blow off a few fingers... or worse.

I’ve never seen nor shot ammo in this condition and wouldn’t want to sell something dangerous to someone else.

Dangerous as in operating above standard pressure.

 

[Knight Rider]

From where does the extra pressure originate? The powder charge hasn’t changed and I’m not aware that aging accelerates a powder’s burn rate. Unless the battery fails to lock closed due to an irregular shape but the round still fires, I still don’t see a risk.

That said, I treat all my ammo with great care and have no reason to toy with rounds in non-standard condition. So for me it’s just a mental excercise.

 

[jason867]

Extra resistance to the shot payload traveling down the bore can raise pressures.

But i highly doubt these would experience any extra chamber pressure at all.

 

[singlesix]

If in doubt .. cut open the shell, save the lead, dump the power in your yard.

 

[jason867]

At one point this guy fills the barrel full of copper bbs, on top of the loaded shell.

The barrel didn't blow up.

He also obstructed the other barrel with a combo of salt & rice. That barrel didnt blow up (yet), it just plugged up even worse with lead shot behind it.

It only blew up when he put a high brass buckshot load in there to clean out the compacted rice, salt, and lead shot.

The guy is nuts by the way.

 

[Keith_Indy]

I’m just trying to do due diligence, and get a general consensus, safe/not safe.

 

[Floivanus]

That’s not a call I’ll make for you.

I will say I don’t get the fuss about ammo being safe or not, I’ve shot rusty steel case, corroded and disgusting shotgun shells and dented/dinged up ammo.

I’m confident enough that I’ve shot ammo no intelligent person would chamber in a $300 AR15 in guns worth 10x as much. All that to say; I’d shoot it, but should you?

 

[DMTJAGER]

Back in 1995 or 1996 I was at the Safari Club International convention in Lost Wages (Los Vegas) and spoke with a rep from Winchester/Olin corp about shelf life and long term storage of loaded ammo, powder and primers.

The rep told me if quoted, he would deny ever having said it, but he said loaded ammo, powder, and primers if properly stored will likely last longer than most adult males.

When I asked him to define "properly stored" he said mild consistent controlled temps in low humidity and recommended I flip my powder once every six months. He went on to show me an article about some scuba divers that had brought up some ammo from a wreck sunk in WWII that had been on the bottom of the ocean for over 40 years and when used it actually fired. I don not recall if the article said anything about the ammo's performance but it did fire. So I would imagine if ammo that had been under water for over 4 decades still works ammo stored in a climate controlled room should be good for at least your entire adult life time.

My own person experience backs this up to a degree as over 12 years ago my retired neighbor across the street was an off the charts serious reloader and when he tragically suffered a stroke and was confined to a bed, he called me and told me to come and get his reloading equipment, it was mine for the taking.

As I have been fond of saying for almost 20 years only fools and idiots have morals and a conscience so I guess I'm both as I simply couldn't take what was several $1k$$$ worth of reloading equipment, bullets, brass and primers for free. He only reloaded for HG and owned no long guns.

His son in law earned his living in the computer software industry and I called him and helped him set up and sell his non haz mat items on Ebay. For my honesty they gave me a lot of stuff especially 1000s of small and large HG primers, powder at less than 50% of purchase price and brass. I stated using the primers and powder immediately. Many of the primers were in boxes and had receipts dated form the 1980's no less with them as well. I used several thousand LRG and SM HG primers that were already over 25 years old when I used them. I still have a unopened 8lb keg of Unique as they gave me two unopened 8 pounders and one about 70% full and two 8lb jugs of W231. These kegs are so old they are from when 8lb kegs of powder came in heavy duty paper kegs.

So I have made many 1000s of great functioning 38/357 44spl, and 45acp and now 9mm reloads using primers and powder that were nearly 30 years old and that was over 12 years ago and I still have some primers and powder left and I'm reloading 9mm now with powder and primers that are over 35 years old and they work great.

 

[jason867]

Your old powder should be just fine. But, for an extra degree of safety, keep an eye out for a red dust in your powder.

This would indicate the powder is degrading, and likely changing its burn rate. Might be a sulfer smell too.

 

[Leo]

I don't think your problem is having the extra ammo.....I think the problem is that you don't have a 12 gauge. Lots of places to buy them in Indiana <grin>

 

[jason867]

Come on man! Everyone needs a 12 gauge shotgun, along with a balcony to shoot it off of...