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how old are these primers

1shot2kill

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 9, 2008
1,323
9
40
north dakota

just got them today from a old timer i have only been reloading for about 3 years and i have never seen these before
 
Re: how old are these primers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 308sako</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Look like late 1970's but then my memory is shot to hell and back... LOL </div></div>
70's holy shit i wouldnt have traded the guy if i knew that
dont primers have a shelf life
 
Re: how old are these primers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1shot2kill</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
dont primers have a shelf life </div></div>

Do they?
confused.gif
(assuming they are stored well)
I've shot ammo from the 60's......
( 30-06 )
 
Re: how old are these primers

Really depends on how they've been treated. You already own them, load a few and shoot them. If you can run them across a chronograph and compare to an identical load with fresh primers.End of guesswork.
 
Re: how old are these primers

i dont own a chrono
oh by the way antone in wyoming uintah sporting goods just got 30,000 wlr mag primers in
 
Re: how old are these primers

Properly stored shelf life is indefinite.

I remember the box. Seventies sounds right.
 
Re: how old are these primers

I think I might have some older then that. Ive got some that I havent got a clue as to how old they are but they still go bang.

 
Re: how old are these primers

Shelf life is only as long as you keep them on the shelf.

The only modern-style primers that I have ever known to have gone bad were either stored above 120 degrees F for years, exposed to oil for months, or stored damp or underwater.

It's not like they're made with ammonium chlorate (absorbs water) or mercury fulminate (eventually breaks down from oxygen exposure, if I remember right).
 
Re: how old are these primers

1Shot2,

You should be fine but if you look at them and see oxidization on the metal or other discoloration, then they may have suffered from long term storage. In any case, they'll likely still work regardless.

What did you pay/trade for them?
 
Re: how old are these primers

I am using some LR BR primers in the same type of box. I know they are at least from the late 70's. My dad bought them when the store was out of regular LR primers. We only used them when we were trying to get smaller groups from our .30-06s. I am loading them up now in .308 to get rid of them and start on some Federal 210m. They are still fine and shoot small groups.
 
Re: how old are these primers

I can't speak to your primer directly, but I just finished using up a couple of thousand large pistol primers in my 45 ACP that my father in law had stored in his Houston garage since the late 1950s they functioned fine (even though they had NOT been stored in climate controlled conditions).

There are still probabley 7,000 small rifle and small rifle magnum primers sitting there waiting for me to test and use I beleive that they will also be fine.

JeffVN
 
Re: how old are these primers

i will br trying them out on saturday in my 223 finally found a 800 yard range
 
Re: how old are these primers

I think those are 1960's primers, but I could be wrong.

But not to worry. I chronographed some WWII 30 carbine ammo a couple of weeks ago and it was good as new.
 
Re: how old are these primers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: EddieNFL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Properly stored shelf life is indefinite.

I remember the box. Seventies sounds right. </div></div>

Pretty much. Primers, if stored right, can last a long long time. I always store mine in waterproof ammo cans. I never know when I'll pick up the next project, so if it's awhile, they can get affected by humidity.