I tried to do a search on this, but I really didn't find anything. I probably searched the wrong words. Anyways, I was wondering about the proper way to get rid of old ammo. I have a ton of old 22 and other assorted ammunition that I no longer use. TIA.

I tried to do a search on this, but I really didn't find anything. I probably searched the wrong words. Anyways, I was wondering about the proper way to get rid of old ammo. I have a ton of old 22 and other assorted ammunition that I no longer use. TIA.
Jus-
Call your Garbage Collector.We have an annual free day to bring hazardus material to be disposed.
Frank

Or give it to someone who will use it. Unles it got soaked, it will probably be fine to shoot. I've shot US military ammo from the 1920's, and it was fine. Others have reported similar age of commercial ammo,and had no trouble if it looked relatively clean. A little discoloration won't hurt.

Years ago, I rec'd a can of old 8mm Mauser cartridges from a relative. I called the County Sherriff and asked what to do. Deputy told me I could turn it in to them, they had an EOD guy who safely disposed of this stuff.
TR

1. Give it away....but be careful of who....be sure they understand you do not belive it whould be shot (and if they do, it's their worry).

2. Dig a deep hole, drop it in, cover it up.

3. If you are near an ocean coast (or the Gulf), being it along on a fishing tripo and sprinkle it in the deep water.

before we throw away a bunch of old ammo, lets be sure it isn't collectible. A guy brought an old Colt SAA pistol into a gunshop to sell. He mentioned that he had thrown about 10 boxes of old 41 Long Colt ammo in the garbage. He was somewhat distressed to learn it was worth about $50 a box to collectors. even some .22 ammo is going for up to $5 to $10 a box for certain old types.

I suggest that you find someone that can evaluate what you have? Just because it is old does not mean that is useless! Might be shootable? Collectable? Whatever?
Cheezywan

I'd be interested in buying it. PM me.

For Centerfire ammunition that you just want to destroy, you can soak it in WD-40. The oil will penetrate inside the round, and render it non-functional. It might work with rimfire ammunition. I'm given to understand that with centerfire, it penetrates the gap between the primer and brass most readily, but that it may work its way between the lead and brass of the case mouth.

As with anything, Safety first :)

Ken

Most of it got soaked. Atleast the .22 ammo did. The other ammo is just some miscellanious 7x57 ammo.

Thanks for all the help.

Most of it got soaked. Atleast the .22 ammo did. The other ammo is just some miscellanious 7x57 ammo.

Thanks for all the help.


Recently dealt with a couple of hundred pounds of water soaked/green crusted ammo. Had been under water fro between 35 and 40 days. Saved a few rounds from various lots of ammo to test.

Pulled and atempted to fire the primers on the stuff that looked clean enough taht it might chamber with just a little cleaning (the green crusted stuff that was so corroded it had no hope of chambering wasn't tested).

NOTHING survived except "real" mil. spec. ammo (the stuff with the asphalt sealant in the case neck, crimped primer with sealant) and the BEST of it only sruviced with a 70% primer fire rate. SOme the the ones that did fire came from rounds with damp powder, so the actauly "bang" rate would have been less.

You just canno trust it to shoot no matter how good it looks...worst case is one that "almost shoots" (primer lights off, but only part of the damp powder burns, leaving the bullet stuck in the barrel).

It is possible from some guns to almost fire...eject the case and cyce the next round in without having the bullet exit the barrel from the dud round.

Played with that idea last week after some posts on this board. With a .308 loaded with a 147FMJ bullet over 4.5gr. of Herco in a CETME (trying to simulate a powder charge taht partially ignited by using a small charge)...round will fire, eject the case, and load the next round but only move that FMJ bullet about 3" down the bore. Now the CETME runs on a roller lock syste, not a gas sustem, so I'd guess it would be a lot harder to have a bullet stick just on the otherside of the gas port...but belive it could be done.

.22LR's would be like that...could easily stick on in the bore but still have the power to cycle that action and chamber another round.

Ribbonstone posts good advise here. I would follow it if I were you. Ammo that has been exposed to adverse conditions will always be suspect? I hate to throw anything away though.
"One mans cheeze is another mans meat".
Cheezywan

The thought may come to some to try and save the brass cases (of the centerfires)...which can be done if it's not green-corroded. have to stop and ask: where did the green come from? Obviously, the green is from the brass...and whatever it took out to form that green crust leaves what is behind weakened. Can sometimes get it polished and pretty, but depending on how much it was weakened, it's really not safe to shoot.

Had some very nice looking old 6.5X55 a couple of years ago...1939 dated...clean and bright. Stuff did very odd and ugly things when fired. Pulling a few, found that something had been eating on the base of the steel jacketed bullet...probably not water, probably some chemical thing with the powder...rust-like, the shankes of the bullet were really corroded and enlarged. So the stuff looked good....but the bullets were somehow corroded to the case neck and the base of the bullets were much larger the 6.5MM.

I would never shoot soaked ammo in the first place. That's why I asked how to get rid of it. Ribbon, I can't believe you even tried to shoot a couple rounds just to see what it would do. :eek:

I would never shoot soaked ammo in the first place. That's why I asked how to get rid of it. Ribbon, I can't believe you even tried to shoot a couple rounds just to see what it would do. :eek:

The 6.5 ammo was a couple of years back, was given to me in a grocery bag (about 200 rounds) witt no idea of the history...a lot must have happened btween 1939 and 2002. I still don't know what was wrong with that ammo...powder burned as it should have and the primers worked...something undetectable from the outside just ate up the bullet bases.

Another "sale" needed me a crate of loose .45acp ammo. Not a corrosion story...ammo was never wet and had no corrosion problems inise or out. Was European (belive it was "FN"), berdan, and used a small sized berdan primer heavily staked...stuff would hang fire for a LONG time before going "boom" each and every shot. About 8 months later, nearly every primer was dead. Evidently, when the old primers decide to give up, they do it more suddenly than we expect.

The stuff from the flood was only broken down and the primers wre tested...no live fire shots with anything except the ammo that was in those thick sealed plastic battle packs (like big MRE packs). That stuff stayed dry and works fine.