Primer Shelf Life

The apparent hoarding of primers raises a question.  Do primers have a shelf life?  How long can they be kept?

I am shooting primers that are over 20 years old. Can't tell any difference.

Bill

I have primers eligible for Social Security.  They still go bang.

Greetings,

I did have some CCI primers that went bad. Opening the package it was full of green/yellow dust.

I wrote to CCI quoting the lot number on the package.

They replied saying they were so old they had no record of the lot number.

Currently, I an using CCI primers from Grandpa's stash we found in the hall closet. They probably date to the 1970's based on the package design. Still going "bang" with good results.

Contact the primer manufacture to verify is storing primers in an old 50 cal ammo can is preferable. DO NOT PUT IN A DESSICANT PACK!!!

Cheers,

Dave

My Norma primers from a large stash I bought while in Germany 71-74 all go bang.

Everyone,

Thank you for the response.  Now I don't need to worry about buying more than I can use for a while.

fred

As with powder, to achieve the longest shelf life, primers should be stored in a cool dry location.

I loaded some that came in the old wood tray fo the 30-06 last year they all went bang don't know how old they were but I am guessing at least 50 years I had that rifle sense 1963 or 64

I'm shooting some CCI 400 small rifle from the late 70's in 9MM right now. Working fine. They have been stored carefully though.

I know people that would kill for some Small Rifle Primers right now.

blindshooter wrote:I'm shooting some CCI 400 small rifle from the late 70's in 9MM right now. Working fine. They have been stored carefully though.

I shot a lot of primers last year from the 70's and 80's.  They had moved all over the country including 15 years of cold storage in Alaska and 5 years stored in the desert.  No issues or failures.

Wobbley wrote:I know people that would kill for some Small Rifle Primers right now.

blindshooter wrote:I'm shooting some CCI 400 small rifle from the late 70's in 9MM right now. Working fine. They have been stored carefully though.

Small pistol primers are the same.  I traded 3k to a friend at the TX state match this weekend.  He was thrilled that I had some to spare.

I am loading primers that my dad bought in 1972

I have some Winchester "Staynless" LPP I believe are approx 50-70 years old. Full case of 1000. All of the anvils and the propellant have a uniform dark green (still shiny, metallic on the anvil) coloration. No lose dust etc when I flipped some in the primer tray. I haven't tried firing them yet. They say non-corrosive on the box ... Any ideas on the coloration and how reliable they might be? Any other risks to consider?

Load 50 rounds and try them.  Only way to tell.  They should be good.

45-50 yr old primers aren't a concern for use AS LONG AS STORAGE CONDITION WERE GOOD. I'm still working on 40+ years old purchased primers that were stored in HVAC controlled conditions.  

But the last poster suggesting "load 50 and give them a try" is a little exuberant. How 'bout load 10 to start???

Retfed

Statistical averaging.  With onlyb20 you might not see any issues present.