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How long can 7n6 5.45 ammo "keep' in an open spam can?


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Unfortunately I got gouged at a local gun show... The guy wanted 170 for a case of 7n6 from 1982, but I talked him down to 150 after I showed him the cost of AIM surplus shipped to my door for the same product... Got a free can opener though! Love to shoot it.

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Oh man that is more than likely already bad. Take one of the rounds out and smell it. If it smells kind of like cold steel and gunpowder, it is more than likely rotten. I can do you an awesome favor though. If you want to dispose of it, instead of paying a fee to dump it (since it is an explosive) you can just ship it to me and avoid that whole process. Let me know if you want me to give you my address so you can ship it over before it gets any worse.

 

P.S. This is a serious matter. Rotten ammo has a tendancy to go off un-expected. You should either mail it to me or take it outside and bury it.

Edited by ZombiePocalypse
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Just interested in this because mine has been open now for almost a month. I plan to get an old US .50 cal ammo box to store it in soon. Any other suggestions that yall might take advantage out there?

 

No worries, bullets are lacquered into the case mouths and primers are sealed into the caes - should last longer than you will ever want to wait.

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Just interested in this because mine has been open now for almost a month. I plan to get an old US .50 cal ammo box to store it in soon. Any other suggestions that yall might take advantage out there?

 

add dessicant bags to the .50 cal ammo box

Edited by ak karl
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Oh man that is more than likely already bad. Take one of the rounds out and smell it. If it smells kind of like cold steel and gunpowder, it is more than likely rotten. I can do you an awesome favor though. If you want to dispose of it, instead of paying a fee to dump it (since it is an explosive) you can just ship it to me and avoid that whole process. Let me know if you want me to give you my address so you can ship it over before it gets any worse.

 

P.S. This is a serious matter. Rotten ammo has a tendancy to go off un-expected. You should either mail it to me or take it outside and bury it.

 

Hardy har har.... lol

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I have shot corrosive ammo from pre-World War 1 in an Enfield.

 

If you keep the 7n6 stuff dry it will last longer than all of us!

 

"Dry" as in a moisture tight container or "dry" as in not submerged in water?

 

If you live in a humid area (especially near the coast), then I would personally recommend a moisture tight container even though most Russian military ammo has the lacquer or polymer to help inhibit rust. In dry areas it is not as crucial, but if you plan on keeping the ammo for 20+ years, then I would still recommend storing it in a sealed container.

 

You can throw ammo in a ziplock with some desiccant to achieve this cheaply if you don't want to buy ammo cans and dry boxes. You can save the little silica pouches you typically throw away when you buy shoes - these will suck out the moisture in the bag.

 

Additionally, for long term storage (20+ years), keep ammo out of places that have extreme temperatures (like 120+ degrees). Some explosives (read primer and powder) can begin to deteriorate in extreme temperatures.

 

Ammo is very resilient (especially the Russian military stuff), but for peace of mind I feel it is better to be safe than sorry - especially when that ammo could be worth $5 a round in 20+ years if we keep up the pace we're on. :dollar: If you go to the range and look at the old steel cases lying on the ground, even the coated outside when continuously exposed to the elements will eventually corrode.

Edited by BuffetDestroyer
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  • 1 year later...

lol, you damn well better have reinforced that floor XD.

 

after about 50-60 years of storage there may be a few hang fires if you don't store it right, but most will shoot just fine; basing this on 1950s mosin ammo.

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I have shot WW2 ammo from the US, Germany and Brittan. No problems. The Brit ammo was scary, that crap was stored in horrible conditions, and instead of gunpowder they used cordite, Every one went BANG, and no problems. Just keep your ammo dry and cool, put it in the basement, not the attic!

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I just bought a crate of this stuff... I was surprised to hear air suck in when I opened one and then I caught the smell of "fresh" lacquer... I am going to seal 30 round packs with my kitchen vacuum sealer... Will this remove moisture well enough or should I still use a dessicant pack?

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I just bought a crate of this stuff... I was surprised to hear air suck in when I opened one and then I caught the smell of "fresh" lacquer... I am going to seal 30 round packs with my kitchen vacuum sealer... Will this remove moisture well enough or should I still use a dessicant pack?

 

You really don't need to worry about moisture with these. Lacquer coating and moisture seals at the case neck and primer make these pretty much impervious to moisture. The vacuum by itself is more than enough.

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