Old primers

[Rflshootr]

My opinion is that those older Winchester nickel plated primers are better than the new ones. I'd definitely use them.

 

[choprzrul]

I was recently doing load development on a 30-06. The only primer that would group out of 6 different types/brands were some Federals that I bought back during the Clinton panic buy era....

 

[Svashtar]

I ran into a guy I used to work with 15 years ago. He gave me his Dillon 650 that was set up for 45ACP and 357 mag. Along with it is 1200 large pistol primers and 2600 smalls. He doesn't remember how old they are. What say you? Since these would be nothing more than plinking primers for my 45's (large) and not really a plan for the smalls, should be fine? They were in a finished basement but the cardboard boxes everything was in smells musty.
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You should be good to go! Nice friend BTW! I started stocking up on everything beginning Barrack Hussein's second term in 2012: loaded ammo, brass, hulls, powder, bullets, shot, primers, and a couple additional reloading machines in that time. I was looking ahead beginning 13 years early to retirement in 2025, and got into monthly super-prepper mode, and think I overdid it. (Powder Valley has a Plaque with my picture on it in their lobby! )

I guess I'll also be giving it away or selling most of it myself someday, as in looking at the pile now there's no way I'll use it all, and my Police Officer son is totally uninterested in shooting beyond qualifying with his issued Glock the mandated few times a year, and I don't get to participate in that.

BUT, at least I'm prepared for the Zombie apocalypse, along with whatever new anti-gun ******** Gavin Newsom comes up with!

 

[NightFarce Oops]

CHOOT`EM!!!!
If you don`t want to chance it, i know where to send them to a good home who will care for them nicely.

 

[cdherman]

Shoot away. BUT here is my one word of caution: I have a brick of Rem 9 1/2 that I bought at least 20 years ago. Wanting to preserve my precious CCI BR2 primers, I tried the Rems in a gun. And got a couple fail to fire events. Like 3 out of 24. Wow.

Dunno. Perhaps I did not have them seated as far as my Federal 215M or CCI BR2 primers. I should try them again in a known good load with some other gun, using seasoned (stretched) brass. They had a good primer dent, but perhaps the brass (IIRC was virgin) was moving forward in the chamber a bit?

But it left a nasty worry in my head. Maybe they do get old sometimes?

I store my primers in a big ammo box, in a temp controlled basement at 70 deg, with a dehumidifier in the space AND a box of desiccant in the ammo box for good measure.

So my word of advice is: Try them with a known stable load, seasoned brass, known gun, first. You should gain confidence they are good then and proceed accordingly. Don't use old oddball primers for load development. (Which in these trying primer times is hard to always avoid)

 

[G19Jeeper]

I ran into a guy I used to work with 15 years ago. He gave me his Dillon 650 that was set up for 45ACP and 357 mag. Along with it is 1200 large pistol primers and 2600 smalls. He doesn't remember how old they are. What say you? Since these would be nothing more than plinking primers for my 45's (large) and not really a plan for the smalls, should be fine? They were in a finished basement but the cardboard boxes everything was in smells musty.
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Id run em. I'm still shooting through some CCIs from the 1970s that my great uncle had stashed. Every once in a blue moon ill get a dud.

 

[Elk_Guapo]

About a year ago, I emailed CCI and Federal the lot numbers from some primers I'd picked up on another forum, and they told me when they were manufactured.

They seem to change up the packaging every 7-10 years, so without a lot number, you just have to ballpark how old they are.

 

[Doom2]

The lead styphnate primers are very close to inert in relation to time and storage conditions unless stored at elevated temperatures. I think the temperature comes into play at about 135F as the pellet becomes brittle but I can't find that reference.

 

[Greatgrandad]

These still work great. They are kind of old now.

When I saw your old, 1960's, box of Federal 215 primers, I knew I had a box of those.

 

[Ol' Red]

When I saw your old, 1960's, box of Federal 215 primers, I knew I had a box of those.

I had five bricks of these, but I am on the last brick now.

 

[Greatgrandad]

I had five bricks of these, but I am on the last brick now.

I hear ya'. My brick has 900 left in it, and I have decided to keep the rest as long as I can. Still shooting several bricks from a large purchase from 30+ years ago.