Buy primers stored in unheated garage?

[Boolseye]

Anyone know the effect of humidity and temperature swings on primers? I live in the northeast, cold winters, humid summers. Option to buy a few thousand that have been stored there for a few years.

[tazman]

I don't think they would present a problem.

[JimB..]

I bought some CCI primers stored like that, maybe 30,000 of them stored since the 1970’s. All have gone bang.

Paid $10/k, just FYI

[dragon813gt]

Not an issue. People have had primers soaked in floods, let them dry out completely, shot them and they all went bang. Primers are very stable. At least the old formulations. Fiocchi is selling new formulated primers w/ a twelve year shelf life. I’ve been steering clear of them on principle alone.

[str8wal]

Fiocchi is selling new formulated primers w/ a twelve year shelf life.

Just WHY???

[lefty o]

as long as you dont load them while they are wet, moisture isnt a problem for primers.

[JSnover]

I had my powders and primers in an unheated storage locker for five years, never had a problem with any of them. If they're in their original packaging, inside a box or cabinet, not chewed up by rodents, nothing to worry about.

[dragon813gt]

Just WHY???

It’s their non-lead formulation. And I was wrong about the shelf life. It’s fifteen years, not twelve. But this is still a lot less than the old formulations.

Expect this from all the companies as they move away from lead styphnate. There was an article a few months back about the new formulations. They’re using compounds that break down a lot faster. This is all for the sake of “being green”.

[Reddirt62]

They are very resilient!

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[Shawlerbrook]

I live here in Central NYS and I have and been using primers and powder that are almost 25 years old with no problems.

[LUBEDUDE]

I keep my primers in the garage. While we don’t have cold winters, we have wet ones. One year, all seasons were so wet and the humidity got high enough to form water droplets on all of my presses and tools...GRRRR.

Point one; high humidity did not affect my primers in storage.

I noticed that dropped primers were ending up in my drive way, probably from sticking to the bottoms of my rubber soles.

One spring day I picked and loaded up 20-30 of those primers that had been outside AT LEAST a full winter. I loaded them in 38’s and 45 acp’s. Every single load fired on the first primer strike.

Point two; primers are extremely resilient, even after extreme “contamination”. This is why I SMH when guys are afraid to pick up primers with their fingers.

[mdi]

I
bought some CCI primers stored like that, maybe 30,000 of them stored since the 1970’s. All have gone bang. Me too, but only about 10,000...

[EDG]

I had WWII surplus 4831 powder from an estate sale go bad in about 1985. I bought a lot of Remington 2 legged 61/2 small rifle primers at the same time. I am still shooting them.
Both powder and primers were in the guys garage when he died. The primers look like 1960s primers and they cost a whopping $3.00 per thousand.

[Hickory]

I know a fellow who has been storing primers in an ammo boxs with the ammo boxs in his garage refrigerator for over 40 years to "keep'm fresh."
He says they all go bang.

[Boolseye]

thanks guys, sounds unanimous.
-jp

[str8wal]

It’s their non-lead formulation. And I was wrong about the shelf life. It’s fifteen years, not twelve. But this is still a lot less than the old formulations.

Expect this from all the companies as they move away from lead styphnate. There was an article a few months back about the new formulations. They’re using compounds that break down a lot faster. This is all for the sake of “being green”.

Guess I better "stock up".....

[Three44s]

Fifteen years goes by like the snap of your fingers!

A dream come true for the likes of Pelosi, HRC and Soros!

Three44s

[Big Wes]

I have many full sleeves of primers in my reloading shed for many years (actually from when primers were $13.00 a thousand) and have never had a problem with any of them. Keep them in original packaging, you should be fine.

[labradigger1]

My primer stash is easily from 1950’s to current mfg. all have went bang except for one single artridge out of many thousands of loads.
You’re good to go.

[georgerkahn]

I'd visit potential seller with a half-dozen ready-for-priming cases, a primer tool, and a firearm which should work the newly installed primer. I'd think it be worth the effort, and if, all six fire, you will have some level of assurance that the "few thousand" minus these six will still be good. If, say, one does not fire -- that, I should think, gives great "dicker power" vis purchase price ;). In any case, hoping you do in fact acquire them, they'd be great for plinking/target work. To use, as ever so many LEOs where their lives are dependent upon 100% firing -- I'd surely not use loads with these. Just my 2-cents ;) Good luck!
geo

[Taterhead]

If the packaging looked good, I wouldn't have reservations about snagging a good deal.

[Boolseye]

thanks again. he has around 20-25,000, SP, LP and SR mostly. I was thinking of offering him $20/1000. Same for the powder, somewhere in the neighborhood of 40# of various mostly pistol powders. I was thinking of 20/#. I can't take it all but I can up my stock pretty good. Everything's well packaged, all powders are sealed in their jars.

Whaddya you guys think, fair?

[Handloader109]

$20 per pound on old powder is way high imo. You can buy new at any good gun show for $18 to $25 a pound in one pound containers. Less in larger quantities. Primers, maybe... $28 is about best price right now. I'd say 12 to 15 a pound max. Open container? $5 a pound max

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[JimB..]

I’d offer $10/k on primers, $10/lb on powder, and take it all.

[Boolseye]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

[EddieZoom]

Not an issue. People have had primers soaked in floods, let them dry out completely, shot them and they all went bang.

I knew primers were tough to kill...but wow !!!

[lefty o]

I knew primers were tough to kill...but wow !!!

primer mix is made wet, and stored wet. water will not hurt it. just dont load them when they are wet.

[lightman]

I'm thinking that you are over generous. If its very old he probably paid $10/1000 or less for the primers and $10/pound or less for the powder. I would probably buy it all and mark it as such. I doubt I would use it at a match or on a hunt but otherwise I would shoot it.

[tazman]

Not an issue. People have had primers soaked in floods, let them dry out completely, shot them and they all went bang. Primers are very stable. At least the old formulations. Fiocchi is selling new formulated primers w/ a twelve year shelf life. I’ve been steering clear of them on principle alone.

I can confirm that statement from experience.
My basement flooded and the primers sat in the water for 4 days. When I got the water out, I laid out the boxes of primers(small pistol) and put a fan on them to dry them out. There were slightly over 2000 of them.
I waited about two weeks after they seemed dry to load any of them. They all shot fine.

[Boolseye]

Thanks again. I’m going over next week to do business, I’ll see what I can negotiate.
Most of this stuff is not that old, 5-8 years tops. There’s a bit of NOS too but not much.