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Primer Shelf Life


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Assuming good storage conditions, what is the shelf life of pistol primers? I have some old ones that I would like to use for practice, just want to make sure they are safe.

Thank you

Assuming good storage conditions, NON-CORROSIVE primers will last ~30 years. CORROSIVE primers last longer.

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A co-worker gave me some 45 ACP brass 5 years ago that he had primed in 1976. I added powder and bullet and they all went bang. He lived in Florida at the time he primed the cases and they had been sitting out in my garage for 5 years before I reloaded them.

Back on mute. :ph34r:

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Assuming good storage conditions, what is the shelf life of pistol primers? I have some old ones that I would like to use for practice, just want to make sure they are safe.

Thank you

I just started using up the first of 5,000 Federal small pistol primers that are from early 1997. So far I've shot 400 in the last couple of days and they've been perfect.

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After I loaded a few rounds with these old [early eighties] primers I remembered why I didn't finish them off long ago. They won't go into the primer pocket! A little to long or a touch to wide, don't know but, I can't get them in the case flush!

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After I loaded a few rounds with these old [early eighties] primers I remembered why I didn't finish them off long ago. They won't go into the primer pocket! A little to long or a touch to wide, don't know but, I can't get them in the case flush!

I think a little measuring is in order. Do you by chance have some large RIFLE primers that are mispackaged?

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I had a Mauser in cal 8x68S manufactured in 1935. The ammo was all pre WWII RWS which used their RWS#1698 Berdan primer. I purchased the primers in the mid 1950's. As of two years ago, when I sold the gun, both the pre WWII ammo and the 1950's primers were going bang as usual.

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