i know next to nothing about the care and feeding of firearms.

in 1986 i purchased a savage 12 ga model 69rxl for home protection.

promptly forgot about it.

never fired it. have fired others - just not this one.

i see small amount corrosion residue inside gun's shell storage chamber.

have original ammo:

box of remington 7 1/2 shot that have corroded brass caps.

box of remington 2 shot - no apparent corrosion.

Q-1. should the gun be taken apart and serviced before use - i think i know the answer to that one.

Q-2. where does one dispose of unused / unsafe ammo?

Q-3. how unsafe is the corroded caps ammo? can it go boom?

Q-4. should i even attempt to use the old ammo? it certainly is inexpensive - and i don't want an explosion.

Q-5. what's the life expectancy of shotgun ammo - barring any obvious damage or defect?

thank you all in advance.


bsmith

Q-1. Absolutely! I would recommend that you take the shotgun to a professional gunsmith and have them inspect and repair it for you because even though the rust you can see may not be in a critical place there is no telling what other areas of the gun are rusted that you can't see without taking it apart.

Q-2. Not sure. I usually shoot all of my ammo long before it gets to this point.

Q-3. By caps I am assuming that you mean the primers. I would NOT attempt to fire any ammo that is corroded. It's not worth the risk, especially given how cheap shotgun ammo is.

Q-4. See Q-3.

Q-5. As long as it has been stored properly (cool and dry) and is not showing any signs of rust, etc., ammo will still be viable long after you are not.

Although a lot of people complain about the price of ammo and the price of guns, neither is worth the price of your life. Don't take chances when it comes to firearms.

I have some Shotgun shells that are 25 years old.
Recently I tested them on the range.
All functioned properly without any FTF etc.
If kept dry should have quite a long shelf life.
Cleen every year if needed or not,
have inspected every five years at very least.

Best of luck.

Q-1. should the gun be taken apart and serviced before use - i think i know the answer to that one.

From Jarhead by Anthony Wofford

"When to clean the rifle
a. Before firing
b. After firing
c. Cold climate
d. Hot humid climate
e. Salt water exposure
f. Desert operations"


Q-2. where does one dispose of unused / unsafe ammo?

Give it to the local police, they will take it to the range
and shoot it up for fun.

Q-3. how unsafe is the corroded caps ammo? can it go boom?

Depends on how corroded. If the brass is just tarnished, it should be fine. If the shells got wet over time, the primer
may be fouled.

Q-4. should i even attempt to use the old ammo? it certainly is inexpensive - and i don't want an explosion.

More likely you would just have a miss fire. If in doubt I would
show it to someone who knows.

Q-5. what's the life expectancy of shotgun ammo - barring any obvious damage or defect?

I have some 12 gauge rounds with paper hulls my Dad loaded in the 1960's and have had no trouble with them. Also some world war I rifle rounds in 30-06 that all go boom and are still accurate.
(Corrosive though, so you have to clean the rifle differently).

I would use those old rounds for practice if they have been stored well, and buy a few rounds of fresh for important tasks.

Hi bsmith,

I agree with the people who posted to your questions already.

Clean the firearm fully and it is a good idea to have it inspected at a gun shop to be sure it is not corroded in a sensitive area (e.g. chamber). It is proabally fine, just needs some TLC.

I have shot a lot of very old ammunition and almost all went "BOOM" with no problem. Occasionally I have had misfires, hangfires and extrtaction/ejection problems with old ammunition usually rimfires and shotgun shells.

One of these hangfires almost caused me a serious problem, I will tell the story to explain.

About 30 years ago my hunting partner gave me a box of reloaded plastic hulled 3" magnum 12ga. shotgun shells as a gift, I carried a few of them in my shell belt for years for use on long-range jack rabbits. Years (and many trips exposed to wet/cold conditions) later in my late teens I decided to test pattern my new pump shotgun and chambered one of these reloads from my belt. On firing the shell it went "pop" and the pellets just barely trickled out the barrel. I figured that over time water had contaminated the primer or powder and I replaced the shell with a similar one. On firing the second shell there was a much louder "POP" and I was unable to eject the casing. I took the barrel off the gun and found that the second shell was wedged in the chamber with the wad just barely exiting the mouth of the case. The pellets of the second shell were loose in the barrel and the wad of the first shell was stuck in the choke at the end of the barrel. What I had done was fire the second shell with a tight obstruction (the wad from the first shell) in the barrel.

I do not know if the second shell was also bad or if the gun was just strong enough to contain the pressure but someone was surely looking out for me that day. On the second shot I could have easily blown-up the barrel injuring both myself and those around me.

So the lesson I want to share is that if you have any ammunition (especially old stuff) that does not fire properly, be sure to check the barrel for obstructions before chambering another round.

Mike

The guys took care of you as far as the answer to your question goes. Here's just another point. I used to have few shells (about 10 rounds, mixed with flares) that rode with me on kayaking trips. Sometimes I would take my 870 and sometimes it would stay home but shells were in one of my vest pockets and they were exposed to rain, dirt and anything possible. SOme of them were in my vest for 5-6 years. When I got them out on the range one day they were all fine except one which didn't fire. The one which didn't fire was a turkey shot with brass part that is usally shorter than regular buck or slug shot. I didn't have any extra shells to test if this was due to time it spent in harsh conditions. I know from my dad when shotgun shells were made out of paper cardboard tubes that prolonged moisture was a problem but not on plastic ones. Some guy at the range also told me that good way to test your ammo is to grab the butt and top, give it a little brnd and see if it's loose. Don't know what it means thou. Also in a kayaking magazine I saw advise on using wax to seal top of the shell for extended water trips.

I still have rounds I bought 10 years ago that fire fine. SOmetimes I save better ammo when going "plinking" and than I don't get a chance to use it. I think the life depends on the proper storage.

I just thought the 15 year old rounds I have were old! they still work good though.