[In]sufficient D-U-N-N-A-G-E-?

[lnvictus]

What effect does storing spam cans directly

on concrete such as in an unheated garage

with temperature variations of freezing to

triple-digit heat? The only barrier to direct

contact has been the cardboard boxes, as

they were shipped in. Exposure durations

have been from 10~15 years. Should they

all be opened/checked or just be left as is

until usage? Thanks for the consideration

& attention in response to this query. ≈I≈

[TXBubba]

It's a cardboard box. Open it and find out. You aren't going to ruin the collectors value:)

Check the cans. Are they swollen or too rusty? Are there any split seams?

Why not rotate your stock and cook some up? You haven't eaten any in more than ten years, do you even like spam?

If they have gone over to the dark side, Old canned good make handy targets!

[Schuetzenman]

Cold is not a problem, heat over 90 degrees becomes a problem. It can cause the powder and primers to deteriorate. You might want to audit the ammo and open a can or 3 to check and see if the ammo still goes off or are the primers dead. If they are dead and you reload at least you could salvage the powder and bullet. If you don't reload, now might be the reason to start if you've got a big pile of thousands and thousnads of rounds of ammo that won't go off. On the powder, should smell like ether. If it smells mildly like vinegar then it is going bad and could auto detonate if compiled in bulk. In individual loaded cases not much would come of it, but if you pull the bullet and dump the powder in a can or cans and it smells sour like vinegar, dump it out on the lawn as fertilizer. Old powders can go acidic especially if exposed to high temperatures. If they do they can start to react to the point of heating up and exploding, this is why you should get rid of any such powders surplus or otherwise should they start to smell vinegar like.

[lnvictus]

Do mercuric primers store longer than non-corrosive

primers? Are berdan primers more reliable than boxer

primers? Would a Wolf +10% hammer spring be of any

help? I appreciate the response. This forum is great! ≈I≈

[El Laton Caliente]

Do mercuric primers store longer than non-corrosive primers?

I know this one.... YES.


Are berdan primers more reliable than boxer primers?

I've seen WWII and older ammo with both go bang pretty reliably...


Would a Wolf +10% hammer spring be of any help?

Could work on mil-surp... I really don't know...



I appreciate the response. This forum is great! ≈I≈

We think so... good to have you here...

[El Laton Caliente]

Do mercuric primers store longer than non-corrosive primers?

I know this one.... YES.


Are berdan primers more reliable than boxer primers?

I've seen WWII and older ammo with both go bang pretty reliably...


Would a Wolf +10% hammer spring be of any help?

Could work on mil-surp... I really don't know...



I appreciate the response. This forum is great! ≈I≈

We think so... good to have you here...

[Schuetzenman]

Do mercuric primers store longer than non-corrosive

primers? Are berdan primers more reliable than boxer

primers? Would a Wolf +10% hammer spring be of any

help? I appreciate the response. This forum is great! ≈I≈

No primers are mercuric, not since the Black Powder era. Modern corrosive primers are Perchlorate based. Yes they are generally considered to last longer than lead azide or lead styphenate type primers. Reliable is not the correct word really, life span is. I've shot US made M2 Ball loaded just after WWII that was just fine, all rounds went off, no duds, no hanfires. Then again I've run into Perchorate primered ammo 10 years newer in age that was dud or hang fire prone in the majority of rounds in the can. Also ran into powder that was going acid and it was chewing thorugh the steel cases from the inside out. Storage does have a lot to do with the life span of ammo. Keeping it cool and dry is what makes it last.

Probably the best thing anyone could do is have a root cellar to store their ammo in. 70 degrees or less and no temperature swings would make ammo potentially last for centuries maybe. BTW I have shot 1905 vintage 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser ammo that all went off, no hangfires, no duds. That ammo was fired in 2001, so just shy of 100 years old and doing fine.

Would a wolf extra power hammer spring make any difference, no not if the primer compund is going tits up. It is breaking down and decomposing so it no longer is explosive so hitting harder wont do much. Now if the ammo has especially hard primer cups, yes it could help. Some Yugosalv 8 mm ammo surplus from the 1950's is like that, very thick cups.