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Quick question: I have some old Peters 22lr ammo (from what I've found, looks like it's from 1950-1960s), is it safe to shoot?

DA284A92-F862-4163-893F-750FB6A98F00.jpeg
 
NO! I'll pay the USPS so you can send it to me for disposal.

Seriously, the absolute worst it can do is go click. I have ammo from the 1930s that goes bang. Some older than that I would not stand in front of.
 
Last Edited:
Not knowing how it was stored or seeing the actual condition it's difficult to say, but the boxes look remarkably clean. If there is not obvious furry corrosion going on, the worst that'll happen is FTF or a squib. No harm no foul.

You might see if there is a collectors market for that stuff. I dunno about that brand, but last year I was shooting up some 60yr old .22 "junk" rounds (I thought), then come to find out collectors where paying $35-$40 a box for them. If you have concerns about popping it off, that might be something to look into.
 
IMHO.....
YES, but......

Watch for squibs. And since it could happen, also be aware of the possible "bullet getting stuck" in the barrel. Do NOT attempt to "shoot it out".

It's a bad idea. Trust me.

IF.....you decide not to shoot it yourself. Yeah, see above. Rrrrright........there are plenty of people willing to take it off of your hands.

Aloha, Mark
 
DO NOT attempt to "shoot it out".

It's a bad idea. Trust me.

Aloha, Mark
Yeah this is important. MAKE SURE THE BULLET LEAVES THE BARREL THE FIRST ROUND, IF NOT CHECK THE BARREL. I had a vintage .22lr that was given to me and upon inspection you could feel a bulge on the outside about 2" from the muzzle where someone either tried to shoot it out or was rapid firing and didn't realize one didn't quite make it out, it grenaded inside the barrel enough to remove a ring inside the steel barrel. I still shot it with the ring in it and it still shot surprisingly well for conditions, but I removed that section anyway.
Better to be safe than sorry. Just use a little caution. There's a time and place for certain behaviors. Save the Rambo fire for new ammo.

Man, I was thinking about actually shooting some older PMC .22lr today. I have a couple bricks of. Maybe I should look that up first. I never think of ammo collectors.
 
Y'all are great, thanks for all the suggestions. Going to try to do more research on the collector's status of these, and hold off on shooting them.
 
Vintage .22 ammo were greased with a bees wax coating to keep the lead bullet from oxidizing and swelling over time.
Open a box and take a look at the projectile, if it's greased, you'll see a waxy residue coating.
 

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