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UPDATED WITH MOST RECENT RESPONSE FROM FNH AMMUNITION DIVISION IN EUROPE:

"Healey Shane [email protected]
Nov 21, 2012 (1 day ago)

Dear sir,
Our supplier guarantees the primer 10 years subject to storage in original packaging at a temperature between +10°C and +30°C and at an humidity not higher than 80%.

Best regards

Shane Healey"

------------

So in essence they still have not answered my actual question, which is- what is the ACTUAL realistic shelf life of this ammunition. I sent another email asking for more clarification.

OLD POST:

This info is in another post, but i thought it deserved it's own thread, and probably should be stickied:

I have been annoyed at the imprecise information in regard to the shelf life of FN lead free ammo, so i called FNH USA today.

I asked:

What is the shelf life of FN lead free ammo.
If it has a shelf life, why does it have no expiration date?

ACCORDING TO JOHN AT FNH CUSTOMER SERVICE:

"The reason there is no expiration date on SS195LF and SS198LF lead free primer ammo is because it is expected to last indefinitely if properly stored, just like conventionally lead primed ammunition."

I asked if sealed ammo cans with dessicant bags are "properly stored", and he said yes.

So....according to John at FNH, SS195LF and SS198LF do NOT expire, and have indefinite shelf life.

(At my request he asked his supervisor the same questions, to be sure, and i got the same answers in return)

For the record, I personally have never had a FN LF primer fail to fire, but I rotate my stock, and keep stored in an air tight container.

I also fired off an email asking the same specific questions. When/if i get a response, i will post it here.

This topic has really been bothering me, i really dont think that FN can sell ammo with a shelf life and not put an expiration date on it. They'd get sued into oblivion the first time someone using FN LF ammo got killed because their self defense ammo didn't fire due to being expired.

Imagine the press if a cop got killed that way. No way FN would risk that, so the lack of an expiration date or strong warning on the box is to me strong evidence in and of itself that there is no expiration date.

I fired some SS195LF that was produced in 2008 yesterday and it functioned 100%. So it appears, at least, the "two year" shelf life, is a myth.

GONRA suggests those of you with a chronograph document yer 2008 Lead Free ammo
performance (Does it shoot? What is the velociy?) now, and again in 2018.
Report back here. Most of us will be around...

GONRA wrote:GONRA suggests those of you with a chronograph document yer 2008 Lead Free ammo
performance (Does it shoot? What is the velociy?) now, and again in 2018.
Report back here. Most of us will be around...

Most of my 198 stock is from 08 and has chrono document. Let's wait 6yrs

How do I tell the date of manufacture from the lot #?

See first post in thread for update.

date is on headstamp

GONRA wrote:GONRA suggests those of you with a chronograph document yer 2008 Lead Free ammo
performance (Does it shoot? What is the velociy?) now, and again in 2018.
Report back here. Most of us will be around...

With the LF primer, the only question is how will it hold up at or past the 10 year point.

Why bother choreographing?

If the primer fires, the powder lights off and the cartridge goes boom. What am I missing here?

JMike wrote:With the LF primer, the only question is how will it hold up at or past the 10 year point.
Why bother choreographing?
If the primer fires, the powder lights off and the cartridge goes boom. What am I missing here?

It's chronograph not choreograph - no one is trying to get bullets to dance here :laugh:

There is no such thing as too much data & we get asked periodically what the speed of this or that ammo is.
But, in this case - different primers create different pressures. Similarly, a primer that degrades over time will also change pressures. By chronographing the speeds, we can see if there is a measurable effect for LF primers over time.

Susan Stroman to Direct and Choreograph Bullets Over Broadway Musical on Broadway

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-ci ... 58326.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:lmao: :lmao:

I don't get it.

ddouglas wrote:I don't get it.

JMike wrote:

GONRA wrote:GONRA suggests those of you with a chronograph document yer 2008 Lead Free ammo
performance (Does it shoot? What is the velociy?) now, and again in 2018.
Report back here. Most of us will be around...

With the LF primer, the only question is how will it hold up at or past the 10 year point.

Why bother choreographing?

If the primer fires, the powder lights off and the cartridge goes boom. What am I missing here?

:laugh:

Rapier1772 wrote:

JMike wrote:With the LF primer, the only question is how will it hold up at or past the 10 year point.
Why bother choreographing?
If the primer fires, the powder lights off and the cartridge goes boom. What am I missing here?

It's chronograph not choreograph - no one is trying to get bullets to dance here :laugh:

There is no such thing as too much data & we get asked periodically what the speed of this or that ammo is.
But, in this case - different primers create different pressures. Similarly, a primer that degrades over time will also change pressures. By chronographing the speeds, we can see if there is a measurable effect for LF primers over time.

LOL! Dang spell checker. My bad, but you have to admit it's pretty funny!

Well, included in that you should request elevation, temperature, dew point. The chronographed speeds will differ from someone at sea level vs someone in the mountains of Colorado.

blueorison wrote:

ddouglas wrote:I don't get it.

JMike wrote:

GONRA wrote:GONRA suggests those of you with a chronograph document yer 2008 Lead Free ammo
performance (Does it shoot? What is the velociy?) now, and again in 2018.
Report back here. Most of us will be around...

With the LF primer, the only question is how will it hold up at or past the 10 year point.

Why bother choreographing?

If the primer fires, the powder lights off and the cartridge goes boom. What am I missing here?

Stop dancing around the subject.

Yeah, yeah - spell checker... Sure... That's what they all say :p :laugh:
(And yes, it was funny)

JMike wrote:Well, included in that you should request elevation, temperature, dew point. The chronographed speeds will differ from someone at sea level vs someone in the mountains of Colorado.

Might take a little google fu (aka Tactical Search in top right corner) but most of us reloader/tester types have listed our location at one time or another & from that we can get elevation, if they don't post the elevation w/their results. (Mine btw is ~4500ft) A majority of us also post the temp at the time of testing.

Dew point - not usually posted. To be honest, I don't even know what effect that has on bullet performance. Anyone care to educate me?

One note on elevation - If it is just one person doing the testing this year and again several years down the road in the same location, elevation won't matter much. Same elevation on both sides of the equation would cancel out but any difference or trend will still be apparent. It's only when comparing to different locations that it matters.