How Long Do Primers Last?

[Yukon Gold]

Going through some ammo cans in my garage where I had "archived" some reloading supplies.  Opened up one can, and there I had 5000 Winchester large Pistol Primers I purchased in 1991.  They still look like new - I am assuming still good to go.

Question - how long do unloaded primers last?

[ricciardelli]

If stored properly, primers will last until the firing pin hits them.

I'm still using some I bought in the 1960's.

[Questor]

If your garage is like my garage, then you may have a problem. Big swings in temperature and humidity for several years won't do them any good.  I'd try priming some cases and firing just the primers. If a reasonable sized sample goes bang-- with no exceptions-- then I'd load some plinking ammo with them.  I assume these primers are still in the original boxes and not loose in jars or some other hazardous form of storage.

[Yukon Gold]

They sat in a closed ammo box, so humidity is not a big factor, however, in Nebraka, the temps can vary form 0 to 90 in the garage.  Will give them a try though