[fred cook]

I fired some original Frankford Arsenal 45-70 rounds in my trapdoor Springfield once. The ammo was made in the 1880s and was about 100 years old when fired. I know, collector ammo, etc. but I just wanted to see how accurate the rifle was with its original, intended ammo. The only cartridges that I have found to "go bad" are .22 rimfire. After 20 or 30 years the primer compound will dry up and fall out of the case rim, especially if fired in a semi- auto where the cartridge gets jerked around. Otherwise, I have never had a cartridge that failed to fire because of age.