My grandparents both recently passed away and while we were performing the final shut down of their house we ran across a few fairly old handguns. I know absolutely NOTHING about weapons of any sort (nor am I a big fan) but they ended up in my care since my mother and aunt said "let's throw them away? " (I mean how ignorant can you get here? )
Anyway my question is about the bullets that came with the handguns. Do bullets get "old", or rather, over time do bullets become unstable? Should I get these to the police department for proper disposal or are they safe? I know, these are stupid questions but I would rather look like a goofball and have good info than not know at all. I checked to make sure they were not loaded so I feel safe there.

Do you know how old the bullets are? If they are over 10 years or so, I personally would not use them, nor would I use them if they are corroded. You can take them to a firing range or to a gun shop to dispose of them, some people may even buy them to reload. Usually bullets do not go bad, but depending on the age they may have gotten wet or lost some of their charge or they could have swelled causing a backfire.
Hope this helps.
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Be Cool
K_OS

I'm no expert or anything but as a good rule when dealing with any gun is not to use it until you are confident about it's condition. Yes a round can go bad with age and even a greater chance when you combine age and improper storage conditions. You don't have to worry about them exploding on you or anything but don't go smacking them with a hammer either. Also don't just get a new bullet and try it without examining the gun either. You are supposed to keep your gun clean and in perfect condition cause a good bullet and dirty mistreated gun are dangerous too. Just take them down to your local gun shop and have em take a look at them, who know's they might be worthsomethin...

While they don't tend to "go bad", things can happen to them... Ammo is fairly cheap, if it's over a decade old, or you just aren't sure, error on the side of caution, and have them disposed of. Also, I'd heed Mojom's advice on the gun itself as well...make sure it's clean. If you aren't sure about it...have it professionally cleaned (at least the first time) and checked out. You can't play it too safe when firearms are involved.

My condolensces on the passing of your grandparents...

My grandfather was excessively retentive so I know he had them in proper storage. I was not planning on firing them til if have them given the once over by a professional (if ever).
Spanks for all your advice!