Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Save it or shoot it?
1 posted on 03/23/2015 12:40:15 PM PDT by aomagrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last
To: aomagrat

Burn it.


2 posted on 03/23/2015 12:41:19 PM PDT by fwdude (The last time the GOP ran an "extremist," Reagan won 44 states.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/


3 posted on 03/23/2015 12:41:47 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Full boxes.. ORIGINAL boxes? I would find a buyer for it.


4 posted on 03/23/2015 12:43:34 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Save it. While your ammo is probably completely safe to shoot (inspect cases first), it probably will have more value someday in the future. Or it would make a good conversation piece.


5 posted on 03/23/2015 12:43:46 PM PDT by ConservativeInPA (#JuSuisCharlesMartel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

It should still shoot. I have some 1947 military 303 enfield that shoots fine. That said, it may be worth something to collectors, so check it out first.


6 posted on 03/23/2015 12:47:06 PM PDT by Hugin ("Do yourself a favor--first thing, get a firearm!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

There are ammunition collectors out there - I ended up with several boxes from a garage sale that were WWII manufacture from several different armories, some very obscure it turned out. I sold the group for about 100 times more than I paid.


7 posted on 03/23/2015 12:52:20 PM PDT by dainbramaged (Get out of my country now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Save it or shoot it?

You can do both but I recommend you check the value of the ammo before shooting.

I have several boxes of vintage ammo. I have kept a box of 30-30 Winchester Silver Tip because of the store and the price. The price was $4.95 and I bought it from a Toys R Us store.

9 posted on 03/23/2015 12:56:47 PM PDT by MosesKnows (Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Sears Ted Williams 30-30 170gr SP, head stamp Sears

That sounds like something rare.

10 posted on 03/23/2015 12:56:57 PM PDT by MileHi (Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Send it down line. As long as it is not corroded it will be fine. That’s my experience at least. Before a tragic boating accident I sent lots of old ammo down range.


11 posted on 03/23/2015 12:58:03 PM PDT by Organic Panic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Here is some advice form CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program)

http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/ammo-parts-accessories/warning-surplus-ammunition/


12 posted on 03/23/2015 12:59:17 PM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Depends on your psychological diagnosis. Mine is "I hoard everything guns and ammo".

I even have various full boxes of unused Wanda shotshells. Not counting unopened 550rd spams cans of steel core .308 and 30-06 from dad's new old stock piles. I think some of the stuff is actually worth some money now, but probably not enough to make it worth hanging on to all these years...

13 posted on 03/23/2015 1:00:19 PM PDT by FunkyZero (... I've got a Grand Piano to prop up my mortal remains)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Shoot it.
It will either go BANG or pfst.
Seriously, inspect the cases carefully. If there are no defects, It should shoot fine. From ABCs of Reloading, Ninth Edition, page 62. "A sample of Laflin & Rand (later Hercules, now Alliant) Unique powder was placed in storage under water in 1899 to test its viability. It was last tested in this century and performed as well as when it was made." My guess is this ammunition is from the 50s or 60s using the Ted Williams identifier. Sears sold hunting & fishing gear endorsed by Williams during that period. I think that if the truth be known some of the lower end ammunition, especially the Russian brands are military surplus and probably others are as much as 80+ years old. Of course it has been repackaged/ All you need to do is fire a Tula 7.62x54R and then look at your cleaning swabs to see how corrisive that stuff was and they are still selling it. So, Hell yes if there is no damage to the cartridge itself, I would shoot it.
14 posted on 03/23/2015 1:01:14 PM PDT by Tupelo (I feel more like Philip Nolan by the day)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

I just found a few boxes of ammo I bought 40 years ago! Still shoots.

Dominion 30-30
9MM Remington
.44 Mag.

I even found a box of 44-40 Winchester for a rifle I sold 35 years ago!

I reloaded lots of .38 cal into IVI military cases I picked up back in 1968! I noticed the primer hole was off centered. Brok several depriming pins.


16 posted on 03/23/2015 1:01:51 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

I found some 22 shorts my dad had from the late 1940s and out of 60 or so rounds not a single dud. I did leave some alone for posterity.


17 posted on 03/23/2015 1:05:56 PM PDT by BillyBonebrake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

As long as the commercial ammo had been stored high and dry and not in an overly hot place is will be just fine to shoot. The GI 38 is a bit iffy since you have no way of knowing about storage and I have had misfires with similar stuff. None of it is “collectable” except that you might find someone who collects military markings for the 38. I have samples of all these and they work just fine as needed for test firing etc. Check boxes for signs of moisture and the primers and bullet cannelures for signs of fuzzieness.


18 posted on 03/23/2015 1:05:57 PM PDT by cherokee1 (skip the names---just kick the buttz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Shoot it! BUT BE CAREFUL, if any rounds just don’t “look” right, DO NOT SHOOT THAT ROUND!


19 posted on 03/23/2015 1:13:54 PM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Have your Mother-In-Law try it first.


20 posted on 03/23/2015 1:20:10 PM PDT by Ancient Man
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Looked again at the details, and the Remington might be the round they called "Super Police", as most .38 Special was 158 grain.

The Super Police was popular at a time when hollow point bullets were relatively undeveloped, and could not be counted on for consistent performance. The slow, long Super Police bullet would yaw on striking tissue, creating a larger wound channel.

Here's what it looks like.

If you have a full box, that would be of interest to collectors.

21 posted on 03/23/2015 1:20:42 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat
Your ammunition has very little, if any, collector's value with the possible exception of the Ted Williams .30-30 cartridges which might fetch twice today's retail price for similar ammunition. Shipping costs however would more than cancel any premium over current retail prices.

The packaging appears to be in excellent conditions which implies that the ammo has been stored in reasonable conditions. Moisture, excessive heat and corrosive atmospheres are the main enemies of ammunition.

As other posters have noted, the visual condition of the cartridges offer the best clues to whether it is still safe to shoot.

I personally wouldn't hesitate to shoot the ammunition for recreational purposes. Ammunition used for serious purposes should be of current vintage.

25 posted on 03/23/2015 1:38:57 PM PDT by Buffalo Head (Illigitimi non carborundum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: aomagrat

Changes in atmospheric pressure will cause moisture to enter a cartridge that may lead to a dude or even a squib that may leave a bullet in the barrel. Not so much of a problem for rimfire cartridges. For storage, keep ammo in a sealed plastic bag that can expand and contract with pressure. Not a bad idea to seal the primers with a dab of fingernail polish. Some WWII stuff still had corrosive primers.


26 posted on 03/23/2015 1:55:28 PM PDT by Hiddigeigei ("Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish," said Dionysus - Euripides)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson