Absolutely so. From around the early 1960s to mid-1975 or so, I used to get the *old stuff* free, in GI garbage cans full, from my local National Guard armory, the local commander of which was our next-door neighbor, whom I kept in .38 and .357 handloads for his sixguns.
The bullets got pulled and used in all sorts of things, but mostly in M1917 Enfield rifles, [which I preferred for the sights] .30-06 Mausers and Garand reloads, with occasional krag and Swiss 7.5 periods thrown in. Powder got used, of course, and the cases were cut down below the necks, and many were turned into either shot cartridge loads for use in M1917 Colts or reworked into 7,92x33 brass for the German MP44- the old GI brass was usually okay below the case neck so long as the corrosive mercuric primers hadn't been popped.
Other useful freebies I got at the time: free .30-40 blanks, shipped to the local VFW and American Legion posts by the caseload, and useless in their M1903 Springfields. I delinked a few cans worth of M1906 .30 blanks on Browning MG belts and made a fast trade, which worked very well- Krag actions were going for $1.50 each from the DCM at the time, and for not much more than that from surplus outlets.
Some of the Bullets came from the old .30-06 ball [I'd get .30-03 every now and again, ran around $25/ 1000] but my favourite loads were made up using the bullets from *.30 automatic pistol* cartridges, actually the ammo for the WWI Pedersen Device, scrapped out after the war. Then I found out that ammo could be used in inexpensive French MAS 35A and MAS 35S handguns as well as some nice light .30-40 and M1 carbine loads. What the collecrtors would give for one of those old Remmy .30 auto pistol boxes now....
