old ammo

[2HOW]

My wife brought me 2 bags of really old ammo today. Some regular 38s some old 22 shots, some old 12 ga. and most in good condition  along with some I have not ID yet alng with some old 22 lr I bet they go back 40 years. Update to come. lots of other odds and ends in the bags.

[twyacht]

I wouldn't shoot anything with a "green hue" to it. If it was stored properly, desiccant, boxed, etc.. your call.

I have some Argentine Mauser 7.65x53 187 gr surplus rounds from 1981, that I change desiccant every 3 months and keep inside an ammo box, and never had a misfire or discoloration to the brass. Non Berdan primed. (one of those 1000rd deals).

Good luck with it,,,, and be sure to kiss and thank the wife. 

[Bill Stryker]

Um, old ammo still goes bang.
I have some century old Remington Military 7x57 that worked fine the last time I had my rolling block out. Now I only have one box left and am saving it for some reason. BTW I have reloaded the brass in the past. It is a bitch because it is Berdan primed.
I have some WWII DEN 43 .30-06 that other than being corrosive still works.
In 1965 while I was in Vietnam we were still shooting WWII M1 ammo and glad to get it. The .30 Carbine ammo was from both WWII and Korea but it still shot fine. We never got any newer rifle ammo while I was there.
The only problem was with some WWII 4.2 WP that sometimes was a little weak exiting the tube and would fall a little short on occasion -- that could be exciting. But we shot it because it was what we had.
I agree with twyacht. I won't shoot anything that has a primer that has turned green or blue.

[Pathfinder]

Um, old ammo still goes bang.
I have some century old Remington Military 7x57 that worked fine the last time I had my rolling block out. Now I only have one box left and am saving it for some reason. BTW I have reloaded the brass in the past. It is a bitch because it is Berdan primed.
I have some WWII DEN 43 .30-06 that other than being corrosive still works.
In 1965 while I was in Vietnam we were still shooting WWII M1 ammo and glad to get it. The .30 Carbine ammo was from both WWII and Korea but it still shot fine. We never got any newer rifle ammo while I was there.
The only problem was with some WWII 4.2 WP that sometimes was a little weak exiting the tube and would fall a little short on occasion -- that could be exciting. But we shot it because it was what we had.
I agree with twyacht. I won't shoot anything that has a primer that has turned green or blue.

I hope so, I have some 70's or 80's Hirtenberger NATO 7.62 that I am saving for a rainy day. I do hope it goes bang when I want it to.

[CZShooter]

I have some Belgian 7.62x54R from 1955. It works just fine (it was in a sealed tin).

[Sponsor]

[Ron J]

If it looks "new" it should (key word "should") be ok.  I just went through some really old Federal 22 ammo that my dad had from the 60's.  Really dirty stuff but it worked fine.  Years ago my uncle gave me some really old military 45ACP ammo.  All looked new and were in new looking boxes.  I shot the brass cased ammo and it worked great. The steel case 45ACP I didn't shoot because I was afraind of a FTE. 

[Bill Stryker]

Ron J,

I would bet the steel case stuff will work. Send it to me if you don't want it.

In the late 70s I was in charge of a shoot where we shot up a lot of that steel case .45 stuff and it all worked. It worked in pistols and several submachineguns.

Earlier in the 60s the husband of a lady that worked for my mother reloaded those steel cases some how and traded it to me for some stuff. He had greased the cases up pretty well prior to running them into his die. The reloads shot fine in my 1911. The guy was medically retired from the Army as a result of Korea. So, he had time on his hands that he spent reloading and working on guns. I wish I knew all his reloading tricks.

[2HOW]

Some REM-UMC shureshot 12 ga the old paper plug in the end with the recipe 3 drams 1 1/8 oz equiv, several new W.R.A S&W 38, lots of .22 shorts, box of .22 long rifle shot Remington high speed  a copper case lead cast bullet with only a U on the bottom looks like a .32, several.Box of .22 long rifle "hi- speed " shot with a 1 cent tennessee tax stamp on bottom of box. an even older full box marked Remington Arms Co. Klean Bore Remington UMC R21S silvadry bullets with a 1/10 th of a cent tax stamp like new. pretty cool. Didnt know they made .22 shot  Have to try these out. Most are like new except the  cast bullets, they are oxidizing , they must be cast ,they have the gas check rings on the bullets , or what appears to be.