New/old brass

elkman06 · September 6, 2010, 09:39 AM

I just loaded some old ball ammo 06 brass. Had crimped primers...etc.
Anyway they are marked TW 52. I guess I can assume they are 1952 vintage...loaded where? And are there any other attributes to this brass? Really consistent,,,not so????
elkman06

**Unclenick** · September 6, 2010, 10:01 AM

TW is Twin Cities Ordnance Plant. This would be Korean war era ammo. Probably corrosively primed, but that's not certain. Corrosive rifle primers were mostly phased out of American made military ammo by the end of 1953. That's not a big deal if the brass is not corroded. Having a look inside with a borescope to check for corrosion wouldn't be a bad idea if you happen to have one available, but a flashlight is good enough.

If it were mine, I would give the brass a wash in a quart of 10% citric acid (lemon juice is about 8% and is close enough, but more expensive) with a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid added, shaking it on and off for ten minutes, followed by a thorough rinse in tap water followed by a dip in acetone to remove the water, then allow it to dry. I would then anneal all the case necks just in case the brass had been exposed to airborne ammonia gas over time, leaving it prone to season cracking.

I know nothing about the shooting qualities of this particular brass, but see no reason it wouldn't be the same as most other military brass. That is to say, it should be about as good from an accuracy standpoint as, say, Remington brass, but will be a little hardier for use in the Garand. But it won't be up to Lapua.

elkman06 · September 6, 2010, 10:03 AM

Great response, thanks Nick.
elkman

wncchester · September 7, 2010, 05:37 PM

In the early days of my reloading I obtained a moderate quanity of DCM .30-06 ammo from as far back as '42. Still have a lot of it and it does fine.

Corrosive ammo only refers to compounds in the primers that formed salts when fired. It's harmless in storage and to case brass. The corrosive effect is that it promotes rust in steel bores. When fired, it, like any salt, needs to be quickly cleaned from the bore, using water to dissolve and remove it but the cases aren't usually affected.

I don't know what, if anything, a mild acid will do to salts but acid will attack and remove any oxides from brass; black tarnish or corrosion. I use vinegar for that because it's cheap and recommended by the NRA for case cleaning. It works good too, never tried anything more expensive.

September 6, 2010, 09:39 AM	#1
elkman06 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2006 Location: Wyoming Posts: 885	New/old brass I just loaded some old ball ammo 06 brass. Had crimped primers...etc. Anyway they are marked TW 52. I guess I can assume they are 1952 vintage...loaded where? And are there any other attributes to this brass? Really consistent,,,not so???? elkman06 __________________ "The right of the citizens to bear arms in the defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied." Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Sec24 "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6"

September 6, 2010, 10:01 AM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,083	TW is Twin Cities Ordnance Plant. This would be Korean war era ammo. Probably corrosively primed, but that's not certain. Corrosive rifle primers were mostly phased out of American made military ammo by the end of 1953. That's not a big deal if the brass is not corroded. Having a look inside with a borescope to check for corrosion wouldn't be a bad idea if you happen to have one available, but a flashlight is good enough. If it were mine, I would give the brass a wash in a quart of 10% citric acid (lemon juice is about 8% and is close enough, but more expensive) with a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid added, shaking it on and off for ten minutes, followed by a thorough rinse in tap water followed by a dip in acetone to remove the water, then allow it to dry. I would then anneal all the case necks just in case the brass had been exposed to airborne ammonia gas over time, leaving it prone to season cracking. I know nothing about the shooting qualities of this particular brass, but see no reason it wouldn't be the same as most other military brass. That is to say, it should be about as good from an accuracy standpoint as, say, Remington brass, but will be a little hardier for use in the Garand. But it won't be up to Lapua. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle Last edited by Unclenick; September 6, 2010 at 10:08 AM.

September 6, 2010, 10:03 AM	#3
elkman06 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2006 Location: Wyoming Posts: 885	Great response, thanks Nick. elkman __________________ "The right of the citizens to bear arms in the defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied." Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Sec24 "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6"

September 7, 2010, 05:37 PM	#4
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	In the early days of my reloading I obtained a moderate quanity of DCM .30-06 ammo from as far back as '42. Still have a lot of it and it does fine. Corrosive ammo only refers to compounds in the primers that formed salts when fired. It's harmless in storage and to case brass. The corrosive effect is that it promotes rust in steel bores. When fired, it, like any salt, needs to be quickly cleaned from the bore, using water to dissolve and remove it but the cases aren't usually affected. I don't know what, if anything, a mild acid will do to salts but acid will attack and remove any oxides from brass; black tarnish or corrosion. I use vinegar for that because it's cheap and recommended by the NRA for case cleaning. It works good too, never tried anything more expensive.