30 ball m2

jrs2009 · January 18, 2018, 07:53 PM

I have acquired a large amount of m2 30 ball ammo. Would it be safe to shoot out of a modern day 30-06 semi auto rifle?

davidsog · January 18, 2018, 09:33 PM

If it was mine, I would shoot it.

As long as the ammunition is in good condition I would run it all day long.

That is just me.

davidsog · January 18, 2018, 09:41 PM

It might be corrosive though....not that you can't shoot it just know what your putting in your weapon.

http://www.odcmp.org/1101/USGI.pdf

Fishbed77 · January 19, 2018, 12:23 PM

M2 is loaded t lower pressures than most common 30-06 hunting ammo, so it should be fine. As others said, you should determine if it's corrosive. You can still shoot it safely, but need to clean the barrel as soon as possible afterwards.

If it's the Greek HXP ammo that was (is?) commonly available from the CMP, it should be non-corrosive.

T. O'Heir · January 19, 2018, 12:58 PM

What's on the head stamp? Be able to determine the likelihood of corrosive primers from that.
Corrosive priming really isn't a big deal. You just have to flush the barrel(and gas system if there is one) with hot tap water(doesn't have to be boiling, but that dries itself faster) before normal cleaning. Your rifle isn't going to instantly dissolve if you don't flush it immediately after shooting either.
.30 M2 ammo used a 152 grain bullet at 2800 FPS after 1940. Perfectly safe in any .30-06 chambered rifle. As mentioned, CMP ammo is non-corrosive.

Mobuck · January 19, 2018, 03:45 PM

Back in the late 60's-early 70's we acquired a goodly amount of SL54 (noncorrosive M2 ball) and shot several cans (240 rds/can) through a couple of Rem 742 rifles. No problems noted.

jrs2009 · January 20, 2018, 08:57 PM

Thank y’all for the response i shout about 50 rounds out of it with no issues. It held within 3 inches at 200 yards so i would say it faired as well as any modern day ammo. The date stamp on the can was 1962

bamaranger · January 21, 2018, 07:25 PM

Pretty sure by that time, that all US m2 ammo was noncorrosive. Can't say about import or other.

As an aside but still on track, wonder when the last year for US mfg M2 ball or AP, would be?

Ignition Override · January 23, 2018, 11:57 PM

Caution

:
If you bought it from somebody who has stored it for many years, it could easily have corrosive primers.

I used some very old (Lake City? maybe not) M2 Ball in a Service Grade M-1 from the CMP, and mistakenly caused corrosion in the bore, believing that the ammo had the improved primers.

The bore had been Very bright (almost in a higher category than "Service Grade"...) and clear until that happened.

**44 AMP** · January 24, 2018, 12:46 AM

Generally speaking the US military stopped using corrosive priming in the early 1950s. US made ammo after that era should be non-corrosive primed.

Foreign made ammo is an unknown quantity.

The test is pretty simple and easy. get a piece of "bare steel" (I suggest a cheap putty knife blade, just make sure its bare steel, not coated with anything)

Pull a bullet from the suspect ammo, and dump the powder. chamber the primed case and pop the primer with the putty knife right in front of the muzzle, so it gets sprayed with the residue.

CLEAN YOUR GUN as if it were corrosive priming (water, etc.)

Watch the putty knife see if it rusts. May only take a few hours, might take a couple days. If it rusts, you have corrosive primed ammo. If it doesn't rust, your ammo is non corrosive.

Either way, you'll know what you have, and can clean your gun appropriately after shooting it.

Jim Watson · January 24, 2018, 12:51 AM

Date on the can does not signify. Ammo was repacked.
What is the headstamp?

agtman · January 24, 2018, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Generally speaking the US military stopped using corrosive priming in the early 1950s. US made ammo after that era should be non-corrosive primed.

Quote:

Date on the can does not signify. Ammo was repacked.
What is the headstamp?

Yeah, I agree with both comments ...

The date on the can is *probably* a good indicator (assuming the ammo was U.S.-arsenal made, say, post-'50s @ Lake City), but to figure it out for sure, the OP needs to tell us what the headstamp on the cartridge says.

January 18, 2018, 07:53 PM	#1
jrs2009 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 2	30 ball m2 I have acquired a large amount of m2 30 ball ammo. Would it be safe to shoot out of a modern day 30-06 semi auto rifle?

January 19, 2018, 12:58 PM	#5
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	What's on the head stamp? Be able to determine the likelihood of corrosive primers from that. Corrosive priming really isn't a big deal. You just have to flush the barrel(and gas system if there is one) with hot tap water(doesn't have to be boiling, but that dries itself faster) before normal cleaning. Your rifle isn't going to instantly dissolve if you don't flush it immediately after shooting either. .30 M2 ammo used a 152 grain bullet at 2800 FPS after 1940. Perfectly safe in any .30-06 chambered rifle. As mentioned, CMP ammo is non-corrosive. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

January 21, 2018, 07:25 PM	#8
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	1962 Pretty sure by that time, that all US m2 ammo was noncorrosive. Can't say about import or other. As an aside but still on track, wonder when the last year for US mfg M2 ball or AP, would be?

January 23, 2018, 11:57 PM	#9
Ignition Override Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2008 Location: About 20 nm from the Big Muddy Posts: 2,887	Caution: If you bought it from somebody who has stored it for many years, it could easily have corrosive primers. I used some very old (Lake City? maybe not) M2 Ball in a Service Grade M-1 from the CMP, and mistakenly caused corrosion in the bore, believing that the ammo had the improved primers. The bore had been Very bright (almost in a higher category than "Service Grade"...) and clear until that happened.

January 24, 2018, 12:46 AM	#10
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	Generally speaking the US military stopped using corrosive priming in the early 1950s. US made ammo after that era should be non-corrosive primed. Foreign made ammo is an unknown quantity. The test is pretty simple and easy. get a piece of "bare steel" (I suggest a cheap putty knife blade, just make sure its bare steel, not coated with anything) Pull a bullet from the suspect ammo, and dump the powder. chamber the primed case and pop the primer with the putty knife right in front of the muzzle, so it gets sprayed with the residue. CLEAN YOUR GUN as if it were corrosive priming (water, etc.) Watch the putty knife see if it rusts. May only take a few hours, might take a couple days. If it rusts, you have corrosive primed ammo. If it doesn't rust, your ammo is non corrosive. Either way, you'll know what you have, and can clean your gun appropriately after shooting it. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

January 18, 2018, 09:33 PM	#2
davidsog Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2018 Posts: 1,326	If it was mine, I would shoot it. As long as the ammunition is in good condition I would run it all day long. That is just me.

January 18, 2018, 09:41 PM	#3
davidsog Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2018 Posts: 1,326	It might be corrosive though....not that you can't shoot it just know what your putting in your weapon. http://www.odcmp.org/1101/USGI.pdf

January 19, 2018, 12:23 PM	#4
Fishbed77 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2010 Posts: 4,862	M2 is loaded t lower pressures than most common 30-06 hunting ammo, so it should be fine. As others said, you should determine if it's corrosive. You can still shoot it safely, but need to clean the barrel as soon as possible afterwards. If it's the Greek HXP ammo that was (is?) commonly available from the CMP, it should be non-corrosive.

January 19, 2018, 03:45 PM	#6
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Back in the late 60's-early 70's we acquired a goodly amount of SL54 (noncorrosive M2 ball) and shot several cans (240 rds/can) through a couple of Rem 742 rifles. No problems noted.

January 20, 2018, 08:57 PM	#7
jrs2009 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 2	Thank y’all for the response i shout about 50 rounds out of it with no issues. It held within 3 inches at 200 yards so i would say it faired as well as any modern day ammo. The date stamp on the can was 1962

January 24, 2018, 12:51 AM	#11
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	Date on the can does not signify. Ammo was repacked. What is the headstamp?