Old components

amarquardt · August 5, 2018, 11:24 PM

I recently came into possession of my grandfather's large collection of reloading equipment, including powder, primers, brass, jacketed and lead bullets, and tools. I have already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition for safety purposes, as I could not verify dates or exactly what was used. I do have some questions regarding the brass and bullets, namely is the brass still good as some dates to 1942 (headstamps from military production) and are the lead bullets still usable. The bullets were lubricated from the factory and are still in the original boxes, some still having receipts. I am guessing the brass, especially the oldest stuff, is once-fired machine gun brass as my grandfather served in Korea and did a lot of machine gun training at the armory, which was located in his town. Also, he had a lot of .38 Special and .357 Magnum casings that appear to be plated brass, similar to modern personal defense rounds. They were all in CCI Lawman boxes and the used primers had what appears to be a red primer sealant on them. Are these usable as well or could they be steel-cased? He was still reloading up to the last few years of his life but I just want to make sure I won't be taking any unnecessary risks as he may have done. Any help is greatly appreciated.

tmd47762 · August 6, 2018, 04:06 AM

I’ve got some of the same old brass that I inherited. The CCI Lawman cases load just fine but the nickel plating may wear in the dies. The main concerns would be corrosion and wear in the brass you don’t know the history of. I’ve had good results loading the old 38 sp brass, but I always stick to low power target loads. As far as loaded ammo goes I pull bullets and dump powder.

**Mike Irwin** · August 6, 2018, 06:36 AM

Unless the lead bullets are showing a white fuzzy oxidation, they should be fine.

The lube might be dried out, but it would looked cracked and wrinkled if that were the case. Even then they might shoot OK.

The brass is also likely fine.

USSR · August 6, 2018, 09:16 AM

Quote:

I recently came into possession of my grandfather's large collection of reloading equipment, including powder, primers, brass, jacketed and lead bullets, and tools. I have already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition for safety purposes, as I could not verify dates or exactly what was used.

You would have been MUCH better off to ask your questions BEFORE tossing anything out. FWIW, primers last darn near forever and no problem using them. Powder, as long as it is in it's original container, is easily identifiable as being good or not. Loaded ammunition is easily broken down into it's bullet and case components and new ammunition made from it. Oh well, lessen learned.

Don

**44 AMP** · August 6, 2018, 09:38 AM

You might have "disposed of" several hundred dollars "for safety purposes"...

Powder that cannot be identified exactly is best disposed of. The rest of the stuff is quite usable and absent corrosion lasts for many, many years.

Powder containers, and other boxes, if old enough and in good condition are worth money to collectors, even if empty.

I've got bullets and brass in my stuff that date from as early as WWI (1918), and are perfectly usable, should I choose to,.

FITASC · August 6, 2018, 10:09 AM

Quote:

I have already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition for safety purposes

BIG MISTAKE

Quote:

You would have been MUCH better off to ask your questions BEFORE tossing anything out. FWIW, primers last darn near forever and no problem using them. Powder, as long as it is in it's original container, is easily identifiable as being good or not. Loaded ammunition is easily broken down into it's bullet and case components and new ammunition made from it. Oh well, lessen learned.

Yep.

I am finally able to get back into shooting some rifles after 15 years. Some of my powders are dated by me on the can as being from the early-mid 90s. (Anyone remember DuPont IMR in the metal cans?) Stuff is still good, as are my primers. And as to ammo, if you didn't want to shoot it..........was your grandfather a fairly meticulous person? I would venture if he was, then that ammo would have been fine to shoot. At the very least, as already mentioned, you could have broken down the components and reused the cases, primers and bullets.

oldscot3 · August 6, 2018, 10:35 AM

Yep, what they^^^^^ said. My brother and I have been loading for well over 30 years now. Between the two of us, we have quite the collection of old supplies. The shelf life is amazing and the results for some of our favorite recipes consistent year after year.

USSR · August 6, 2018, 11:09 AM

Quote:

(Anyone remember DuPont IMR in the metal cans?)

Yep, got plenty of it, along with some Hercules Red Dot and Green Dot in the metal cans.

Don

T. O'Heir · August 6, 2018, 11:23 AM

"...already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition..." Hasty of you. The powder was probably just fine. Depends on how it was stored. Primers don't go bad. They're fine. Loaded reloads, you pull. Just in case.
"...IMR in the metal cans?..." Every powder came in a metal can at one time. Plastic containers are cheaper to make.

FITASC · August 6, 2018, 12:07 PM

Unique used to come in a cardboard drum when bough by the 4 and 8# containers. They make great receptacles for used brass when finished.

amarquardt · August 6, 2018, 05:30 PM

Thank you everyone for the advice. I am glad that I don't necessarily have to scrap the brass or bullets as there are about 750 .30-06 casings and about the same number of mixed .38 Special/.357 Magnum as well as several thousand bullets.

FWIW, I disposed of the primers as they were out of their original packaging and the containers of powder had been labeled in permanent marker, most of which was worn off. I was not too sad about disposing of them as there was fewer than 100 primers and about 2.5 lbs of powder divided among 5 containers. As far as the ammunition goes, it was less than 50 rounds of mixed .32 WCF and .30-30, some of which had corrosion on the casings and/or bullets. After looking at some of my grandfather's reloads, it appears he was not the most meticulous person when it came to reloading, he had an organizational system that worked for him but he never told anyone else.

oldscot3 · August 6, 2018, 07:32 PM

Lol, not meticulous indeed! In that case, I'll retract my earlier statement and say you probably did the right thing.

Tsquared · August 6, 2018, 09:20 PM

LOL, I went through this about 10 years ago when my father passed away. For the calibers that we shared I took all of the loaded ammo and used it on the range. He taught me loading and he is one of the few that I trusted with their loads. I kept all of his powder that I could use and used it up. I took all of the projectiles that I used and loaded them up and the same with brass. It tripled my inventory.

I let my brother-in-law keep the 2 progressive presses, miscellaneous crap I couldn't use, and I took home the Rockchucker, a triple beam scale, and some of the dies. My BIL was a late starter in loading learning only after he married my sister. One of the progressives was a dedicated to 45ACP and the other was a wore out converted DL450 to early 550. I had plans for a new 550B.

**44 AMP** · August 6, 2018, 10:16 PM

Quote:

disposed of the primers as they were out of their original packaging and the containers of powder had been labeled in permanent marker, most of which was worn off.

OK, this does justify disposal. had they been in their original packaging and labeling, (and in otherwise good condition) I would argue against just throwing it away, but when you cannot POSITIVELY identify powder or primers, the best thing to do is dispose of it.

A small quantity of ammo, likewise. If you can't tell what it is loaded with, don't use it. If it had been a large quantity, then breaking down the rounds to salvage the bullets and brass. Take a look at the cost of bullets and brass, and even "once fired" brass. While they used to be less, today bullets are dimes (at least) and cases are quarters, or more, quite often.

I could throw out a few dozen (if I didn't have a choice), but a few hundred is still real money, to me...

Based on the small quantity, I won't say you were anything other than prudent. Thanks for clearing the matter up.

**Mike Irwin** · August 7, 2018, 05:54 AM

What?

You mean you did not, as everyone immediately assumed, wantonly dispose of thousands of primers and dozens of pounds of powder?

rc · August 7, 2018, 06:46 PM

I think any powder made post WWII and all non mercuric primers in original packages would have been fine but can't cry over spilled milk. Bullets will be FINE. If they are tarnished it won't hurt anything. If lead bullets are white, you can probably just toss them in lee liquid alox, load and shoot. Brass is fine as long as it hasn't been reloaded a lot. That's the thing I would have been suspect of for safety because it contains the pressure. rc

August 5, 2018, 11:24 PM	#1
amarquardt Junior Member Join Date: June 8, 2017 Posts: 2	Old components I recently came into possession of my grandfather's large collection of reloading equipment, including powder, primers, brass, jacketed and lead bullets, and tools. I have already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition for safety purposes, as I could not verify dates or exactly what was used. I do have some questions regarding the brass and bullets, namely is the brass still good as some dates to 1942 (headstamps from military production) and are the lead bullets still usable. The bullets were lubricated from the factory and are still in the original boxes, some still having receipts. I am guessing the brass, especially the oldest stuff, is once-fired machine gun brass as my grandfather served in Korea and did a lot of machine gun training at the armory, which was located in his town. Also, he had a lot of .38 Special and .357 Magnum casings that appear to be plated brass, similar to modern personal defense rounds. They were all in CCI Lawman boxes and the used primers had what appears to be a red primer sealant on them. Are these usable as well or could they be steel-cased? He was still reloading up to the last few years of his life but I just want to make sure I won't be taking any unnecessary risks as he may have done. Any help is greatly appreciated.

August 6, 2018, 06:36 AM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	Unless the lead bullets are showing a white fuzzy oxidation, they should be fine. The lube might be dried out, but it would looked cracked and wrinkled if that were the case. Even then they might shoot OK. The brass is also likely fine. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 6, 2018, 09:38 AM	#5
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,833	You might have "disposed of" several hundred dollars "for safety purposes"... Powder that cannot be identified exactly is best disposed of. The rest of the stuff is quite usable and absent corrosion lasts for many, many years. Powder containers, and other boxes, if old enough and in good condition are worth money to collectors, even if empty. I've got bullets and brass in my stuff that date from as early as WWI (1918), and are perfectly usable, should I choose to,. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

August 6, 2018, 11:23 AM	#9
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...already disposed of all powder, primers, and loaded ammunition..." Hasty of you. The powder was probably just fine. Depends on how it was stored. Primers don't go bad. They're fine. Loaded reloads, you pull. Just in case. "...IMR in the metal cans?..." Every powder came in a metal can at one time. Plastic containers are cheaper to make. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

August 6, 2018, 12:07 PM	#10
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Unique used to come in a cardboard drum when bough by the 4 and 8# containers. They make great receptacles for used brass when finished. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

August 6, 2018, 04:06 AM	#2
tmd47762 Member Join Date: April 30, 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 96	I’ve got some of the same old brass that I inherited. The CCI Lawman cases load just fine but the nickel plating may wear in the dies. The main concerns would be corrosion and wear in the brass you don’t know the history of. I’ve had good results loading the old 38 sp brass, but I always stick to low power target loads. As far as loaded ammo goes I pull bullets and dump powder.

August 6, 2018, 10:35 AM	#7
oldscot3 Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: texas Posts: 997	Yep, what they^^^^^ said. My brother and I have been loading for well over 30 years now. Between the two of us, we have quite the collection of old supplies. The shelf life is amazing and the results for some of our favorite recipes consistent year after year.

August 6, 2018, 05:30 PM	#11
amarquardt Junior Member Join Date: June 8, 2017 Posts: 2	Thank you everyone for the advice. I am glad that I don't necessarily have to scrap the brass or bullets as there are about 750 .30-06 casings and about the same number of mixed .38 Special/.357 Magnum as well as several thousand bullets. FWIW, I disposed of the primers as they were out of their original packaging and the containers of powder had been labeled in permanent marker, most of which was worn off. I was not too sad about disposing of them as there was fewer than 100 primers and about 2.5 lbs of powder divided among 5 containers. As far as the ammunition goes, it was less than 50 rounds of mixed .32 WCF and .30-30, some of which had corrosion on the casings and/or bullets. After looking at some of my grandfather's reloads, it appears he was not the most meticulous person when it came to reloading, he had an organizational system that worked for him but he never told anyone else.

August 6, 2018, 07:32 PM	#12
oldscot3 Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: texas Posts: 997	Lol, not meticulous indeed! In that case, I'll retract my earlier statement and say you probably did the right thing.

August 6, 2018, 09:20 PM	#13
Tsquared Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2016 Location: NE Atlanta Posts: 337	LOL, I went through this about 10 years ago when my father passed away. For the calibers that we shared I took all of the loaded ammo and used it on the range. He taught me loading and he is one of the few that I trusted with their loads. I kept all of his powder that I could use and used it up. I took all of the projectiles that I used and loaded them up and the same with brass. It tripled my inventory. I let my brother-in-law keep the 2 progressive presses, miscellaneous crap I couldn't use, and I took home the Rockchucker, a triple beam scale, and some of the dies. My BIL was a late starter in loading learning only after he married my sister. One of the progressives was a dedicated to 45ACP and the other was a wore out converted DL450 to early 550. I had plans for a new 550B.

August 7, 2018, 05:54 AM	#15
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	What? You mean you did not, as everyone immediately assumed, wantonly dispose of thousands of primers and dozens of pounds of powder? __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 7, 2018, 06:46 PM	#16
rc Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2001 Location: CA Posts: 1,767	I think any powder made post WWII and all non mercuric primers in original packages would have been fine but can't cry over spilled milk. Bullets will be FINE. If they are tarnished it won't hurt anything. If lead bullets are white, you can probably just toss them in lee liquid alox, load and shoot. Brass is fine as long as it hasn't been reloaded a lot. That's the thing I would have been suspect of for safety because it contains the pressure. rc