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11-13-2010, 12:02 AM
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Is it OK to shoot this ammo???
A buddy gave me this ammo 38spl. as you can see in the pics.
I would like to shoot it up and use the cases for reloading.
The lead is really dry, is there a lube I can use on them that
might help.
[IMG] [/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]
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11-13-2010, 12:06 AM
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You might be better off selling the antique ammo to a collector and buying some once-fired current brass, especially if you have no idea how the ammo was stored.
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11-13-2010, 12:06 AM
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Sure, you can simply shoot it up, but with the boxes in such nice condition, it may be worth more to a collector than new ammo.
The dry bullets won't hurt anything. The rounded (ogive) part of the bullet does not touch the chamber throat or barrel bore.
If it really bothers you, you can wipe on some gun grease or dip it into Lee Liquid Alox bullet lubricant, but it is not necessary.
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11-13-2010, 12:23 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OKFC05
You might be better off selling the antique ammo to a collector and buying some once-fired current brass, especially if you have no idea how the ammo was stored.
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Yea I guess I could look into selling it.
Thanks guys for your help.
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11-13-2010, 01:49 AM
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It stinks
I shot some of that same ammo years ago. The ammo was smokey and stinky to say the least. The cases are good to reload but selling to a collector could net you more rounds. Save it for the next gunshow and find a collector to sell it to.
Bruce
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11-13-2010, 09:46 AM
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More valuable to a collector than for brass.
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11-13-2010, 10:51 AM
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Those are just too "cool" to shoot. As other mentioned either keep them or sell to a collector.
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11-13-2010, 11:40 AM
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You seem to have a mixed assortment of factory and possibly reloaded rounds in both boxes, judging by the mixture of case makes, case finishes and primer types.
The "dry" lead is just lead-oxide coating - it happens to exposed-lead bullets over time. Don't worry about it.
The ammo should be OK to shoot.
Western (Winchester) and Peters (Remington) ammo is some of the most popular ever made, and the collector value is probably zilch.
Some of the brass might be of the balloon-head type - don't reload those.
LT
Last edited by Linear Thinker; 11-13-2010 at 11:45 AM.
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11-13-2010, 11:51 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Linear Thinker
You seem to have a mixed assortment of factory and possibly reloaded rounds in both boxes, judging by the mixture of case makes, case finishes and primer types.
The "dry" lead is just lead-oxide coating - it happens to exposed-lead bullets over time. Don't worry about it.
The ammo should be OK to shoot.
Western (Winchester) and Peters (Remington) ammo is some of the most popular ever made, and the collector value is probably zilch.
Some of the brass might be of the balloon-head type - don't reload those.
LT
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Thanks for that bit of info on balloon-head type.
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11-14-2010, 01:05 AM
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I would just put those on a shelf and get some new brass to reload.
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11-14-2010, 01:12 AM
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I don't know that I've heard of any balloon head .38 cases, especially that new.
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11-16-2010, 08:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul5388
I don't know that I've heard of any balloon head .38 cases, especially that new.
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Paul - I have a number of ballon-head 38 cases in my old-ammo collection.
What prompted my concern was the convex primer shape on some of the pictured cases. That indicates older ammo. However, no way to tell the case-head construction without pulling the bullet.
LT
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11-16-2010, 09:00 PM
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Speer #7 has balloon head data for .45 Auto Rim, but doesn't mention any for .38 Special. So, that's part of my observation of the age they would have to be. Here's what Phil Sharpe says in the 1951 edition of his Complete Guide to Handloading.
Sharpe indicates balloon heads weren't in production by major manufacturers at the date of printing (which could also be 1937, depending on what was revised in later editions). So, as I said, the cartridges don't appear to be from the balloon head era.
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11-16-2010, 09:10 PM
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Domed primers do not necessarily indicate balloon head type cases.
Several US manufacturers used the older "domed" primers into the late 1960s and beyond. I've encountered israeli military production 9mm that used the domed type primers with manufacturing dates of middle-to-late 1970s, probably from using the Winchester production machinery sold to IMI.
Balloon head cases, on the other hand, were discontinued a generation before. WWII spelled the end of balloon head cases as well as the bulk type powders that Sharpe wrote about.
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11-16-2010, 09:23 PM
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Yes, I should have mentioned about bulk powder passing from production long ago and being generally powder that could be loaded dram for dram in black powder applications. There isn't any bulk powder now, since it certainly doesn't mean what we buy in bulk. Bulk powder is shown on the left of the following image.
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