I just bought the following Primers and I know they are old - probably made between the 1960's - 1970's. I would like to know more specifically when they were produced. I have gone on line but could not find any definitive answers so I was hoping some of you could be a bit more specific about when they were made.

The boxes are completely dry and in surprisingly almost perfect shape - so I am guessing the Primers themselves are just fine. If anyone can narrow the dates of manufacture down to a specific time I would appreciate it - more for curiosity than anything else. These will be working primers and not collectibles, however I will save the boxes for display.

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I have the same primers, guess 1980s to 1990s.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

If you can give me the lot numbers from the Winchester ones, I might be able to help you on those. I just finished loading 1,000 rounds of 9mm with CCI primers just like those. The rounds I have tested all worked just fine.

I got those old primers a year ago when a friend died.

I started loading in 1979, and CCI had moved on the cream boxes for pistol, white for rifle, and blue for Bench Rest.

Ivan

I'd guess the metal Hercules powder 'keg' is mid 60's +/-.
The first factory container of powder I ever bought was a 4# (?) just like that of Herco back in 65 or 66 .
Hercules Powder Co

Smaller amts of 2# and under were purchased in bulk at the same hardware store. You supplied a coffee can or other such container. The powder of your pick was scooped from a clean trash can along the wall, then weighed.
Sometimes they'd allow you to use a paper bag for the purchase if it was a sturdy one!

Those primers shown are what I would call 'newer stuff'!
Load away...
The powder is likely fine too.
It's all in how this stuff has been stored over it's lifetime.

I'm using up primers from the 40's,,50's(?) and they work fine.
W/Western packaged in small wooden trays slotted for 10 primers in a row, 10 rows in a tray of 100.
Haven't figured out any use for the neat little empty trays yet.

I started reloading in the 1980's too and I've not seen these boxes. I have some CCI in Beige colored boxes but not Green. The Remington's
I've had were always Green/Orange and while I have had white Winchester boxes - none said Western after the Winchester.

I am guessing the red Remington's are the oldest.

Hi Chief
I'm not much help on dating them .
I don't save mine for display either so if you want my old empties I can save them for you.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Thank you and I truly appreciate that. That being said I am trying very hard to cull down my "stuff" and actually get rid of a bunch. My wife calls me a professional collector - lol! I do appreciate the though though!

I think the keg is late 60's early 70's. I bought one in an estate sale years ago and just emptied it last year. It worked fine.

WW primers are 70's to 80's as are the CCI. No idea on the Remingtons.

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Front sight and squeeze

They are really old if they are in a "Wood" box................

but if held with the newer black plastic , they are the run of the mill stuff,
but still very reliable.

I have an identical 4 pound keg of Unique. Bought it (along with other, long gone powder) when I began reloading in 1963.

I avoided opening it initially because I had plenty in 1 pound containers and later because it’s a cool, vintage display item.

If you're having problems dating primers and powder, you'll never hack it with dating women!

I was just going to say: Stop dating a primer and get a primer on dating.

Instead of dating women (I only need the one I have) I reload, so I can afford to shoot and take her out, both in the same week!

Ivan

When I first started reloading in 1974, my Father gave me a bunch of old reloading stuff that he had in his garage. In the bunch of stuff were about 5,000 primers (now these were in white paper boxes and the primer trays had wooden strips). The reloading items were from when he quit reloading about 1958. I believe the primers might have been Speer and were made of brass. They all worked fine in my .45ACP, .44 Special and .44 Mag loading. Those were 17 years old at that time. I have used some older than that lately just to see if they work. I will add some pictures of the boxes in a little while.

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

My wife and I have stuck together for 42 years - could never bare the thought of breaking in a new oner! LOL!!

Forty-nine for us, and we both agree on one and done.

When I started reloading in 1973 CCI primers came in those boxes. During the mid to later 1970s Pay-Less Drug Store sold standard CCI primers for 79 cents and Magnums for 89 cents. Because Lewiston was the closest place where primers were being made most other stores that sold reloading supplies also sold CCI. The mostly white Winchester primer boxes were current when I first bought their primers. That was sometime in the 1970s. I first bought new Remington primers in green and yellow/orange boxes like the one in AJ's reply #18. The Remington Primes in the red box are older. I used boxes like that but bought them at gun shows pre-owned. Even older Remington primers had domed or rounded cups. About a year ago I bought an old RCBS Junior press that still had its original 4 primer seating stems, large and small, flat top and concave for seating the old Remington primers.

In 1974 a gun store clerk warned me that powder prices would soon take a big jump in price. I forget why. He was right. Within a year the price for most powders jumped from $3.50 a pound to $4.50. On his advise I bought a 4 pound can of Herco. It was in a newer style of can than your red Bullseye can. To a teenager who had so far only loaded non-magnum pistols that 4 pounds seemed like an enormous supply. I forget its price. The least expensive powder that I bought new was $2.50 a pound but it was an unpopular powder that had lingered on the shelf.

When old powder deteriorates it sheds a fine red dust that settles to the bottom of the can. Assuming that you're using powder off the top of the can it will produce less pressure than when it was new. The risk is the fine dust is an extreme fire hazard. The dust is corrosive so rust on the inside of steel powder cans is a warning sign.

Hopefully chief38 won't mind a little thread drift. I'm curious how old my RCBS Junior is. In addition to its concave seating stems it has an aluminum primer catching tray. The Rock Chucker that I bought in 1973 had a green plastic primer catching tray so it must be older than 1973. I do not know if this accessory is as old as the Junior press but it came with a military primer pocket swagging set that includes a different ram.

I started loading in the late 60s, and I vaguely recall the CCI boxes looking like those all the way through the 80s.

You could always call CCI with the lot numbers and get an exact date. My guess is they are probably from the 80s.

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Keep your powder dry.

The powder is pre 1970 and may or may not be "good". Testing a few loads will tell you.

The primers are post 1970 and will be OK to use! But again loading and testing will tell for sure!

I'm not sure if there is any extra value in their present state to collectors but people do collect the empty stuff!

Smiles,

Zip codes came into existence in 1963. If they don't have a zip code they are most likely pre 63. Those primers are not that old but the powder might be.

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"Tastes just like chicken"

Two of the five boxes have no Zip Codes. The Winchester Staynless and the Remington No. 9 1/2 are without Zip Codes. All have gone bang as advertised.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Send all those old primers to me and I'll check them for you just to make sure they all fire ok

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What could possibly go wrong?