Old ammo questions with pictures.

[bravastar1]

Can anyone give me any info on the following ammo? Age and if they are worth anything other than good stuff to shoot.

The first is 25 Stevens rimfire. Never heard of it until today. Full box-no end flaps.

Second is a full box of Western 45 Colt. No end flaps

Third-Western Super X .357 45 rounds.

Remington .44 Spec 11 rounds full the rest empty brass.

Last is 2 full boxes of .222 Remington made by Western.

 

[oldman45]

Now that is some old ammo. Not WWII stuff but from the late 50's. My bet is it will shoot great.

 

[Big Cholla]

Jim: IMHO, the .25 Rimfire is very collectible. You probably wouldn't find any rifle to shoot it in anyway. The others are most likely totally safe to shoot given the condition of their boxes. BUT to some collectors they also have some collectability. You might want to wrap each box in a plastic wrap (after taking more pictures) and putting them up for sale here or on an action site like Gunbroker. ......... Big Cholla

 

[29aholic]

Ammo

Well I'll give you $2.89 a box for the .222 since I have an old beater that shoots them. 222 Rem. didn't come out until the early to Mid-50's. It was tragic when it came out due to the fact that there were dozens of Pre-64 Mod 70 Winchester's originally chambered for 22 Hornet that were re-chambered for 222. One has to be careful with those as the early Hornets had a 222 bore not a 224. I believe the Western boxes with the target are very early post WWII. There is a guy on the net named Ray Giles who is the noted expert on WW boxes and I have emailed him pics of stuff I have and he has always been helpful. The 44spl box I believe dates to the mid 50's.

 

[HspncElvis]

I have a box of 100 22LR Mini Mag, and half a box of 380 Cal. They have been kept at room temp. Pretty sure they date back mid to late 90's. Would they be safe to shoot? Thanks

 

[john traveler]

Are you serious? Ammunition that is only 10 or 15 years old is absolutely safe to shoot.

Most commercial and military production small arms ammunition is perfectly safe and "sure fire" for GENRATIONS after they are manufactured.

One word of advice though: if there is any question about the safety of "old" ammunition, limit yourself to slow, timed fire and keep a cleaning rod in your range shooting kit. Just in case you get a bullet stuck in the bore.

 

[HspncElvis]

Yes John, I am serious! I've always thought better safe to ask. And thankss for the info.

 

[DWalt]

Box Dating

It always helps to include a picture of the reverse side. There are often differences as to how the manufacturer's name is styled and printing layouts that provide a good indication of the date. Some older Remington ammo can be dated precisely from a code character series printed on the back, if you know the code. I'd say most of the boxes are from the late 40's through the 50's.

Ammo generally ages very well. I just fired some .380 which I know dates from 1938 and it is still 100% reliable. I've never had a problem with firing GI ammo from WWII, and in fact about 20 years ago, I fired a fair number of GI .45 ACP rounds headstamped from WWI with only an occasional dud.

 

[Big Cholla]

In 1990, I witnessed a M 1911 .45 ACP magazine that had been loaded someplace in the Pacific Theater in 1944, brought back in the bottom of a gear bag, stored in a sock drawer until that day, taken out, put in a Model 1911 and fired. Every round fired with what seemed to be full strength. The magazine spring was just fine too. I think that speaks well for the longevity of certain pistol rounds. ...... Big Cholla

 

[jimmyj]

The .357 magnum ammo is 1950/1960 era. It would lead the bore "BIG TIME".
The .25 RF Stevens I recall was some of the many calibers that Stevens and Hopkins-Allen single shot falling block rifles were chambered in.

Big Cholla:
After my Father passed we found some GI .45acp magazines fully loaded in Dad's things. The magazines had been loaded for over 30 years with 230gr GI Ball ammo. The magazines were the ones that the upper half were bright metal. Every round fired and every magazine functioned perfectly.

 

[Big Cholla]

Jimmyj: Yea, the magazine I posted about was the same; those are very collectible today. ........ Big Cholla

 

[oldman45]

I have a box of 100 22LR Mini Mag, and half a box of 380 Cal. They have been kept at room temp. Pretty sure they date back mid to late 90's. Would they be safe to shoot? Thanks

About six years ago, I bought some WWII surplus .45acp. It came in a tin can that would be compared to a five gallon bucket. It was advertised to be 5,000 rounds but I was not going to count them. Each bullet went down range as expected. I sure wish I could get some more for that price. It was FMJ hardball and I loved shooting it for three cents a piece.

 

[pilgrim6a]

The .25 RF is very collectible. I have seen partial boxes ( 30-40 rds) of Canadian ammo go for $60 and up. This is a crying shame. I have a .25 RF Rolling Block I would love to shoot. The old target shooters say the .25 RF is much more accurate .22 RF.