So What Is This Old Ammo Worth?

[805moparkid]

i have

One box of NIB S&W .357 Mag 125gr JHP

One box of NIB Remington "Kleanbore" 264 Win Mag "Hi-Speed"

One New, one box missing 7, WWII corrosive 230gr ball 45 ACP.

was just curious if they have any value, i thought the S&W box and rem stuff was cool.

 

[model48mag]

The 45's appear to be steel(ECC head stamp) if they are they were worth 20-30 $ per box before you cut off the box tops with the lot numbers.

They can be shot, but reloading is questionable(mercuric primers) and the cleaning of the gun afterwards would not be worth it.

 

[desi2358]

The 264 Win Mag would probably bring 25 to 30 bucks to the right buyer if it's full and not reloads. It's 1960's production so really not that old, of most value to someone who has a rifle in that caliber.

The S&W 357 ammo doesn't generate much collector interest, would have value mainly as shooting ammo. Probably bring around 25 dollars too.

The 45 has zero collector value because of the box condition and the fact that there is still quite a bit of it around. Primers are not mercuric but are corrosive and the primer pockets tend to be undersized (in my experience). Difficult to reload, shoot 'em and let them rust away. Be sure to clean the bore with a water base cleaner to remove the salts left by the chlorate primer if you do shoot them.

 

[805moparkid]

ok guys well thanks! i just though people might collect the older ammo.

 

[358156hp]

ok guys well thanks! i just though people might collect the older ammo.

Many do, but they're really fussy about headstamps, packaging and rarity. I have friends who collect cartridges, and they drive me nuts sometimes.

 

[DWalt]

Agree - cartridge collectors go more for the rare, odd, and unusual stuff, with boxes in mint condition. Yours is worth more or less what modern ammunition of the same calibers sells for. There is a great deal more of the WWII steel cased .45 ACP ammo around than you would think. Full cases of it are still for sale at under $20/box. If you have a .45 pistol, don't be afraid to shoot it. Just clean everything up on your gun with hot water after shooting. It does tend to stick in revolver cylinders in the event you have a .45 ACP revolver to shoot it in. Reloading is not a good idea. The EC and ECS ammo uses a special slightly smaller diameter primer than the standard Large Pistol size.