Corrosive primers???

[abunaitoo]

Military 30.06 ammo primers.
What years did they use corrosive primers?????
Have a bunch of shells, that have had the heads and powder pulled.
Don't want to use corrosive primers.

[lefty o]

i seem to recall 1952 was the cutoff year, though i could be off by a couple.

[Winger Ed.]

They quit using them around the mid 1950's.

I you look at old ammo boxes of the period, you'll see they started advertising 'clean bore' priming.

The common test was to fire just a primer against a piece of steel.
Set it outside and see how soon the flash spot rusts.

They will tell you if they're corrosive or not.

[Paper Puncher]

What year and what headstamp on the cases? (ie LC, SL, TW, and year 55, 56).

Unless you know the actual lot number of the ammunition as change over occurred at different times during the year I would assume all cases from a partial year suspect. In addition AP and Ball change over occurred at different times sometimes even different years. The more you know about the case the better answer we can give you.

[fatelk]

http://www.odcmp.org/1101/USGI.pdf

[abunaitoo]

UGGGGGG!!!!!
They are all corrosive.
1942,1943,1944 dated.

[nicholst55]

Corrosive primers aren't that big a deal unless you're shooting a gas gun, IMHO. Plain old water will dissolve the salt residue, which is the corrosive part.

[Winger Ed.]

They probably still work.
But if it was my project, I'd soak 'em in soapy water awhile, dry 'em out, then deprime, and go from there.

[abunaitoo]

Some of the cases have corrosion.
Haven't really gone through them.
Was hoping they were non-corrosive so I could load them.
M1 Garand.
How did the GI's keep the rust away in the field????
Did they do like the British with the hot water and funnel????
I kind of remember the old GI bore cleaner would dessolve the salts.
I used to have some. Stink!!!!!!

[Winger Ed.]

In the field, they did the best they could.
But there is a reason all those barrels from that era were so pitted.
After WWII, the govt. rebuilt ga-zillons of them, all with new barrels.

If you ever look in the barrel of a musket that was issued and carried during the Civil war,
The barrel on them looks like a piece of sewer pipe.

But, then as now:
When a GI's rifle got trashed out, you turned it in and got another one,,,,,,,,,
or waited until someone else had a better rifle, and didn't need theirs any more.


For those, as plentiful as .30-06 brass is-
I'd deprime them, load FMJs for dummy rounds, scrounge up some M-60 links, put 'em together,
hang the belt on the wall, and tell everybody its for a old .30cal Browning machine gun.

[lightman]

For those, as plentiful as .30-06 brass is-
I'd deprime them, load FMJs for dummy rounds, scrounge up some M-60 links, put 'em together,
hang the belt on the wall, and tell everybody its for a old .30cal Browning machine gun.

Yeah, or just link them up as is and display them. A linked belt makes a cool display in a gun room if you have the space for it.

[varmintpopper]

We were still using corrosive primers in January 1958 at range practice, clean up after shooting on the range and getting back to the barracks was to head for the showers with Your rifle and give it a good soaking under the shower head. then dry dry it off and then a good cleaning and then oil.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[KenT7021]

We used GI rifle bore cleaner which was made to remove corrosive primer salts.Never had a problem with rust or pitting.In peacetime cleaned bores for three days after firing.

[RogerDat]

Seem to recall windex was recommended. But if they were my brass I would remove the primers. Put the brass through a tumble with stainless steel pins to get it clean inside and out, including primer pocket. Inspect after completely clean and decide if they belong as a conversation piece and bit of WW2 history or as loaded ammo and still a conversation piece just more functional. I wouldn't think 30-06 brass is so scarce or expensive that setting these aside in clean condition is that big of a problem.

If it is too much brass to not use without regrets deprime so it can be shipped and I'll swap you some modern brass for the historical brass.

[Outpost75]

I am still using WW2 era ammunition in my Springfields and Garands. My father taught me how to clean a rifle.

GI Bore cleaner works. If you don't have that soap up your patches with cake Bon Ami and hot water warmed in a canteen cup, wet-patch bore first, then brush, wet patch again, dry and oil. If you can't find cake Bon Ami use Ivory or Fels Naptha and follow with Sweets if you have heavy metal fouling.

I use and reload the WW2-era brass also. Decap brass with Lee Universal decapper, tumble-clean in wet steel media, use Dillon Auto Swager, Lee case lube diluted 1:10 with water, FL resize, trim, deburr and store until needed. After a day or two in the sun brass will be dry and then can be primed and run through your Dillon machine to feed your Garands.

[EDG]

If you don't like the primers just decap the cases carefully. Remove the crimp and reprime with non-corrosive primers and go on your way.

I have decapped hundreds of live corrosive 30-06 primers. A very slow push distorts the primer and pushes it out past the crimp. Just stay out of line with the primer slot on the press ram in case you get careless and pop one.

[Alstep]

Hatcher's Notebook has a very interesting chapter about gun corrosion & ammunition developments. Some primers had potassium sulfate as an ingredient, which formed sulfuric acid when fired. Another ingredient was fulminate of mercury, which, with time, corroded the brass case. The later potassium chloride primers formed salt.

Somewhere I had a chart that listed all the ammo manufacturers, head stamps, and the year they converted to non corrosive primers. Just can't seam to locate it now. But as I recall, there were several that still had corrosive primers into the mid '50's.

The M1 carbine cartridge is the only one to be loaded with non corrosive primers right from the beginning.

[Outpost75]

Hatcher's Notebook has a very interesting chapter about gun corrosion & ammunition developments... The M1 carbine cartridge is the only one to be loaded with non corrosive primers right from the beginning.

Non-corrosive primers were used in US production of .30 Carbine ammunition, but FRENCH and Chicom ammo had corrosive primers. A great deal of counterfeit Chinese .30 carbine ammo with LC52 and 53 headstamps, in plain brown boxes simply marked 7.62MM with no arsenal ID or lot numbers, but having corrosive Berdan primers, is still floating around on the surplus market. BUYER BEWARE!

Check fired brass. If you see TWO flash holes, presume that it is CORROSIVE!

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=70972

241882241883241884

[higgins]

To add to Outpost75's post above, never trust the guy behind the counter or the table at a gunshow to know whether military surplus ammo has corrosive primers. If it's surplus, clean as if it's corrosive unless you definitively know otherwise and your rifle will be OK.

[nicholst55]

Here's a list: https://www.ammogarand.com/usamprgu.html

[Walks]

When ever I get surplus, I shoot it in my M1917.
Then clean it with my last can of G.I. bore cleaner.

Of course it's been 25yrs since I was given those 8 bandoleers of DM42 ball. And 4 bandoleers of mixed "other types".

[Texas by God]

I shot a case each of Egyptian, Turkish, and Yugoslav 8x57mm corrosive ammo through a Shaw barreled BRNO K98 and a Hakim with no ill effect. I cleaned after every session with GI cleaner. If a primer will pop, I'll use it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[abunaitoo]

Here's a list: https://www.ammogarand.com/usamprgu.html

Great download.
Thank you

[Rooster]

Pull the bolt out of an '03 and snap them with the striker. No barrel needed.

[Petrol & Powder]

Here's a list: https://www.ammogarand.com/usamprgu.html
I'll second that thank you for this list.

[Petrol & Powder]

I was taught to ALWAYS clean guns after they were shot, no exceptions. That discipline is probably a carryover from the days of corrosive ammunition. My grandfather taught that to my father and my father taught it to me. It was drilled into me so deep that to this day I cannot put a dirty gun away. I have to clean it before I put it up.
I suspect my grandfather knew nothing other than corrosive ammunition when he was young and cleaning after shooting was simply what one did.
There must be something to the practice of cleaning rifles after shooting corrosive ammunition because one of my grandfather's rifles was a Snider-Enfield and it worked just fine !