OLD Brass!

[Alan in Vermont]

Last week I loaded 500+ rds of 38 Spec in mixed cases. Yesterday I was bored silly so I decided to sort it by headstamps to see if there was any in enough quantity to keep them for serious shooting and use the odd lot stuff for playing.

In the process I found two cases marked "USC Co 38 S & W SPL". They caught my eye because they were more copper color than brass.

United States Cartridge Co. closed its doors way back, the factory was emptied by January 1, 1927. Those two cases have been circulating for 86 years!

They came out of a bucket that had 1300+ cases in it. The contents were bought/shot/picked up from various sources, tumbled and tossed between buckets and finally all poured together. I can't help but wonder if there are any more in there.

Would be interesting to know if those two stayed together all these years or just happened to come together again, in this same batch of 529 rounds, for a little class reunion.

[JeffinNZ]

Good brass doesn't die. Most of my .303 Brit brass is 1942 vintage Dominion from Canada. It is better quality than modern.

[NVcurmudgeon]

A couple of years ago I found maybe 100 .30/40 Krag cartridge cases strewn at the firing line of the range I frequent. All had obsolete headstamps, fifty years old and more. Most were fired and mouth cracked, but a few were fired and not cracked. I annealed the fifty or so "good" cases and am slowly firing and loading them with moderate CB loads (23 gr. IMR 4198/Lyman 314299 200 gr. So far, after three firings all but one are still good. There are about twenty five with "Western 29" headstamps. It's a wild guess, but I believe the number refers to the year of production. There were a few U.S. Cartridge Co. among the more familiar Winchester, Western, Remington and Peters cases. Best of all, was half a dozen rounds still loaded, but unfired,with firing pin impressions. Somebody must have found Grandpa's stash. Today, it would be impossible to find that much scrap brass at that range, as it is now haunted by semi-professional non-shooting brass rats.

[TheBigBang]

Those cases may be alot more than 86 years old. They might date all the way back to 1902/03. When metallic cases first came out in the 19th century, many were pretty much straight copper, rather than the (approximately) 70% copper, 30% zinc cartridge brass formula which has become pretty much "standard". They're probably of "semi-balloon" head construction - the rim itself is solid, but the primer pocket protrudes out into the case.

[1Shirt]

At 73, I don't fine old anything to be all bad!!!!
1Shirt!

[Freischütz]

All my United States Cartridge Co brass is balloon head. The box is in the attic someplace. I've never had any trouble with it, but I don't use it for 38-44 loads.

The worst brass I ever had was some Peters 30/06 that was made right after WWI (or so I was told). Every case developed small cracks just in front of the solid head. It only took one or two firings for them to appear.

[firefly1957]

It has been some time since I had them out but somewhere I have some wra balloon head 44 special cases I set them aside so I would not load them. Last time I loaded 38 specials I had a couple cases that did not bell closer examination showed they were 38 long colt cases.

[dubber123]

I 've got some .45 auto cases stamped RA 18, with the stake crimp in the side. I'm pretty sure the 18 is the year. They are still in use.

[MtGun44]

I still have probably more than 100 UMC 7mm Mauser cases (~1902). They slowly get
consumed since my old Rem RB has pretty big chamber like they all do. I only neck size
them, so they are doing well. I bought them back in the 1960s and fired them the first
time, and have been reloading them ever since, although they have been semi-retired
for the last few decades. They still get loaded and shot occasionally.

Bill

[ElDorado]

I load my 38 Specials in REM-UMC brass, which I believe was last manufactured in 1960.

This is a picture of the oldest piece of brass that I've ever found. There are a lot of old logging, mining, and prospecting camps where I shoot. The third photo should clue you in to what cartridge it is. The 45 ACP is there for scale.

Jeff

[3006guns]

Good brass doesn't die. Most of my .303 Brit brass is 1942 vintage Dominion from Canada. It is better quality than modern.

Makes me want to scream........I had about 1000 rds. of that "old Canadian surplus" and shot most of it up, junking the "Berdan" cases afterwards. Then one day I happened to actually look down inside the case.............IDIOT!

Been kicking myself ever since, but I did manage to save about 350 or so.

[TheBigBang]

I load my 38 Specials in REM-UMC brass, which I believe was last manufactured in 1960.

This is a picture of the oldest piece of brass that I've ever found. There are a lot of old logging, mining, and prospecting camps where I shoot. The third photo should clue you in to what cartridge it is. The 45 ACP is there for scale.

Jeff

Jeff,

Those old rimfires are interesting, when loaded, yours would have looked something like this:

[fatelk]

Here's a .45 round that came with a handful of obvious modern reloads at a gun show (free- pull for components). Obviously a time traveler from next year had been there with some 2013 ammo. He must have been spreading good news about the election because prices seemed down a little.
Heck, I'll load it back up and see how it shoots. The oldest original .45 acp ammo I've fired was dated 1914 so it should be fine.

I recently found 19 pieces of .45 Colt balloon-head brass in my stash of old brass, while looking for brass to load for my first .45 Colt. Just for kicks I loaded them up with black powder. Should be fun.

Nice .44 Henry brass there, ElDorado; great find! I picked this one up at the same show, for a dime. I've been wondering what it was fired out of to leave the bulge at the head?

[firefly1957]

I have a lot of that 38- REM-UMC brass I also found two 38 specials with large primer pockets And have some loaded 45 acp and cases from 1918 with the zinc bullet in the loaded ammo.

[.22-10-45]

That fired rimfire looks to have been fired either in an 1860 Henry, or the later 66' Winchester..due to the twin pin indentations in case. I have noticed some of these early rimfire cases have the head dished in..heard it was to relieve pressure of bulged case dragging in revolver cylinders. Some of those old brass framed guns must have developed excess headspace.

[Lee W]

Here is one I found after a match. 45ACP brass does last a long time, for sure.

[Firebricker]

The oldest cases I have found were a handful of .357mag with large primer pockets and a handful of 38spl with large primer pockets. Anybody have any idea how old they would be ? FB