Getting M1 or M2 .30-06 brass ready to sell - deprime or no?

[relics6165]

Old School:

Just a quick look at some early, pre WW2 loads for 30-06 revealed loadings with IMR 17, HiVel 6.5, IMR 1185 (the precursor to IMR 4895), IMR 4895 and I'm sure there are other powders out there that we aren't even aware of. IF I was going to pull all this down to reuse the bullets and powder (or just the powder) I would segregate each cartridge lot by bullet type and date. None of us knows now if IMR 4895 was used exclusively in Ball, AP, and Tracer, but you can almost bet that it wasn't. Pre war powder was different from wartime powder was different from post war powder, both in composition and lot variations, even if you are just looking at just IMR 1185 and IMR 4895. The only way to ALMOST assure yourself of a consistent batch would be to segregate as per above! If you still had the actual lot numbers that would be even better, certainly safer! Just don't assume it's all IMR 4895.

Pull 'em down, sell the primed cases, let the next guy worry about the primers. You've got enough to worry about with the powder.

There are still a lot of old shooters that don't mind corrosive primers, just clean it right when yer done..........................

HTH

[Winger Ed.]

I'd shoot 'em they way they are, and not pull down any more than I absolutely 'needed'.

You probably won't make toll road change for your efforts, and also:

Don't make extra work for yourself.
There are plenty of people more than glad to do that for ya.