Gun Show Ammo

[Char-Gar]

Saturday was cold and dreary down here in deep South Texas and not enough people showed up at the range for our weekly pistol shoot. So, the five of us who were there sat around the gun shop, talked and handled gun, plus solve the problems of the world. We did grill some burgers and have a good time in general.

The conversation turned to Kabooms and Larry the owner said, there were three gun blow up on the range and all of the involved ammo bought at Gun Shows.

I know everybody here knows better than to buy and shoot "baggie brand" ammo, but the word has not yet made it to the great unwashed.

[nvbirdman]

One of our local shows has a display at every show saying IRS tax sale, and going out of business sale. He has had these same signs up at every show for the last ten years. If he is already lying to me, why would I trust his ammo?

[Cowboy T]

All the more reason to roll yer own....

[btroj]

I don't shoot ammo from anyone I don't know really, really well. That pretty much means me and. My FIL.

If I want to gamble, I can but a lottery ticket. The cost of losing is much lower there........

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

"baggie brand" ammo

At a gunshow several months ago, there was one fellow selling, what he said was old factory ammo in taped up baggies.
I asked him why he didn't leave them in the box and sell them that way.
He said the boxes were water damaged and looked like heck, plus many of the
boxes were partials and he wanted to sell 50 rds at a time.

The Ammo itself looked old and tarnished and he was asking around $10 for 50 rds
9mm's and 40's and 38's.
I was with a newbie to the shootin' world, and he was lookin to buy ammo, I told him not to buy that krap, the vendor got POed at me, I didn't care, the stuff was krap...and water damaged ?!? really ! and asking nearly full retail price !
Jon

[gnoahhh]

I made that mistake exactly once, 25 years ago. It cost me a blown up .32 Colt Police Positive. Lesson learned the hard way.

[Link23]

i blew up a remington 1917 enfield, with some "factory" ammo at a gunshow the ammo was in a federal box, it had the blue federal "seal" around the primer, well it turns out it was reloads, blew up a gun, its the first time i sat down and cried in my gun room..
Link23

[Chicken Thief]

There's bold pilots and there's old pilots.
But there's no bold old pilots!

[ErikO]

I'd only buy componants and things to fire ammo from at gun shows. And some jerky.

[thebigmac]

"There's bold pilots and there's old pilots.
But there's no bold old pilots!"

Chicken Thief has it written right..... bigmac

[Kraschenbirn]

Not so long ago, I witnessed a 'blow-up' of gunshow ammo. Other than some flash burns, no injuries to the shooter and the gun - a Rem. 700 - appeared undamaged. (Owner said he planned to have it checked by his gunsmith before he fired it again.)

Ammo was sold as mil-surp (LC09 headstamp), packed in 20-round plain, brown boxes marked "5.56 NATO" bearing a 13-digit "NSN". Closer examination showed the rounds to be reloads...uncrimped primers and soft-point bullets.

Bill

[wv109323]

I bought 21 rounds of .220 Swift reloads at a gun show for $4.00. I pulled a bullet and weighted the powder. 43.5 grains of some type ball powder with a 60 grain bullet. It was way too hot unless it was some older ball powder that I was not familiar with.
I would not shoot anything that did not come from a commercial reloader at a gun show.

[ErikO]

I bought 21 rounds of .220 Swift reloads at a gun show for $4.00. I pulled a bullet and weighted the powder. 43.5 grains of some type ball powder with a 60 grain bullet. It was way too hot unless it was some older ball powder that I was not familiar with.
I would not shoot anything that did not come from a commercial reloader at a gun show.

Still, you got primed brass and pulled bullets cheaper than from Starline and a little fertilizer for the garden. I view gun show ammo as 'compressly-stored componants' and not much more.

[Lefthandshooter]

I know a woman who's husband (passed away) used to buy ammo from a guy at a gun show. She said she doesn't know the guy but since it was always good ammo she was going to a show to buy some from someone. I told her not to UNLESS it was the same guy. Too many folks looking to make a quick $$ reloading and selling and not paying attention.

[WARD O]

Back in my days of standing behind the gun shop counter, along with a shotgun, I took on trade a box of Remington 12 gauge slugs - these were of the paper case style. They were in the original box and looked pretty darn clean. I noticed the crimp looked a little fishy on one so I tore it apart. The "customer" had previously taken it apart and removed a half inch wad under the slug and replaced it with a half inch of bird shot and then reset the slug and rerolled the crimp. Made himself some custom ammo.... You can about imagine where the pressures were on that ammo....

Ward

[Suo Gan]

Forget Ammo At Gunshows or

Forgetful Ammo Assemblers Rate Themselves Super

[Frank46]

At a local gunshow I've seen ammo in plastic baggies. No way no how would I buy or shoot it.
I bought a bubba'd 1891 mauser from a older gent and it came with two boxes of reformed 8mm brass and some norma brass. Pulled the bullets, deprimed the brass. Norma cases I kept, the 8mm reformed brass went in the scrap bucket and the powder fertilized the lawn. Frank

[Goatwhiskers]

A buddy brought me a box of 30-30 reloads someone had given him. Said the first shot nearly broke his shoulder and split the case full length. Two different primers, 150 and 170gr bullets. Powder varied from some sort of very fine powder (case full) to some sort of stick powder (about a third of a case). Surprised the rifle didn't burst. I would love to know what idiot loaded those so I could educate him with a baseball bat. On second thought, you can't fix stupid. Goat

[edler7]

There's 2 things I won't swap or buy from someone else...

reloaded ammo and underwear.

[Suo Gan]

There's 2 things I won't swap or buy from someone else...

reloaded ammo and underwear.

If you are in a pinch you will be surprised at what you will do. How about dropping your rifle and wrecking the scope and shooting your buddies hair trigger 7mm mag with his reloads and you know he is half blind with a short neck, so you have to hold your eye away from the scope so that she don't come back and get your good eye. Nearest rifle for sale is at coast to coast hardware, a Remington 788 in 22-250 with a price tag twice what they are back home, a sporterized Arisaka with a ammo can of fmj ammo, and a 12 gauge coach gun. Other than go home, you do what needs to be done. What about the trip to Kodiak where for some unknown reason the scope screws come loose and are lost, only one on there. You did not check it in town, but after you set camp and sit around the fire and ol betsy..."What the ELL!??" My that was stupid, or what about when you slip down kind of a steep slope and ram your barrel in the mud clear up to the rear sight. Or when you are hunting ducks with your Mohawk and part of your action flies in the field. Or you get all the way up there five hours down the dirt road and you forgot the gun...

Am I the only one who ever had to shoot a buddies gun and ammo?

Not claiming that this is smart, but it happens. I have done and left the ammo at home, left the hunting tags at home, took the wrong gun. To be fair with myself, I have not done it in awhile, but it can happen. Be kind to your friends, you may need them!

I have been known to wash my grungies out in a puddle. Then when you realize the spring down the valley is dry and you come back by the puddle...well, thirst does strange things to a man. Heck the water was already brown...