Feedback on Eau Claire [EW] 42 Caliber .30 M2 Brass

[mfraser264]

Hello again, seeing how great the feedback was on the FA brass I was wondering if anyone has used the ES 42 brass? I have some still on the 220 count sealed tins and want to optimize the usable components. I have pulled the bullet and reused the powder charge "as is" in new brass, reseated the bullet and it works great. However I have only done this with about 50 rounds.

As the primer is corrosive, my process is to pull the bullet which is salvaged along with the powder (IMR4895?) and then gently push the primer out, remove the military crimp and I have decent brass.

Just curious if the brass is at least decent or should just enjoy the other 2 parts I am able to reclaim.

Thank you.

[Desertbuck]

I shoot corrosive ammo all the time in my prized pristine old war horses. It's the salts the primers leave behind after fireing that is corrosive and it cleans up with nothing more than soap and hot water. All the parts of a rifle or pistol that has residue from fired so called corrosive ammo is scrubbed with soap and hot water thoroughly dried then liberally oiled. Never had a speck of rust on or in any of my rifles or pistols.

Shoot your ammo as it is there's nothing wrong with it. And save the brass it's tough stuff you should get a reasonably good service life from them.

[Outpost75]

Any USGI brass made 1934 or after is good. Before that they were still figuring out the final stress relief but '34 and later which has visible neck anneal color is OK.

[Grapeshot]

The ammo for the M1 Carbine has been made with NON-Corrosive primers from the very first.

[Outpost75]

The ammo for the M1 Carbine has been made with NON-Corrosive primers from the very first.

Only US made carbine ammo. The French made it with corrosive primers and so did the Chicoms, copying the LC headstamp, but the Chinese stuff was Berdan.

[mfraser264]

Thanks for the feedback on Carbine Ammo but the M2 is 30-06 which may have had corrosive primers up until the early 50's.

[Ed in North Texas]

Non-corrosive primers started appearing in .30 Caliber ammo in 1951. All but one producer had eliminated corrosive primers by sometime in 1953, except Winchester's use of corrosive primers into 1954. So for .30 caliber the year 1955 is a safe year of production with regard to primer*. '55 is also a good year for .45 ACP.

* I seem to recollect some question as to whether all blank rounds produced were non-corrosive by that date, but I could be mistaken (not that we would be seeing much use of blank ammo).

And we should all remember the recommended reduction in load data by 10% when using GI brass, which is thicker than commercial brass.

[higgins]

This chart from the NRA has been around forever. Since it first came out closer to the era of corrosive primers, it's probably as good as any and better than most. Styphnate is the noncorrosive lead styphnate primer compound. The chart doesn't include some of the plants such as DM and EW that operated during WWII, but it's assumed their production was all corrosive. I don't know for sure, but this chart is probably just the contractors and arsenals that were in operation when the changeover was made.

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