30-06 RA54 ammo

[ascast]

I have a chance to buy about 200 rnds of ball ammo, RA 54 in machine gun links. It is very clean having been stored in a wooden shipping create since post date in '56. Is it corrosive primed ? Any body got an idea what it would be worth? I have not shot any but will test 5 or 10 rnds before purchase.
Anybody know where 'RA '54 brass would rate in the mil surp world?
I know the Rifleman mag once did a break down on all the WWll stuff. No idea about the later.
I may stash it for the SHTF senario.



thanks in advance

[rwadley]

It is non-corrosive. The last corrosive RA M2 ball was produced in late 1951.
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=5821

If you Google "corrosive 30-06 ammo" , you should find a pdf. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.odcmp.org/1101/usgi.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjDi_iBmZLNAhVDVyYKHesoA4kQFggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNHR_q6xv5_UqOUmbGui91rz6pRXgQ

[Kraschenbirn]

Quite a few years back, I snagged onto a considerable quantity of milsurp '06 that included a couple hundred mid-50s 'RA' cases. Probably been reloaded a half-dozen times by now without any issues. I do get a split neck or two occasionally but those just go into a coffee can to be reformed into 8x57 or 7.65 Argie at a later date.

Bill

[JSnover]

Stash it or shoot, no harm done either way. My Garand and my M700 shot RA54 just fine.

[Adam Helmer]

ascast,

The RA 54 ammo is non-corrosive. As for the value of 62-year old ammo, I would not go over 10 cents per round. On charger or Garand clips, I might go 15 cents a round. Ammo is NOT like fiddles or wine, it does NOT get better with age. Every year the value is LESS.

Adam

[fatelk]

I recently bought 400 rounds of WWII dated USGI 30-06 ammo for $100, and thought I got a good deal. It was all clean and shiny and shoots like new stuff (other than being corrosive). Maybe I drastically overpaid...

By the way, if anyone has any 30-06 ammo of any age that they want to sell for ten or fifteen cents per round, I'll buy it by the pallet. Unless it's internally corroded, that's a give-away price.

[Shiloh]

A guy at the range was firing Twin Cities Arsenal .30-06 made in the 50's. Said his grandfather bought several ammo cans at a hardware store in Minneapolis in the 60's. Sat in the basement until the old guy died. Fired out of grampa's '03 Springfield.

Shiloh

[gwpercle]

1954 will not be corrosive, machine gun belts will have tracers, usually every 5th round, watch for them.

[Ken in Iowa]

A guy at the range was firing Twin Cities Arsenal .30-06 made in the 50's. Said his grandfather bought several ammo cans at a hardware store in Minneapolis in the 60's. Sat in the basement until the old guy died. Fired out of grampa's '03 Springfield.

Shiloh

The TW M2 ball ammo from that time had a good reputation for accuracy. A lot of it came out on the surplus market in the 60s.