Old Ammo

[hydraulic]

For many years I have been picking up old military ammo at the gun shows, when I found it cheap, but seldom have fired any. Once in awhile I would shoot a box, then reload with cast bullets. As a result, I have built up quite a stash of old corrosive M2 ball, and as I near the end of my time in this vale of tears, it has become obvious that I had better start doing something with it. I broke open a can a couple of weeks ago and took out a bandoleer of five round stripper clips, St Louis, 1943. I pulled the bullets and saved the powder and reloaded with 25 grs. AA 2200. These I shot in my 03A3, which is easy to clean, and then reprimed the empties and loaded the powder and bullets I had pulled to use in my M1. I have shot up most of the bandoleer so yesterday I went back to the ammo can and pulled out the next bandoleer, which I assumed was St. Louis 1943. The first thing I noticed was the stripper clips were brass instead of the gray steel I was used to. I took one of the bullets out of the clip and found it marked Frankford Arsenal, 1941. The ammo is absolutely beautiful! Bright, shiny, flawless,------and I absolutely refuse to shoot it! Now what do I do? This stuff will bring less than the value of the bullets alone, at the gun shows, so I suppose it will wind up on the garage sale my kids will have in the not distant future.

[Char-Gar]

Worry no more about it... send it to me and I will dispose of it with the honor and dignity it deserves. It deserves to be fired from a Garand or a Springfield by a man who loves and appreciates the fine old objects of war. PM me for a shipping address.

[Buckshot]

.............Hydraulic, heck man, don't talk like that. Bums me out, ya know!?

.............Buckshot

[Junior1942]

.............Hydraulic, heck man, don't talk like that. Bums me out, ya know!?Yep, me too. Man, you don't know what's ahead. I've survived three heart attacks, and if I worried about #4 that's all I'd do--sit around and worry.

[hydraulic]

Geez, guys, I didn't mean to start an epidemic of depression, I just wondered what I'm going to do with all of that Frankford Arsenal 1941 M2 ball.

[hydraulic]

Oh yeah, I should mention I won't be posting until October because the Mrs. and I leave this week for the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming for our summer job at Burgess Junction Visitor Center. Stop by for a free cup of coffee and some "boolit" conversation.

[Lee]

"Beyond this vale of tears,
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years,
And all that life is love."


Not to be gettin' mushy, but the phrase "vale of tears" brought that back. Don't know how old it is, don't know who wrote it, don't know nuttin' about it.
..............................................Lee: )

[StanDahl]

I don't know how much of that stuff is out there, but they're not making any more of it. When I bought my 1898 Krag, the guy threw in a full bandoleer of 1907 ammo with 5 of the 6 packets never opened.

Anyway, it may not be you or your kids, but someday someone might be happy that you saved them as an accompaniment to an historic weapon. I don't have a Garand, and I wouldn't shoot it, but I'd be interested in buying some, just because! Stan

[Jumptrap]

Well......a few years ago a pal called me up. "You want some old ammo, we're afriad to keep it here..it might blow up." Come to find out, his deceased uncle had a new can of M2 ball.

"Oh, I better come get that right away."

Yep, fresh as the day they made it..1957 dated, no corro, forget the arsenal, didn't care! Every last one went bang in my 2 Garands, saved the bandoleers and cardboards and restuffed them. No tears shed when I yanked the trigger either. No, not WW2 vintage, but still semi-vintage stuff. it was loaded to be shot in Garands and bygod, that is how it was spent!

[JDL]

Thery may bring their weight in gold on some of the auction sites. -JDL