An Ammo Question

[Beekeeper]

Hope this the right place to ask this!
Today because it was raining and I could not work outside I opened the last of the reloading time capsules from 45 years ago when I put it to bed and chose family over guns.
In the very large Ammo can that I unsealed were 350 rounds of hand loaded 30-06 and 200 rounds of hand loaded 7x57 mauser.All were boxed in homemade boxes of twenty.
There is a brown patina on the brass but no corrosion
All of the ammo was loaded with a Lee loader.

Now the question: Should I shoot it off and save the brass as it is lake city 63 Match on the 30-06 and Den 43 on the 7x57 or should I pull the j word bullets , dump the powder, try to push the primers(or pop them) and redo the brass?

I would think they are still good but want someone elses input before I do any thing.



Jim

[3006guns]

If your ammo was stored in a standard ammo can with the gasket, it would have been airtight. Shoot it, THEN save the brass! I've fired original 7.65 Mauser straight from wooden crates, stored under horrible conditions and it all went bang. The only caution might be a hang fire, but that's pretty unlikely.

Edit: Loading that much with a Lee Loader shows dedication........congratulations!

[mooman76]

Shoot them. Allot of the Mil surplus we buy is probably stored worse than that. If they don't shoot, you will know it right away and you can break them down.

[Cherokee]

off to the range with ya !! Shoot them. Enjoy.

[Blammer]

ammo should be just fine!

shoot and enjoy!

[Beekeeper]

Thanks guys I appreciate the come backs.
Will give it a go next time I go to the range and let you know.

30-06 guns,
All in all back in the day I probably loaded several thousand rounds as I shot a lot of matches with issue military hardball and with hand loads.

It will be a good experience for me. I will shoot a gun that hasn't been shot in 45 years ( A sears Heritage rifle in 30-06) that has only had 6 rounds down the barrel.
For the 7x57 it will be a 95 Mauser that I bought for $10 ,45 years ago and have never shot since I cleaned it and put it away.
It had no stock on it and I built my first stock ever for it.
I only had apicture to go by so it is big and bulky like the old time BR stocks.
Took an entire Government supported and paid for Western Pacific Cruise to make.

Ah the Good Old Days.

Jim

[StarMetal]

I'd say go ahead and shoot it. The only thing that could happen, beside the miss or hang fires, would be the case neck splitting from age hardening.

[mike in co]

dont listen to those old coots!
that stuff is just plain dangerous to you...




for proper disposal it should be.........






shipped to me where i will properly dissassemble each round in a brass evaluation platform.



(brass evaluation platform: a rifle paid for by my company ......)



mike in co

[Beekeeper]

Mike you might be interested to know the powder,primers bullets and Lee loader all came from old Weisers sporting goods in Nasty City.
By the way all of the bars ,The westerner and the whole bunch around the corner of 8th street and National avenue are gone!
Seems National City got repectability and went broke.


Jim

[wiersy111]

Now that is looking out for a fellow shooter! But I really think it is far to dangerous for you to dispose of properly, but you could ship it off to me for disposal. I am a certified nut case...er ah um bullet disposal technician.