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Have been buying up and testing old ammo that I find at gunshows (348, 33 WCF, 32 WCF, and now 30WCF). Boy am I surprised! My procedure is to pull the bullet and examine everything then reseat the bullet. This does several things. First of all after 30-40-50 or even 60 years the bullet can sometimes "stick" itself to the case neck. I must assume this can raise pressure considerably. Second it helps me determine if the round is still factory or has been reloaded, third I can spot case corrosion or any other defect before I shoot it in an old gun. Here is a target from 3 groups I shot with a 94 trapper at 100 yards using old ammo, sights were a lyman receiver sight, and all ammo was 170 GN.
On the right is a 1.5" group from the winchester red box 170 JSP. From the 16" barrel muzzle flash was very evident. Anybody know the vintage of this box?
The left target has 3 groups on it. The extreme left pink group is a test group of handloads for my M71 348. Ignore that for now. The green group is 1.6" from the Western Box of ammo pictured. What year is this box from?? The blue group is from the yellow box of 170 GN silvertips and measure 1.8". All this from a 16" barrel M94. I find it amazing...my carefully testing handloads rarely do this.
I guess the old timers were not handicapped at all were they?
"...for there is a cloud on my horizon...and its name is progress." E. Abbey, 1958
Interesting test there, coyote nose. Did you get any chronograph data to go along with the groups?
Those left boxes look like some that dad might have had in the 50's when I was getting big enough to be interested. That doesn't do much to date them 'cause he would have figured a box of "30's" was good for a decade or so. Which remained true until I began to get into his stash...
I know we never thought we were handicapped. The model 94 was our "big gun" that we'd have confidently taken after elk if the chance came along.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
About 1970, I was shooting Spanish American war surplus 7mm @ 1 buck for a box of 20. Had a 93 Argintine Mauser. It always fired, and I seemed to hit stuff with it.
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
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Back then the oldtimers didn't know about Premiun bullets and Use enough gun. So they took their factory loaded 200 grain 348 bullets to Alaska and killed everything in site including the "great bears". Try that today and u will be tarred and featherd.
Winchester Silver Tips were one of the first "premium" bullets.
They were responsible for the reputation of the .303 Savage as a bear and moose killer.
coyote nose wrote:Earl, have not chrono'd yet but soon. So does anybody know the vintage of these boxes????
I can only comment that those boxes would be worth more...full of ammo
I have seen them at soldusa.com....an auction site....you will be surprised
how much old ammo boxes are worth to collectors...
This all started when I sold off my cartridge collection....there was some I could barely give away! If I recall I had 3 or 4 boxes of 32 WCF ammo (among others). The most I was offered was $10 per box of 50! So I shot them and was amazed at how accurate they were in my 1892. That got me buying the other calibers to try them out. Also had 38 SPL match ammo that goes for $30/box now. I was offered $5 per box! Those are going to my brother out west and I am keeping one box to shoot up in my Python. The problem with auctioning off old ammo via internet is the shipping fees! Just not worth it.
"...for there is a cloud on my horizon...and its name is progress." E. Abbey, 1958
Not much help , but I've got a box here like the red and yellow one on the right for 308 . My Dads re-load data sticker on it says he last reloaded them on 9/14/64 .
Also have same color box of 38-55 . Never reloaded , brand new full box ..... 'till last fall and the 5 I fired worked fine
