Old .357 ammo... is it safe?

fastcarsgofast

January 24, 2013 13:51

I came across some .357 ammo with the head-stamp R-P on it. I understand that the brass is Remington Peters. However, I'm unsure if it is factory or some one's hand-load. Some of it is FMJ and some is SJHP. And none of it has the distinct sound of powder rattling when shaken.

Is there any way to be sure of what I have?

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  charliemeyer007

  January 24, 2013 14:26

  Really hard to be 100% sure. Use a hand lens to look at crimp and the region around the web. Compare to factory and known reloads.
  
  Fuller case of powder common in 357 loads, not so much with 38 Special.

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  ENBLOC

  January 24, 2013 16:36

  Could be loaded with a flake type powder. More difficult to "hear" than ball, or extruded types.
  ENBLOC

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  Laredo Lefty

  January 24, 2013 19:55

  Take a magnifier to the case and look for thin lines running lengthwise on the case. Reloads will frequently show lines from resizing if the dies used are not perfectly clean. You didn't say, but I suspect the cases are nickle plated. Remington primers should match the case color. Remington loaded both FMJ and SJHP bullets in their .357 ammo.
  
  Back when I carried a Smith model 66 at work, I carried some FMJ magnums for use on cars if needed. They punch thru glass and car doors pretty well.

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