30 06 Corrosive Ammo Identification
I have a quantity of 30 06 military ammo.
Some of the different headstamps are:
LC 54 (Lake City?)
RA 54 (Remington?)
DEN 43
FA 35
WRA 55
Is there a cut off of a certain year when it is no longer corrosive or did it change by manufacturer?
Do you know of any source for this information on the web? What is the best way to clean after shooting corrosive ammo. I read somewhere about using an ammonia solution. I have a Remington 7400 semi auto so I would have to take it apart to be sure to clean all of the corrosive salts.
Some of the different headstamps are:
LC 54 (Lake City?)
RA 54 (Remington?)
DEN 43
FA 35
WRA 55
Is there a cut off of a certain year when it is no longer corrosive or did it change by manufacturer?
Do you know of any source for this information on the web? What is the best way to clean after shooting corrosive ammo. I read somewhere about using an ammonia solution. I have a Remington 7400 semi auto so I would have to take it apart to be sure to clean all of the corrosive salts.
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This question comes up now twice each month. Go over to www.jouster.com/Bullitin/prim they will have a list of what is corrosive and what is not. The FA 35 and DEN 43 are corrosive for sure. The others are on the border line so go to the site and take a look. To clean your rifle after shooting corrosive ammo use large amounts of hot soapy water as it is the water disolves the salts. Hot water dries faster so it is perfered and the soap helps with the general cleaning process. Plain old tap water will work if it is all you have available to you.
The use of ammonia was reserved for removing copper fouling from rifle bores in the WWI era. The practice was discontinued by 1930 and is NOT used with any of the ammunition lots you mentioned. I wrote an entire page on this "ammonia doping" back in mid-August 2002 and it is too long to type it out again here. You may want to check back in the archives if you want to read this piece (WARNING: it may bore you to tears!). It is none of my business, but why do you want to use 45 to 65 year old surplus ammuntion is a modern sporting rifle? The FA 35 is probably collectable and the DEN 43 is popular with M1 Garand and 1903 Springfield shooters.
Mark T. Christian0 -
sd, Mark is, as usual, dead on with the data given. The FA 35 and DEN 43, if in the original boxes and in nice conditon, is worth at least as much as a collectible as you will pay for current mfg ammo - which will not require you to jump through the extra cleaning steps. And more if it is not ball - DEN 43 headstamp ammo is often a special loading (but definitely ball if the box is not otherwise identified or the rounds not sporting some sort of colored lacquer on the tips).
Addendum, if this is bandoleer ammo, then collector aspect is less important - people look for the boxes, few keep bandoleers.0 -
CMP just dumped a ton of the Denver 43 stuff on the market recently. They still have some. I bought 1400+ rounds on 03 clips for $300. Though they advertise that it is not for shooting, I pulled a few and all was fine inside, no problems outside other than some tarnish, and sure enough, it fires great. Plus I have slowly been selling off the clips at auction as I sure don't need 288 clips for the 03. It may take awhile but after I have shot it all and sold the clips I believe I will have gotten the ammo for free or close to it. I use it mainly in my bolt guns though I have put some through the M1 with no trouble. I only use it in the M1 though if I am going to tear down the rifle entirely, which I do about every 4th shooting. So it isn't that collectable NOW but I am saving a bandoleer for the future.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0
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