WW2 30-06
Is WW2 30-06 corosive? Can it be reloaded if it is corosive?
Hlouie
Hlouie
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Are You talking about unfired WWll Ammo or just Fired Cases???
I personally have Fired about a Zillion Rounds of WW ll 30-06...then after inspecting the Cases for Corrosion, Throw away the Bad ones, and check for Gauling, Punch the Primers, Pocket Ream the Primer Pockets and Tumble in Walnut Shell for a few hours and Reload with New Materials....Can't ever recall any problems...Just besure to Clean the Rifle Good before putting it away...And I'm sure I'm not the only one that did it this way....There's a lot of us oldtimers out here...I can remember buying 06 at 3 cents a round...best......
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff<P><BR>0 -
Its the priming compound that is corrosive usually. Most WWII ammo will be rather corrosive. If it is boxer primed then yes you should be able to reload it. Use it first, don't try to pop out live primers though. 0 -
I think the question should have gone more like this. I found several hundred WW2 cases I shot in my ill spent youth when the ammo was as cheap as $3.00 per hundred and sometimes went on sale for less. I'm mainly conterned with the possible residue from the origninal loads that might be present when the cases are reloaded. Is this a problem and can the cases be cleaned up? Is the answer just to clean the rifle very well?
Hlouie0 -
Most of the corrosive salt can be cleaned with warm water and soap. If you washed and dried the cases they should be ready for reloading. I would caution you to examine the cases thoroughly though, age, temperature changes, and oxidation can weaken the brass and may lead to split cases. Good luck and happy blasting! 0 -
The corrosive salts in the primers will,over time, weaken the brass case. If these cartridges were fired years ago and then put away without cleaning,I would junk them as brass is to cheap to take a chance. 0 -
I bought 4000 rounds of '43 '06 ball about forty-five years ago. I've formed hundreds of 25-06 cases from them (when 25-06 was a wildcat) Salvaging the cases can be a pain in the butt, however, I had and have the time. Pulled the 148 grain bullet with an inertial puller, dumped the powder into a coffee can half full of water and put one drop of oil in the bottom of each case. Thoroughly inspect each one. A month later, I punch the primers (you'll ocasionally punch through one, just junk it.), swage the pockets (don't ream them), and tumble them overnight. I do that same thing to this day, with the same lot of cartridges.
The coffee can full of disolved powder makes a hell of a fertilzer for tomatoes.
Clouder..0 -
So how long did it take to earn that $3 in the olden days. Would have taken me just under two hours in '73. Maybe less if you include tips. 0 -
HL2 - welcome. Scout nailed it. Once the ammo's been fired, the salts go to work. If you shot them recently or they were still loaded, they could be salvage . . . fired, no reason to bother. Even today, fired '06 brass is cheap and plentiful. Time to donate the material you described to the scrap metal dealer down the street. 0 -
It's probably a good idea just to start over and dump the junk. Its better to be safe on this one than wondering what made me think saving a few dollars was worth it. In answer to the question how long it took to earn $3 in those days, in the late 50's I delivered the Los Angeles Hearld Express and earned $35 a month. That $35 dollars went farther than any money I have ever earned since as geologist and engineer.
Hlouie0
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