Dumb question re: Garand Ammo

[Spudd]

I recently was given a box of Garand ammo. Long story.
It appears to be a mix of just 8 round clips, bandoleers, and boxed (some sealed, some open, Frankford Arsenal). The bandoleered ammo has the cardboard "silencers".
Looks authentic to my very untrained eye.
Looking for someone who can look at the lot of it, and give me an honest opinion on what I should do with it.
I have a 30.06. I do not have a Garand.
It seems some is WWII era, and some (maybe most) is post war surplus. But for all I know it has all been reloaded. A few of the clips have ammo with no primers. MFG stamps on the clips are all over the place, as are the stamps on the casings.
Help?

[Garand Hunter]

Garand ammo is fine in most any 30-06 rifle. If you believe some of it is reloaded, maybe break it down for components or dispose of it. The stuff in clips should be fine to shoot if the rounds are complete. Garand military ball (fmj) is loaded lower power than sporting ammo.

Psalm 1

[ojisan]

You can upload pics direct to the site here from your computer but they may come out too small to be of use.
I use Imgur for pic hosting.

[Killer Bee]

look like this? 1942 Frankford



don't quote me but I believe this was all corrosive until the mid 50's

unless you confirm it is definitely non-corrosive, you may want to avoid shooting it unless you're prepared for the neccessary cleaning routine

good luck!

eta - quick search found this When did the U.S. miltary stop using corrosive ammo?

[Spudd]

Originally Posted by ojisan

You can upload pics direct to the site here from your computer but they may come out too small to be of use.
I use Imgur for pic hosting.

Well aware it it useless without pics. Looking for someone knowledgeable on the topic who can take a look and tell me if I should sell it to collectors or Garand shooters, or just poke holes in paper with the 30.06.
Trying to not waste everyone's time, just the time of someone who is actually interested in the subject.

But thanks for the Imgur tip. I'll keep that in mind if/when I sort this out enough to post pics. As I said, it appears to be a very mixed lot of stuff. I'd guess,without actually counting, there may 150-200 rounds altogether.

[Spudd]

So, should I assume no one, even Garand shooters would want the corrosive ammo? I'll have to try and sort the stuff out by age then.

[Spudd]

Originally Posted by Garand Hunter

Garand ammo is fine in most any 30-06 rifle. If you believe some of it is reloaded, maybe break it down for components or dispose of it. The stuff in clips should be fine to shoot if the rounds are complete. Garand military ball (fmj) is loaded lower power than sporting ammo.

Psalm 1

Thanks. Sorry for my ignorance on the topic. I know it will shoot in a 30.06, just wondering if it is worth trying to sort through all of it and get it to people who might appreciate it, rather than just pop it off at the range in the .06.

[NewbieDave]

Ask in this forum and post with pictures.. you'll get your M2 ball answer.

http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=77

[Rcjackrabbit]

I could be wrong. But, isn't black tip armor piercing and a HUGE no-no?

OP - I would get rid of it ASAP.

[Wlee]

Originally Posted by Rcjackrabbit

I could be wrong. But, isn't black tip armor piercing and a HUGE no-no?

OP - I would get rid of it ASAP.

Black tip is fine to own, its a rifle round. Manufacturing more black tip on your own I believe is a no no as well as pistol AP.

[Spudd]

Originally Posted by NewbieDave

Ask in this forum and post with pictures.. you'll get your M2 ball answer.

http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=77

Thank you. Will do.

[M1A Rifleman]

Any 06 ammo from WWII will be corrosive, meaning it will corrode your barrel, bolt, and any part of the rifle residue comes in contact with unless cleaned with water or other means to remove the corrosive fouling. Modern bore solvents, maybe with the exception of Hoppes 9, do not remove corrosive fouling. USGI went non corrosive about 1952/53 and commercial ammo a bit latter I believe.

It it were me, I'd sell it off rather than shoot corrosive stuff in my rifles.

If the ammo was reloaded and you don't know what it was reloaded to, ie the charge, powder type and charge, bullet etc, then destroy as it is dangerous. Some guys old reloads may have worked and been safe in his rifle, but for yours with a slightly different chamber who knows?? Why take the risk as reloading manuals are updated every few years. What was noted as safe in a 1970 manual is not the same today.

[M1A Rifleman]

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

look like this? 1942 Frankford



[/URL]

The black tip means armor piercing, 42 is the year so this is corrosive.

[M1NM]

Originally Posted by Rcjackrabbit

I could be wrong. But, isn't black tip armor piercing and a HUGE no-no?

OP - I would get rid of it ASAP.

While black tip 30-06 and green tip 5.56 are known as AP due to their steel cores the ATF has specifically excluded them from the definition of AP ammo. Now if you break that ammo down and make some .308 or .22-250 ammo you have manufactured AP ammo and the Feds can put you in jail.

Different arsenals changed to non corrosive at different times. There used to be a chart on the web but I can't find it again.

[sigstroker]

If you don't want it for your personal stash, sell it. That wartime black tip goes for $2 to $3 per round. Maybe more.

If you have sealed boxes that look old, leave them sealed. They can bring $30 to $50 per box for non-armor piercing.

[sigstroker]

Originally Posted by Spudd

So, should I assume no one, even Garand shooters would want the corrosive ammo? I'll have to try and sort the stuff out by age then.

Not true, there will be people that shoot it, and clean their guns afterward.

There will also be collectors, depending on condition, etc. Any black tip will always be in demand, corrosive or not.

[sandsnow]

Here is a chart documenting when certain arsenals and type of ammo started being produced with non-corrosive primers

[-hanko]

Originally Posted by M1A Rifleman

Any 06 ammo from WWII will be corrosive, meaning it will corrode your barrel, bolt, and any part of the rifle residue comes in contact with unless cleaned with water or other means to remove the corrosive fouling. Modern bore solvents, maybe with the exception of Hoppes 9, do not remove corrosive fouling. USGI went non corrosive about 1952/53 and commercial ammo a bit latter I believe.

It it were me, I'd sell it off rather than shoot corrosive stuff in my rifles.

If the ammo was reloaded and you don't know what it was reloaded to, ie the charge, powder type and charge, bullet etc, then destroy as it is dangerous. Some guys old reloads may have worked and been safe in his rifle, but for yours with a slightly different chamber who knows?? Why take the risk as reloading manuals are updated every few years. What was noted as safe in a 1970 manual is not the same today.

That's because the method of measuring pressure changed. What was noted as safe in a 1970 manual is still safe now, if you follow the powder type and charge weight to the letter. Reloading manuals don't get into "slightly different chambers"...the assumption is that chambers are correct for the caliber, case, bullet, primer, and powder specified.

[beerman]

Originally Posted by sandsnow

Here is a chart documenting when certain arsenals and type of ammo started being produced with non-corrosive primers

Good info...thanks for posting this.

[hermosabeach]

Originally Posted by Rcjackrabbit

I could be wrong. But, isn't black tip armor piercing and a HUGE no-no?

OP - I would get rid of it ASAP.

Black tip is legal and fine.

Armor piercing handgun Ammo is banned

Black tip is fine


That ammo currently is not collectible.

Many of us shoot corrosively primed ammo.

Just clean the gun after.

[Yetiultimate]

Originally Posted by hermosabeach

Many of us shoot corrosively primed ammo.

Just clean the gun after.

This ^^^ I shoot M67 out of my AKs all the time (because it's range safe) and before I leave the range we pull the bolts and pour a big jug of water down the barrel and gas tube. When we get home, we clean them with Hoppes and re-lube. They don't rust from the primer salts OR the bath..it's not a big deal to shoot corrosive primers.

[colt11]

As others have said in this thread, most all military ball ammo dated prior to the 1950's is likely corrosive, so be sure to clean your rifle after shooting any of this older surplus ammo. The pressure level of U.S. Military Ball 30-06 is well below commercial 30-06 pressure levels so safe to shoot in any newer rifle chambered in 30-06.

WARNING to all M1 Garand Shooters: The opposite is not true for M1 Garand rifles shooting commercial spec 30-06 ammo. Be sure you have some type of pressure relief system on your M1 Garand. Commercial 30-06 will destroy parts on your M1 Garand. Just say no, don't destroy your historic firearm.

[OldShooter32]

US .30-‘06 prior to 1954 is corrosive primed. Soap and water will clean it out just fine. .30 carbine ammo has never been corrosive FYI

[five.five-six]

Originally Posted by hermosabeach

Black tip is legal and fine.

Armor piercing handgun Ammo is banned

Black tip is fine


That ammo currently is not collectible.

Many of us shoot corrosively primed ammo.

Just clean the gun after.

Clean the gun with water or water based cleaner after. Oil will not remove the corrosive salts.

[peppermintman]

Originally Posted by OldShooter32

US .30-‘06 prior to 1954 is corrosive primed. Soap and water will clean it out just fine. .30 carbine ammo has never been corrosive FYI

Now that’s good news. Didn’t know we were still using corrosive in Korea.

[bigbossman]

Originally Posted by OldShooter32

US .30-‘06 prior to 1954 is corrosive primed. Soap and water will clean it out just fine. .30 carbine ammo has never been corrosive FYI

True, but the Chinese made some counterfeit Lake City 52 stamped carbine ammo that was corrosive.

[hundy]

I am glad I stumbled upon this thread. I have a zip lock bag full of approx <50 of those rounds. I looked on the base of the cartridge and it has a: "F" "N" and "53" on the base. Interesting, I had no idea that these could be corrosive. If I ever do use these rounds, I know to clean the rifle properly after.

[M1NM]

Originally Posted by Rcjackrabbit

I could be wrong. But, isn't black tip armor piercing and a HUGE no-no?

OP - I would get rid of it ASAP.

Black tip 30-06 and green tip 5.56 are in reality classed "armor piercing" but the ATF has declared they are legal. You can reload 30-06 with black tip and be legal but if you reload .308 with it you have created AP ammo and committed a federal felony.

Corrosive ammo is best shot in a bolt action rifle since it's easier to clean. You'd need to tear down and swab out the whole gas system on a Garand to use it.

[DaveInOroValley]

Have 420 rounds of Lake black tipped in sealed boxes some in a yellow/green box which was weird. The other boxes are all the typical brown cardboard. Found this as well if it is helpful:


Lake City 30.06 Ball ammunition produced after Lot#13700, Head Stamped LC 51 is considered to be non-corrosive. The first totally non-corrosive year of production for Lake City Ball Ammunition is Head Stamped LC 52.