Old, vintage shotgun shells

[madmax64]

I have several old shotguns shells, they are about 47-50 years old (see photograph). Are they safe to use in my Remington 870 Express?? the 870's barrel says 12 GAUGE, 2 3/4" and 3", 3 1/2" ONLY WITH SUPER MAG RECEIVER".

Can I use magnums, high-brass shells in my shotgun?

[ysr_racer]

What does it say on the side of the box? Length, shot size, etc

[madmax64]

12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch, Maximum Load, 1 1/2 oz, 6 shot. (high brass).

I also have other plastic shotgun shells: Winchester Western 3 3/4 - 1 1/4 - 6 Buck & Pheasant Load. (high brass).

Are they OK to use in my 870? I have never fired 50 year old, high brass shotgun shells.

[Bainter1212]

As long as the primer and powder are still good.....those should work just fine in your 870.

[madmax64]

see attached.

[ysr_racer]

They're safe to shoot, but most ranges won't let you use them. They limit you to 9, 8, & 7.5. #6 is too large.

If you're out in the desert or on private land, no problem.

[Thefeeder]

><

GTO...shoot away

Those 1 1/2oz #6 were the best Pheasant loads money can buy back in the day.....truly a great shell

They are full house loads and pack some real recoil so just be aware that just because they are packed with "birdshot" it has nothing to do with recoil

Its a shame to just shoot those off. They do have a bit of collectable value to them...not much but some.

If your in the San Francisco Bay area and want to preserve the old stuff. I'll trade some modern full house
birdshot" shells for them

[b.thomas]

I've shot stuff older then that................................... BUT don't ever use old ammo in a auto-loader! I won't go in to what can happen but it sure can cause a problem.( especially old paper hulls)
A break action, bolt action, a good old pump........should not have any problems there!

[BOBGBA]

Here's a old paper shell that I used in an auto loader. It didn't eject all the way, so it was a good thing I hit the bird on the first shot.

[parcours]

Those Super X Mark 5 shells are the BEST! They pack a some horsepower! In fact I still have several cases of #2, #4, #5 and #6 in 2 3/4" and 3"....

That's what I used to hunt ducks with... OK, giving away my age, since steel for waterfowl has been in place for a really long time

Make sure you're 870 is in good shape... These are loaded with 4drams of powder, which is MAXIMUM loading for a 2 3/4" shell.

Enjoy the recoil...

[2761377]

Browning Auto-5 will eat those up no problem.

[Revoman]

Since it's a plastic hull they would be good to go pretty much no problem in an 870 with the markings you provided.