red brass from the 40s?

[bohoki]

i'm just wondering if they had some different standards to what "brass" is cause i got some surplus lc 44 30 carbine brass and it is more red than the typical gold

also it seems more brittle than modern commercial brass



typical modern federal brass on right


anybody have any spiffy info / trivia they care to share

[JeffM]

Brass tarnishes and turns brown over time.

Try polishing it.

[CSACANNONEER]

It also gets more brittle with age.

[Beelzy]

Looks like the ammo in question spent years in a garage with no insulation.
Hence they were subjected to a lot of hot and cold extremes for a bit. I would
be careful with that stuff.

The M1 throws the brass at your face, I would hate to see it spit more than
that at you.

[bohoki]

Brass tarnishes and turns brown over time.

Try polishing it.

i put one on a grinder and wire wheel it seems to be this color throughout

[50 Shooter]

Toss it, the brass is oxidizing and it's no longer any good. What I think you're seeing is dezincification, it happens to brass over time if not protected from the elements.

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=3FE99ACF752E4785FF8275CFF179C017?contentType=Article&contentId=1685130

[halifax]

There is red brass and yellow brass. Plumbers in the old days used both. The red brass has a higher copper content. I don't know if cartridge cases were ever made of it though.

[Beelzy]

Oh yeah, there's red brass. But not for ammo.

[gunboat]

Perhaps it has been reloaded too many times?

[TKM]

50 Shooter is right. A lot of WWII stuff was made with zinc happy alloys, knives and personal equipment for the most part. Anything to save steel and copper for strategic usage. If you have to, go ahead and shoot it. Just don't plan on reloading.

Better yet, curio status. It's been a long time and zinc will go away. Ask any boater.