Received some old ammo - safe to shoot?

B

Brancasterr

Inactive
Some of you may have seen my posts in the other boards.

I recently inherited a few old guns from my grandfather.


I also received a Ruger .357 Blackhawk that I'm very excited about, but I didn't post it here. Images here for those interested

Along with the guns, he also gave me some old ammo he had around for them. I'm curious to know how I can tell if it can still be used or not.

Here is a full album of the ammo for those that want to dive in.

I'll break it out below too:

.22lr Ammo - Appears to be new in box - For the COlt
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.22lr Assorted Box - there are a couple of different types in these two
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32 S&W Long For the S&W Revolver
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Assorted .357 Magnum Ammo for the Ruger
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Agreed. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot any of it.

However, considering the Hawthorne ammo (old Montgomery Ward brand), some collectors may need that one for their collections. The box on the right of your first image looks fairly collectible. Old ammo in a good condition box is often worth far more than the ammo itself.
 
As a public service if you're worried, ship it to me, and I'll securely fire all of it for you, videoing it all so you can enjoy it. I'll also provide a report on accuracy and % fireable. All at no charge!:D
 
Mal H said:
Agreed. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot any of it.

However, considering the Hawthorne ammo (old Montgomery Ward brand), some collectors may need that one for their collections. The box on the right of your first image looks fairly collectible. Old ammo in a good condition box is often worth far more than the ammo itself.
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That's good to know! I didn't consider that any of it could be collectible.

Any idea where I could cast a line to see if anyone would want to take it off my hands?
 
none of it will be collectible. The .32 is maybe thirty years old, I assume that it is factory loaded. the .22 may be 40-50. The .357 are handloads that may be 30 years old. All of that will be safe to shoot, IMO. The handloads were obviously made to work in that pistol, otherwise I'd say to dispose of them.

Don't expect the .22 rounds to function perfectly. stuff that old, 40-50, may start losing accuracy, having an occasional failure, but that's not certain. If you start having an occasional misfire don't worry. It seems to be a store brand. Probably the name was taken off of the army's hawthorne depot, the label design just screams 60-70s to me.
 
Westernfield and Revelation were the firearms. I don't believe either was ever used on house ammunition, was it?



Whoops. I was wrong, at least with the Revelation. Just found a picture of a box of Revelation shotshells.

And there's a box of Revelation .22s!
 
Brancasterr, Nice quality photos, along with a good sense of humor = welcome to the forum.
As long as the ammo has not been damaged it should be safe to shoot. If it were my decision to make about shooting the ammo, I would limit it to range use only. For personal defense I would buy factory fresh ammo.
 
The .357 are handloads that may be 30 years old. All of that will be safe to shoot, IMO. The handloads were obviously made to work in that pistol,
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The usual recommendation is to not shoot other people's handloads. You don't know what their ideas were and you don't know how careful they were.
 
Yes that ammo is clearly ancient and dangerous..
You should send it to me for proper disposal *shifty eyes*

Actually I see zero issue with that ammo, Shoot with a Smile.
I will say rimfire ammo seems to age quicker then center fire.. but it's still perfectly safe to shoot you just might get a few more duds then usual.

Centerfire ammo will probably out last us all.
 
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