[L-Frame]

Would reloads of that age have any problems with powder degrading, or something of that sort. I wouldn't think so but don't know for sure.

[MMCSRET]

All depends on how they were stored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jonnyc]

If you did not reload and store them, I would avoid firing them. Preferable to pull and reload them.

[Steve C]

reloads are no more likely to degrade than factory made ammo. As with any reloaded ammunition, knowing who made them or what load they used will alleviate some trepidation if you decide to fire them.

[L-Frame]

I bought ammo from a guy selling guns for an estate of a friend. I bought a number of boxes of .38 from him and didn't know that they were reloads until I got home and saw notes on the underside of each box telling the specifics of the ammo in that specific box. They were each dated 1975 on the reload notes. He lists the powder, amount, bullett weight, etc. for each box. The details make me feel a little better but I'm still a little nervous about shooting it. Maybe I'll just be sure to use my GP-100 when I shoot it.

[L-Frame]

Should I feel better that all the reloads are 38 and not 357? My logic is this: you screw up a .38 and you get a hot .357. You screw up a .357 and you blow up the gun. True or not?

[SlamFire1]

If the loads were stored in a cool environment, it is highly likely the powder is still good. Heat is the enemy of double based powders. Still, 1975 vintage ammo is getting towards the end of its shelf life. You also don't know if the powder the guy used dates from the 50's.

Powder does funny things as it gets older. One of which is that the burn rate changes and the overall energy gets less. You might have a sharper pressure curve, but lower velocity at the end of the barrel.

Your greatest risk is whether the guy was careful in charging his cases.

I would shoot the stuff up in a 357, and save the cases.

[SaxonPig]

About 10 years ago a friend sold his only revolver in 45 Colt and gave me a box of ammo left over that he had loaded. Label said 250 grain lead with 8 grains of Unique.

Except three of them had 16 grains of powder. He had double charged three cases. After I blew up the Colt New Service pictured below I pulled the rest of the bullets and found the two remaining double charged rounds. Fortunately the damage was limited to the cylinder and I was able to find a replacement and have it refinished and fitted to the gun. Cost me about $200 by the time I was done.

Never again. If I didn't load it, I don't shoot it.


http://www.fototime.com/C49975FD21E312C/standard.jpg

[ljnowell]

Still, 1975 vintage ammo is getting towards the end of its shelf life.

Not even close. I shot surplus .45acp from 1920s in the 1990s. My uncle still has some of it, he is saving for display, but I wouldnt be afraid to shoot it if I needed it.

[JCisHe]

I think Saxon hit the nail on the head...

"if I didn't reload it I'm not shooting it."

That's good advice.

[CajunBass]

I've got some 38 ammo I loaded back in the 80's. I wouldn't hesitate to fire it, but I loaded it myself and I know where/how it's been stored. As a matter of fact, I did fire some of it when I got my Model 19 a few months ago. Not a problem one.

[Oro]

Age: 1975, no problem, unless it was stored in a garage in Florida or the desert SW. Heat = bad, Heat + Humidity = Very bad.

Reloads: I am comfortable with reloads by others on modern, progressive machines. It is hard to double charge them. I have nightmares of '70s era reloading on single-stage RCBS machinery. A double charge was so easy, even for the careful.

Caliber: .38 in a .357 sounds safe. if it were a place where a double charge could really damage things, like a .45LC, any Magnum, or a rifle caliber, and given the other facts, no way.

So given everything, if it's .38special stored in a temperate climate or controlled indoors, I'd give it a shot in a .357. And since you know the load data, what is it? The more information the better.

[L-Frame]

I'm not a reloader so it doesn't mean much to me. The powder is listed as 4756 and the wt. is listed as 11

[armoredman]

If you don't trust it, trash it. Life is too short to blow up good guns with possibly bad loads.

[unspellable]

I ahve some 44 Special +P+ loads around. The rub is that since then I have acquired a nice 44 Special revolver that's not suitable for +P+ loads. I would have the same problem with 45 Colt except that I never put up any hot hand loads. The hazards of having two revolvers chambered for the same cartridge, one of which will take hot loads and one of which won't.