So brass used to come in boxes like ammo?

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Tech Ninja

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I went to an estate sale and picked up this .44 Magnum brass. Looking at the price sticker of $4.81 I would assume they must be pretty old. Anyone know when this might have been made? Oh and I paid 16 bucks for all three. Can't beat that!


boxes.jpg
 
Here are old prices from Back in the good old days. 1970's for me.

All 44 mag brass, per 50.
1992- $11.35

1973- $3.75

1959 - $3.83 with primer. (Primed brass). 1000 primers- $10.50 or .0105 cents each.

From old catalogs i still have.
 
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I have 5 boxes of Win. nickel plated 357 Mag
50 pi in each box set in foam piece with 50 separate holes
$8 purchased somewhere in the seventies
 
Hornady still does, at least the last ones I bought did. (.223) Not in foam with individual holes, but in a box, loose stacked.

Russellc
 
Well about three years ago I purchased some LAPUA 32 H&R Mag brass from Graff & sons and it came in a box with a bar code on it. So some still do it seems. Quite common prior to the 70's IIRC.
 
Norma SAUM brass comes in a box of 25 with a foam spacer over the necks.

Laupa comes in a nice blue plastic box.
 
armarsh said:
Norma SAUM brass comes in a box of 25 with a foam spacer over the necks.

Laupa comes in a nice blue plastic box.
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I was gifted with 10+ boxes of Norma 8mm Mauser casings that came in 20 per box. These would be pre-'79. I didn't know if they still came in box packages or bagged.

I don't recall if the dividers are plastic or styrofoam.
 
That's the way I use to get new brass back in the mid 70's.

Good buy.

You will probably find that the older brass holds up better than the new stuff. I'm still shooting some 357mag brass from the late 70's.
 
My experience with boxed brass is that they were trimmed better and to a consistent length, deburred better, and less flash hole burrs. Always found the boxed brass to be superior to the bagged brass of today or the bulk brass back then..
 
.308 Norma said:
I wouldn't know, but it doesn't seem to me that it was that long ago brass came in boxes. In fact, your post kinda startled me Tech Ninja - I thought new brass still came in boxes unless you bought bulk. I must be getting old.:)
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It's still around. These are 3 or 4 years old. I have some of the same vintage in 6.5x284. P4020050.JPG
 
Yep, Remington came in green and orange boxes, Styrofoam 20 ct insert, just like ammo... Beautiful brass, well annealed, not all beat up, it was a treat for sure.
 
Before Rem orange/green 20rd box it was red and white on label. Before white box from Win it was yellow and I have some. Federal 222 match 20rd red/white box also Norma 20rd unprimed for 243 and 6ppc. I may have 50/60 of those old 20 boxes I still use.
 
Not only did it come in boxes, but was hand packed and inspected, with lot number stamped on boxs DSC09127.JPG as shown here.
 
Reminded me of when I was cleaning out a closet. Found a 25-rd. box of Remington 12 Ga shotshells with the price sticker & store name still on it. Neither the store or the price exist now. The store was "Gemco" (now Target) & the price was $1.99.
 
When me and my neighbor were teenagers we found two full cases of old paper cased cardboard wad 12 gauge trap loads from the 50's in his dads gun stuff in like new condition. Not knowing that they were worth anything we shot both cases up on clay pigeons! They were probably worth several hundred dollars but we didn't know any better and neither did his dad.
 
Back in the 80's I landed up with a 03 Springfield that had been punched out 308 Norma Mag. Nobody had brass or ammo in our podunk town. Just as well because ammo was $35 a box. I had my bud at the LGS order me some brass. After two weeks with no luck I hit one of our State Troopers for some. Two more weeks and no luck. Lounging around the gun shop one day I made the comment that if I had some 300 H&H brass I could make some. Bingo. Bobby had some of his own stock and sold me 2 boxes for $10 a box. I sized it, fire formed it and I was ready to go. Then my other 4 boxes came in. $18 a box in 1982. I had almost $100 in brass at 1982 prices. Quite a bit of green when you consider wages at that time $7 an hour.
 
Speaking of 12 ga. shells from the 50's, I had 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket full of Western paper shells. When I retired in early 2014, I gave them to a guy I worked with. I said that there was no guarantee on them, and he said he would try and fire them anyway. Old shotgun shells from the 50's are about like beany babies--- worthless. Shotgun shells took a fall in price, and only the more expensive ones retained there value. In 1960 my grandfather gave me a Rem Model 31 pump and 13 boxes of shells--- I shot them up. I too thought they would bring some money years later, until I started to go to Cartridge Shows in 1999. They are worth more to break them down for the lead pellets. If your time was worth nothing.
 
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