Older Milsurp M1 ammo

Is the one on the right a tracer round?

Looks like AP

you might try digging at the base of the suspected tracer or AP, (with a sharp blade), and seeing if it is a card or sealer for tracer compound. If it is lead color and hard like steel it is an AP.

Here are some M25 tracer bullets from M1 ammo Some tracers have a tan colored fiber sealer or paper over the compound. These pictured have a copper foil sealer.

Neat to see old cartridges hanging in there. It lasts a long time I'm sure there some amount of loss in the powder but how much would take a science guy to properly figure.



I've got a bunch of super old milsurp '06 ammo, I pulled a lot of it down , it was all good with the exception of some having verdigris of varying degrees. Some I suspected being reloads but some appeared older and looked appropriate to my unknowing eye. I left some together but I didn't consider most of it safe to fire and didn't want anyone in the future to attempt to fire it.


I posted about it but I don't know how to search the forum that way or I'd include a link but I'm sure I included details I dont remember at the moment (or ever will again) , I wrote it down anyway. I just kept the cleanest rounds intact for looking at- don't own a 30-06.

Thanks for sharing

If they're really just for admiring and not for firing (probably wise),
You could always pull the bullet, dump the powder and then reseat the bullet.

Never have to worry about it being mistakenly fired, or inevitably, eventually falling victim to rotting powder

I’ve got plenty of US military 30-06 from the 50’s and 60’s that shoot great. I shoot the older ammo in my bolt actions. I also have a lot of US military 30-06 from the 70’s that I shoot in my M1 Garands.
I did buy a bunch of surplus 8mm Mauser ammo that was questionable, but I got it cheap at $0.05 per round. I’ve pulled the bullets on about 100 rounds so far. About 10% had issues like corrosion at the base of the bullets, or clumpy powder. I tested the primers on several cases and all worked fine. But I’m going to scrap the brass and use the bullets for reloading
I have a friend that does WWII reenactment as a German soldier. His unit puts on displays. I made him a bunch of dummy rounds with some of the bullets and brass. I drilled holes through the bottom side of the cases so that they are easily identified as dummies.
Whenever dealing with old or surplus ammo, you should always pull a few and inspect it.

Many moons ago a buddy bought a bunch of surplus 8mm, by many moons I am talking about 20-ish years. Inside there was one round with a black tip. Hay do you think this is AP, yea I think it is.....yea I think so too. Mind if I shoot your target. Had some small steel swingers we had been dinging all afternoon. Yea sure I want to see what it will do. Through like it was cardboard, I think the little plate never moved.

Back to the OP, the longer bullets are tracers or incendiary, more likely tracer. AP bullets are 160+ grains.

Good info. Back in the 90's I bought a bunch of M2 ball that was '73 Korean and had obviously come from delinked machinegun belts. You can see the outline of where the link once was and a couple rounds here and there the bullet is ever so slightly canted in the case mouth. But most are good to go and it shoots fine.

Catpop said:

After recently finding some bad older reloaded ammo, I got interested in some M1 ball ammo I had on hand.
So I pulled 2 cartridges today to check their internal condition.
SL 56 (left) 151 gr FMJ flat base, 49.1 gr fine spherical powder
SL 45 (right) 143.5 gr FMJ flat base, black or red tip can’t really tell, somewhat hollow base?, 46.0 gr stick powderView attachment 1062971
Both powders dry and no internal corrosion. Good to go!

Click to expand...

Black tip, looks AP. You can pull those and sell them to the net ninjas for like a bazillion dogecoins. You'll be rich.