Really old ammo

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JayBird

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I recently inherited a 1920's SW 32 Long colt revolver. Along with it came a box of ammo.

The box the ammo came in was basically disintegrating in my hands. I estimate the ammo to be as old as the gun and certainly looked like it was kept the same way the gun was, ie...wrapped in a rag in a drawer for 80 years.

Now I have fired the revolver, it was in almost perfect shape, with just a slight bit of surface rust on the barrel from not being oiled for so long(I think I have fired it more since receiving it than it was in the 80 previous years and I have only put one box through it)

Now my question is...I am a little leery about shooting ammo that has been sitting in a dresser drawer for 80 years. Is this still relatively safe to shoot? I know people regularly shoot old military surplus ammo, but that is usually stored better than sitting in someones dresser.

Second question, If I choose to not shoot it, what would be the best(and legal) way to dispose of it?
 
As long as the brass casings seem intact and in relatively good condition the ammo should be OK. Don't worry about a little surface tarnish, but if there's corrosion or signs of eakening I'd toss it.
I've fired .30 Carbine from WW2 and I know of people who've fired ammo from 100 years ago and it worked fine.
 
Personally I think that ammo that old should be relegated to the collector tray.

Now I have fired some wwII 45 ACP stuff that was head stamped 41 and it worked perfectly.

One issue though is that all that old ammo will have corrosive primers.

Meaning that the materials used in the primer will leave a corosive deposit in the barrel that needs to be cleaned out well.

Old powder is also a question mark.

If reloading powder has been kept sealed, in a dry cool place its probably good.

The general rule of thumb is, if the powder smells like solvent and "sweet" then its good. If it has turned brown, gray, white and smells like vinegar, then its bad.

You can take this bad powder out, dump it in a long trail on the ground and light it off to destroy it.

I have some 2400 powder that my father bought in 1960 thats still perfectly good.

Some of that old ammo, could possibly be Black Powder stuff too.

Just some thoughts.

Snowy
 
Thanks for some of the advice.

As far as disposing of old ammo, how is this done safely and legally. Can I just dump it in my trash that gets picked up on my curb? I would not feel comfortable doing that btw...

If I brought it to a range or gun shop, would they take it?
 
Your local PD will probably take it and dispose of it.

Personally, I'd just keep it to display with the weapon.
 
huh...I didnt even think about making a display for it and the ammo. Even the half disintegrated box I guess could go in there.

Thanks for that, I will see what I can find for display cases.

Jay
 
Are you sure the S&W revolver is chambered for Long Colt? I've never heard of that happening. Long Colt will chamber in a 32 S&W Long chamber but not the other way round. I suggest you verify, but I may be mistaken also, my wife tells me that several times a day!!!!!!!
 
Second question, If I choose to not shoot it, what would be the best(and legal) way to dispose of it?
Click to expand...

Visit the IAA forum, the link is in my signature. Depending on what that ammo is, there could be folks willing to pay a lot for it, especially as you have pieces of the original box also.
Take pics of what you have and head on over, you never know who is looking for that stuff!
 
Are you sure the S&W revolver is chambered for Long Colt?
Click to expand...

You are correct....it is .32 S&W Long...not long colt. I did not even know there was a round called .32 Long Colt. Ya learn something new everyday :) Thanks.

And as an FYI, for those wondering, when I fired new ammo in the gun, it was the correct ammo :)

As far as the value of the ammo, I will check that out. I guess it is a much better solution than disposal if they are valuable. As far as the box, the top is totally disintegrated away, but the sides and most of the bottom is still there. I will check out the forum mentioned...thanks for the advice
 
I wouldn't dispose of it. Contact a firearms museum to see if they just might BUY the ammo from you. If you keep it,find a Army Surplus in your town. Purchase some good used ammo cans and store it for the historic value.

LOL...I would not run that ammo threw the weapon.
 
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New ammo is easy to get. You shoot that old stuff and its gone. I would probably keep it too as an interesting accessory for the revolver. It might be worth even more paired up together, seeing as the story of this revolver involves them both :)
 
I say save the old ammo for display, and shoot new ammo in your revolver. It can shoot the shorter 32 S&W or 32 S&W Long, and that new ammo is designed for the older revolvers and is not dangerous to use in a '20s revolver, and not corrosive.

If you find time, post a picture of your revolver for all to see. Just use the advanced posting option and upload to the site.



NCsmitty
 
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