40 yr. old Sierra 168's - discoloration

[93LXRag]

I have a few boxes of Sierrra 168 gr. Internationals that are not quite as smooth feeling as they should be. They are slightly discolored so I have just let them sit as I have been loading mostly Nosler 165BTs for 30-06.

What can I do to clean these up?

Can I put them in my case cleaner?

I would like to load a few of them just for the nostalgia of using bullets that my grandfather used some 40 years ago.

 

[LeonCarr]

Putting them in your case cleaner will clean them up nicely, but make sure when you take them out you remove any media from the hollow point .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Grump]

My kid shot his Grandpa's penny-colored SMKs as-is and got fine accuracy with them.

Back when 168s were new and most everyone was still using the Sierra 180-gr SMKs that were FMJ, he weighed a bunch and found them to be withing +/- 0.1 grain in weight for a couple of boxes. The 173-gr M72s he bought from the DCM were +/- about a whole grain, so he sorted them into batches and got equal accuracy with them...out of an "ordinary" NM Garand. 1 MOA was about all you could get out of a gas gun back then, but the entire aiming black of the 200-yard target was the 5-ring...matches were often "clean" scores by a LOT of shooters, winner determined by V-count.

 

[futureranger]

i have some 180gr SKG loaded rounds my uncle used in competition back in 82 (so it says on the box)and they are all sorts of dis colored with black spots, and they shoot well under 1 moa in my savage