GI .45 Ball ammo

[sgtstryker]

I just traded into some GI ball .45 ammo, new in the boxes. It's Olin with 72 headstamp. Just wondering if anyone knows the value of this now. I haven't seen any GI ammo for sale in awhile, nor can I find any online. Just wondering, thanks.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

hard to say but if me would'nt let it go too cheap though. buck a pop maybe?

 

[chris in va]

Considering I find fired case headstamps in the 40's era at the range, probably little to no extra.

 

[GRIZ22]

Marlin 45 Carbine, what makes you think its worth a buck a piece. Not wanting to argue just wondering how you arrived at tbat.

 

[Drail]

They're not worth quite that much. I have tons of 72 GI hardball brass and match brass. I've been reloading it for over 25 years now and they just keep going and going. Really good brass. I worked with a guy who bought 55 gal. drums of once fired military brass. He'd let us sit down and sort out all of the good stuff. I think we paid like $25 for a 5 gal. bucket full. WCC Match brass is great for low pressure wadcutter loads.

 

[ljnowell]

I sold off 20 boxes of GI ballo that was made in 1945 and 1952. I sold it for 35 bucks a box at a gun show. Sold it all in about two hours.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

Currently manufactured 230gr ball ammo is loaded to just about the same specs as the GI stuff and it goes for $0.50/round or less. It'd be hard to sell that ammo for much more than that unless you find someone who really loves that ammo or someone who thinks its worth more than that and doesn't know any better. Just my opinion though.

 

[sgtstryker]

Just wondering about it's worth as being GI surplus. It will be shot. The trade I made puts it at 35 cents a round. I can live with that. Thanks for the comments.

 

[jonnyc]

The fact that it's GI surplus adds nothing to the value. It is older shooting ammo, something I would value a bit below the shooting ammo price at Walmart.

 

[tyeo098]

72 on the headstamp?

Doesnt that mean 1972 production?

Not really old enough to qualify as 'neat'...

 

[1KPerDay]

Shoot it.

 

[astra600]

If you have or are making a WW II display, keep the box and ammo intact. It goes well with WW II GI mags, a helmet and other tidbits. It's GI ball. The age isn't that important and a full box, like you said, isn't easy to find.

 

[medalguy]

I have lots of that ammo. It's great ammo, in my opinion just as good or better than Wally World ammo today. High quality isn't done much any more. Be sure to save the brass, it's the best for reloading even if it has a crimped primer. I'll trade you piece for piece for 1X fired commercial brass if you don't want to swage the primer pockets.

Saying all this, it's probably worth a little more than you paid for it, since you got a great deal on it. However certainly nothing I would pay a buck a round for.

By the way there's another post today where someone is saying they bought .45 230 gr FMJ at Wally World for $36 a box of 100.

 

[rcmodel]

72 GI ball won't have crimped primer pockets.

In fact, I don't think I have ever seen a GI .45 ACP case with a crimped primer.

rc

 

[Sunray]

1972 vintage ammo has no collector value. Unless you can find somebody who wants every year.