Is "blank" .30-06 brass reloadable ?

[tlen]

I was given a quanity of .30-06 blank brass with various head stamps from WWII to 1968 by a VFW member. The LC 68 brass shown looks like regular brass with the annealing colors, etc. but with the typical blank crimp on the neck. Is this LC 68 brass reloadable or should I toss it ?

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w266/tlen234/P3140006.jpg

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w266/tlen234/P3140014.jpg

 

[Slamfire]

You know, I would toss it.

Blank ammunition was never expected to be used in a high pressure environment. Therefore I don't have a lot of faith that the stuff is first quality. Might very well be discards, or something else.

I have seen a lot of waivers on substandard stuff. The Government tries to keep its contractors from loosing cash. Might have been waivered for use in blank ammo only, which would have been expected to be turned in for scrap after use.

Cheap brass is not worth loosing an eye or a hand, or a rifle.

 

[the_right_reverend]

I have used 30-06 and 7.62 blanks to make .45ACP snake shot. Both are very thin brass and work well for that purpose and only that application. Unless that interest you and you are willing to pay $275 for a die set its useless

 

[fitz47]

Toos it blanks are made from brass that does not meet spec for use in normal loads

 

[Jim Watson]

In my younger years, I was given a big bag of .30-06 blanks. In those days before the Gorenet could warn me against anything unusual, I poked out the wads, dumped the blank powder (I had already read Hatcher.), ran them over a Lyman M die expander to remove the deep crimp, and loaded them up. They were good for one or two moderate loads before the overworked neck split.

 

[fguffey]

I do not know about your blanks, I did not ask questions about 250 cases I acquired, I used forming/trim dies in 8MM, 7MM, 7.65 X 53 B.M. and 308 Winchester, all four cases are shorter than the 30/06 ( from .388 to .246) setting the shoulder back allowed me to set the head space (case link from head of the case to the shoulder), I formed the cases, trimmed with a hack saw and file, this removed the mouth of the blank case, the blank is crimped down to 22 cal (+ or -), that is a heck of a stretch without annealing (22 to 8MM, .323), I weighed the cases before I started, when compared to once fired, there was no difference in weight or thickness, but like I said, I do not know about your blanks, my blanks are doing fine.

F. Guffey

 

[loadedround]

Absolutely not! Blank rounds are made of poorer quality brass that would not meet GI specs. Scrap it.

 

[rcmodel]

All I know for sure is, since I started reloading in 1962, there have been continuous cautions about not reloading military blank brass.

That question was ask several times through the years in the American Rifleman magazine.
And the best & brightest minds of the day all said it may not be up to the task of handling full pressure bulleted loads due to the annealing used for them.

Some of those old guys on the AR staff back then really knew what they were talking about too, which is more then can be said of some of them now.

But, I digress!

I have cut & turned them down to make .45 ACP star-crimp shotshells, but that's all I would ever use them for.

rc