Tarnished or Corroded Ammo?

[bigtattoo79]

I have some boxes of ammo that's tarnished or corroded and wanted to know if there's a way to tell if its safe to shoot?

 

[dantheman]

That stuff looks awesome compared to some of the stuff I have shot . Seriously .

 

[bigtattoo79]

That stuff looks awesome compared to some of the stuff I have shot . Seriously .

Thanks. I didn't think it looked that bad but better to be safe.

 

[JNieman]

Oh that's primo condition man. That little bit of discoloration is nothing.

 

[03protege]

Think of it as well aged cheese, enjoy it.

 

[tallwalker]

Look fine to me, but I am curious about the dimples on some of the primers.

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[Jack]

I've got a .50 cal can I'm working on emptying that makes that stuff look freshly polished.

 

[Ellis1958]

That stuff looks awesome compared to some of the stuff I have shot . Seriously .

Thinking the same thing.

Pretty much if it ain't green with corrosion, carry on.

Found some of my fathers ammo stash from circa 1968 just last year or so. Buried in a box of family photos and stuff. No collectors items just ammo. Shot it all except the .50bmg and the .380. All of it went bang except for a few .22lr.

 

[bigtattoo79]

Look fine to me, but I am curious about the dimples on some of the primers.

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It should be factory ammo. Any idea what it could be?

 

[tallwalker]

I don't know... just thought it was curious for factory ammo and hoping somebody else would know. I bet they shoot just fine though. I'd sure load em up.


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[davidd]

If I read that head-stamp correctly, it's R(emminton)-P(eters) 9 MM LUGER.

 

[bigtattoo79]

If I read that head-stamp correctly, it's R(emminton)-P(eters) 9 MM LUGER.

They are in a green and white Rem box.

 

[pwl822]

coot em

 

[chbrow10]

They look terrible. I would not shoot them. Better off just sending them to me for disposal. :-)

My reloaded ammo gets those dimples on the primers when there is some powder flakes in the primer cup. The flake gets impressed on the primer cup when the primer is seated. Are you sure it's factory ammo?

 

[Sin-ster]

The only time corrosion is going to be a problem is in the case of pitting-- and even then, quite frankly... It'd have to be pretty significant, and pretty specifically located (i.e. the web) for it to be a risk.

That stuff is loaded pretty gently. As others have pointed out, it's in very good condition considering the possibilities. The web of the 9mm is grossly overbuilt for the pressures, and from the looks of things, your tarnish is restricted mostly to the head (around the stamps) and not along the case walls. You're definitely GTG.

As to the dimpled primers--

It happens. Sometimes during their final sorting, sometimes during packaging, sometimes during transport, sometimes during... Well, you get the idea. The cup of those primers is of a moderate thickness/rigidity-- Federal being the softest/thinnest, and the Russian stuff being the toughest. I've seen worse dimples in loose-packed 5.56 rounds with no ill effect-- and they are notably more stout than your pistol rounds there.

Long story short-- I'd be super-shocked if even one of them failed to go bang, and at least from what we can see in the photos, you're more than safe to shoot them. Might have a slightly tangy aroma every now and then... but that's a bonus, not a negative.

 

[Ivan]

Oh boy, that stuff look really dangerous to shoot. I could dispose of those for you if you would like, lol. Bud just shoot them up, and reload those. If they had some nasty green fuzz or crusty white primers or even heavy pitting, then id be worried about shooting them. They look fine to me and as others have stated too.

 

[bigtattoo79]

Update: They were all shot about 3 months ago and all worked fine.

 

[Ivan]

Good deal, figured they would be just fine

 

[340six]

I've got a .50 cal can I'm working on emptying that makes that stuff look freshly polished.

I agree some of the 30-06 M2 ball i have shot was not so nice. some i tumbled first to see the real condition of the cases
I had lots and lots of Katrina ammo that was still good 98% shot well and the rest was pulled down for bullets and the brass cleaned up

 

[freedive10]

You should see some of the stuff I shot in latin america! No issues and that stuff looked BAD! Pre-Contra war ammo.

This stuff looks PRIMO!