1941 Winchester .303

[togor]

Picked up 3 100 round units from sgammo.

Each unit of 100 is 5 boxes, plastic wrapped. All from the same lot and with one box open, other 4 with intact seal.

2 lots dated December, one October in my order. All rounds externally clean in the open boxes.

Pulled 2 rounds from each open box.

October and Dec #1 have ball powder. Powder flows freely, some internal staining on brass but not enough to make me scrap the case. About 44 grains.

Dec. #2 has stick powder, about 39 grains. Kitchen clean on the inside.

I'll give all of these lots a chance to go bang once the weather turns. The bullets are definitely good but the crimp is heavy so preferably they can shoot from the cases they are already in.

[browningautorifle]

The primers have always and still might be the problem, hang fires... Hopefully you get good results. I used to take them all, change the primers and then there was no issue. Even though the powder is 80 odd years old and has degraded some without showing signs, the primers are the usual issue. Let us know...

[Bruce_in_Oz]

If the powder still smells "sweet" an flows freely when decanting from the cases, it is probably OK. Any hint of "acidic / tangy smell or "clumping" of the granules usually means it is "off"

If in doubt, decant the propellant, (it makes a handy fertilizer in the garden), remove the BOXER primers with one of the dedicated "de-prime only" tools. The original bullets and cases can be tarted up in the rotary yumbler and put back to good use with fresh primers and powder.

If you ere contemplating doing such salvage on BERDAN-primed ammo, it is a bit more complicated. Before you even startrt, confirm your source of replacement primers.

[togor]

Yes that too is a possibility....pull the bullets, swap primers and dump the powder back in.

[Strangely Brown]

Yes that too is a possibility....pull the bullets, swap primers and dump the powder back in.

Given the rounds will be Berdan primed is this even a possibility?

[browningautorifle]

Given the rounds will be Berdan primed is this even a possibility?

Not using those cases. I would use a boxer primed case if they were berdan and use the powder and bullets. I had substantial brass. If they were berdan they may be corrosive primed as well.

[togor]

Given the rounds will be Berdan primed is this even a possibility?

These are Boxer primed with a 4-stab crimp.

I think I will bang a primer on bright steel to check if corrosive. Assuming it goes bang, of course.

Then reload the case.

---------- Post added at 10:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

- The following opinion is not aimed at TOGOR.
IMHO: Some thought should be given to preserving WWII Small Arms ammunition. In a way we are eliminating our history by shooting up any old cartridge we can lay our hands on. Time is passing fast. When I was in High School in the late 60's the American Civil War was just over 100 years in the past. Compare that to WWII which ended 80 years ago - soon to be 100 years. We should see to it that WWII era and even Korean, Viet Nam era ammunition is preserved by current day shooters and collectors for future generations to ponder and collect. I know that billions of rounds were made for the wars of the 20th century. Saving even a few loose rounds now will make this history common place instead of rare in the future.

I'm with you. I'll save a few of these boxes, just as I have saved other boxes from WW2

I am lucky to have at the moment 3 original full boxes of German SmKH 8mm ammo, of the 3 different bullet colors. And I have sealed full cartons of US Cal .30 AP M2 from the 9 plants that produced such cartons during the war. Plus a few sealed boxes of Ball M1 and other odds and ends.

From what I can tell, the chemistry within those cases hasn't betrayed me yet. But this isn't black powder so eventually these rounds will go to heck.

[Sapper740]

Given the rounds will be Berdan primed is this even a possibility?

Yes, SB there are a couple of companies that make Berdan to Boxer conversion kits. https://22lrreloader.com/products/be...reign-domestic is one that I use.

[Alan de Enfield]

Picked up 3 100 round units from sgammo.

Each unit of 100 is 5 boxes, plastic wrapped. All from the same lot and with one box open, other 4 with intact seal.

2 lots dated December, one October in my order. All rounds externally clean in the open boxes.

Pulled 2 rounds from each open box.

October and Dec #1 have ball powder. Powder flows freely, some internal staining on brass but not enough to make me scrap the case. About 44 grains.

Dec. #2 has stick powder, about 39 grains. Kitchen clean on the inside.

I'll give all of these lots a chance to go bang once the weather turns. The bullets are definitely good but the crimp is heavy so preferably they can shoot from the cases they are already in.

From 1941 Winchester had big quality problems with 303 manufacture, It got so bad that the ammunition was banned from use in aircraft and some batches were so poor that they were not even issued to active Infantry, and instead, consigned to 'practice use only'.

The problem was a lack of 'dimensional' quality control resulting in jamming.

No serious problem if you are just 'at the range' but when being shot at it could be quite inportant to be able to fire back.

[browningautorifle]

the ammunition was banned from use in aircraft

So the marking of "Not for use in aircraft"...