Kynoch smokeless .577/450

[Anzac15]

I have an opportunity to buy 3 boxes of Kynoch .577/450 smokeless, probably manufactured in the mid fifties.
Is this ammo safe to fire in a Martini? I have heard yes and no, thought I would ask the experts on here. The ammo is dirt cheap by the way, guy just wants to get rid of it!

Information

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[muffett.2008]

Supposedly a bit hit and miss on the ignition, but at least it will give you cases to reload.

[Richardwv]

It is berdan primed cordite ammo where both the primers and cordite have become degraded from poor storage, resulting in click-bang ammo with highly variable velocities. The cases are age hardened, meaning that more than a few will crack upon firing. The above said, to the best of my knowledge nobody has blown up a rifle yet, although with degraded cordite that is always a posssibility. For the uncracked cases, they of course can be annealed and reused if you can find the right primers or convert them to 209 shotshell primers (which isn't that hard and is a popular thing to do for berdan 577/450 cases). Because of the variables involved, I personally wouldn't use them in anything other than a Brit or Belgian Martini.....and certainly wouldn't even remotely consider it for a Nepalese Gahendra or Francotte. For someone that doesn't intend to reload and just wants their MH to go bang, this is an affordable way to go. However if ultimately you are going to reload, I'd recommend putting your money towards the gear and supplies you need to do a proper job.

[Anzac15]

Thank you very much for the replies.

[bombdoc]

I know this is a late reply.. however Cordite is a funny one. Basically Cordite is stabilised with a substance called Carbamite jelly (basically vaseline) which mops up any stray acid produced by the breakdown of the nitro elements. This maintains the stability of the propellent, which can be for many many years. Once the carbamite runs out however, the cordite can degrade very quickly, and even auto ignite..

It is very difficult to predict the remaining life of cordite, and in service it was regualrly tested using the Abel Heat test where a measured sample of cordite is ground down and then heated. The time it takes to fume off was an indication of remaining life..

However you are not likely to be able to do this test.. so

1. Sniff the box - if you get a sour or acrid smell, the cordite may have started to degrade.. Carefully pull a bullet and have a look at the strands. If they are very dark or have a powdery appearance.. I would not use the ammuniton.. pull the bullets and recycle the cases..

2. If you do use the cases, make sure you boil out the bore - this stuff is almost certain to have mercuric primers...

[maxim]

I have fired some of this 'click bang' Kynoch just the other day. The cases were in good shape and no splits. There was fresh snow on the ground and the strands of spent cordite was evident in the snow. There was no discernible difference in about 10 rounds as far as report or recoil. The hang fires were such that you could hear the internals fall and the spring vibrate before it went off.