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    Legacy Member big bear's Avatar
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    303 ammo corrosive?

    Headstamp 1943 DI Z? Box says Grade 1 reloadable. I haven't shot any yet. I presume if it is boxer primed it would be non corrosive. Thanks!
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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    NOT necessarily.

    "Non-corrosive" ammo in US service did not really exist until the advent of the M-1 Carbine. The gas system of that cute little package was essentially "non-user-serviceable"", i.e., NOT meant to be stripped out by the operator., unlike the M-1 Garandicon rifle.

    The .30 Carbine was the FIRST service cartridge to be both non-mercuric AND non corrosive.

    Soldiers were (and still are) expected to carry out regular cleaning and lubrication of their weapons, not just fire a few shots and hang it back over the mantelpiece.

    Any .303 ammo made with a "normal-sized" brass-cupped large-rifle primer (as opposed to the "big" (1/4" copper-cupped one used on vast amounts of .303 ammo), should be non-mercuric. That does NOT mean that it is also non-corrosive.

    IF the ammo in question has a brass-cupped primer, it will be lead-based, and thus a LOT less likely to caused brass cracking. however, APART FROM THE AFORE-MENTIONED .30 Carbine, NOBODY made "non-corrosive" general service ammo until the 7.62 NATO came on line in the 1950s. Be aware that this rule ONLY applies to factories making "official, NATO-spec" ammo. As an example, there was a substantial amount of Czechicon-made, brass-cased, "7.62 NATO" ammo floating around about twenty years back. It was reliable, reasonably accurate but CORROSIVE, because of the primer composition.

    Regard ALL ammo, and particularly military-issue ammo as corrosive until proven otherwise.

    New barrels are EXPENSIVE to buy! (Or unobtainable). They can also be expensive to have SWAPPED OVER.

    Ten minutes of conscientious cleaning and lubrication will save you a LOT of expense and anguish. Release your inner Irishman, and clean it again a couple of days later; TO BE SURE, TO BE SURE!!

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    This ammo was made by Defence Industries a Canadianicon crown corporation managed by the Dominion Cartridge division of Canadian Industries Ltd. It used the CIL commercial noncorrosive non mercuric primer.
    The Winchester WW2 .303" contract ammo was also noncorrosive.

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    Legacy Member Eaglelord17's Avatar
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    First Non-Corrosive ammo which was general purpose issue was the Swissicon GP-11, developed in 1908 and fully adapted for service in 1911. The Swiss GP-11 ammo was Mercuric until 1950 however. The Swiss were a full 50 years ahead of the world in terms of there cartridge, being the same diameter as 7.62 Nato, going at slightly slower velocities with a heavier bullet.

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    Contributing Member mmppres's Avatar
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    treat all unknown ammo as corrosive an clean your firearm well. check the next day an if green or gray clean again

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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    Rough rule of thumb:

    Mercury "bonds' rather too well with the zinc in brass. This is what causes your trusty old .303 cases with the "big" primers to crack sometime after firing. (Quite separate issue from "age-cracking' of improperly-annealed, work-hardened brass).

    Thus, mercuric primers tend to be made, not from brass but copper. Check out any "vintage ammo", from pre-WW1 and you will see what I mean; copper primer cups abound.

    The "pellet" of priming compound is "inserted" into the primer cup whilst "wet". It is then GENTLY pressed into the cup and usually has a slightly "dished" centre to clear the anvil, be it Berdan or Boxer style. Note that the anvil in Boxer cups is NOT fully seated as delivered, but is VERY slightly moved towards the cup / priming compound when the primers are correctly seated in the pocket.

    Primers are usually air-dried and then the compound is given a thin coat of water/ air-proof lacquer so that the brew is not contaminated by atmospheric moisture whilst in storage or whilst being shuttled about in the process of becoming part of a sealed, complete cartridge.

    Note that, in the "good old days", primers were often sold in simple, cardboard "flat-packs"; see old RWS packaging for the idea. The "super-sized" packaging of some modern commercial primers is probably overkill.

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    Legacy Member Bruce McAskill's Avatar
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    All USGI ammo was non mercuric before WW1. It was corrosive primed till as Bruce said the .30 carbine came along. BUT in 1945 USGI contracts were awarded to Dominion in Canadaicon for 30-06 and it was all non- corrosive. Great ammo if one can find any now.

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    Just to add to the VERY cut to the quick and good advice from mmppres, thread 5 and others. The simple answer is that taught to all Armourers since the beginning of time. TREAT ALL AMMUNITION AS CORROSIVE AND EROSIVE. End of story. That way you can forget everything else

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