Gunshow AMMO SCORE - what did I get?

seth

seth

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Early bird gets the worm as it goes, I lined up for the doors to open at a local gun show last week...

Ran around and bought up all the cheap .38 I could get my hands on.

Ended up with a couple of steals ( newer factory .38spl +P Jacked Hollow Points for 10 dollars a box!)

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Older UMC .38 LRN - 15 bucks:

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But I also ended up with some quesitonables...

First up:

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At first glance I thought these were factory loads, I dickered the seller down to 5 bucks for the box ( he had $10)

I was hesitent to even buy them given the age and color of the brass...

On futher inspection, they turned out to be reloads (I'm guessing as the box says "Metal Point" and has a picture of a round nosed plated bullet) The primers are silver, Dominon from back in those days had brass colored primers I think. These are lead flat points...

So would you shoot 40 year old 357Mag reloads in a modern day GP100?

I'm thinking these will hit the bottom of my zombie apocalypse pile.

Next up:

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These appear to be factory loaded...

Super old Wad cutters, again 5 bucks!

These should shoot fine right?



And finally, I bought 12 boxes of this stuff for 120.00

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Can anyone guess the age of this stuff?

I couldn't find much on "Winchester Western" brand...

The lead looks pretty oxidised but it should fire just fine right?

Also, that brass is reloadable right? (nickel I think)

Hopefully I didn't do too bad, I figured I can't even buy reloads for that price ($10 a box)
 
They all look shootable to me. Even the 357 you think might be reloads may not be ... I'm guessing they are rebozed ... I would be inspecting them to see if they physically appear to be reloaded. Tho for the box of them, one could pull them and reload them - the brass looks good.

I would estimate the WW stuff to be late 80's to mid 90's if my memory serves ... used to get that same label on other ammo I was puchasing years ago.

Overall I think you got a steal of a deal on the lot!
 
Imagius,

Thanks for the reply, what tell tale signs would give the 357 away as being reloaded?

And can anyone else chime in on the Win Western ammo?

Reloadable?
 
Back when the RCMP went to the 9mm, my Father was working as a Justice of the Peace. One evening, the local CO dropped off a crate of Win Western, round nose lead, in .38 for us.

It was their "practice ammo" that had not yet been distributed in the detatchment and was going to be destroyed. We got about 50 boxes or so of it. Shot a bunch of it through my 1942 vintage pre-model 10 S&W K-frame.

I went "click" - and it went "bang." Other than that little tid-bit, I can't tell you anything about the load or muzzle velocity.
 
Revolvers are easy to check when shooting reloads. Just monitor the sound and feel of each suspicious shot. If it goes 'woof' instead of 'bang', open the cylinder and drop a cleaning rod in the barrel.

<< I know a fellow who squib loaded some .38s and the bullets filled the barrel nose to tail. >>
 
I'm less worried about a squib load and more worried about a double charge... 357 mag is hot enough, I don't want to blow my gun to pieces!
 
Diligence said:
Back when the RCMP went to the 9mm, my Father was working as a Justice of the Peace. One evening, the local CO dropped off a crate of Win Western, round nose lead, in .38 for us.

It was their "practice ammo" that had not yet been distributed in the detatchment and was going to be destroyed. We got about 50 boxes or so of it. Shot a bunch of it through my 1942 vintage pre-model 10 S&W K-frame.

I went "click" - and it went "bang." Other than that little tid-bit, I can't tell you anything about the load or muzzle velocity.
Click to expand...

Holy ####, that makes sense...

The guy selling it to me mumbled something about this being RCMP ammo and I discredited it in my mind immediately thinking who in the hell would choose lead round nose bullets for law enforement...

Thanks man, can't wait to shoot my el'cheapo ammo!
 
Hey Seth Take a closer look at the head stamp on your, Older UMC .38 LRN - 15 bucks:
It sure looks like 30 carbine!!
All the factory stuff I wouldn't have any problem shooting, but reloads, I pull and reload to my standard.
Have fun
 
seth said:
Holy s**t, that makes sense...

The guy selling it to me mumbled something about this being RCMP ammo and I discredited it in my mind immediately thinking who in the hell would choose lead round nose bullets for law enforement...

Thanks man, can't wait to shoot my el'cheapo ammo!
Click to expand...

I got a bunch of the same ex-RCMP practice ammo at a garage sale for the same price one time. Another time the local detatchment needed a few dummy rounds loaded up, which I did. When I delivered them I was escorted to the ammo locker and given a big armload of various ammo "for disposal".
 
seth said:
Early bird gets the worm as it goes, I lined up for the doors to open at a local gun show last week...

Ran around and bought up all the cheap .38 I could get my hands on.

Ended up with a couple of steals ( newer factory .38spl +P Jacked Hollow Points for 10 dollars a box!)

12a0eef8.jpg


Older UMC .38 LRN - 15 bucks:

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Do me a favor Seth Take a bullet out of the newer factory .38sp from the top pic and put it beside the bullet from the UMC pic. The UMC pic sure looks skinny like a 30 carbine.
Click to expand...
 
Didn't pull them but I tossed the digital caliper over the base of each right before it met the brass...

The Remington 4.53mm
The UMC 4.44mm

Big difference right?

Holy crap are those reloads too?

If they ARE .30 carbines what would've happened if I shot them?
 
Sorry Seth I didn't mean to pull the bullet. Just compare the diameter of the case of the two. The 30 carbine case will have a dia of .336 just behind the bullet and a length of 1.290 inches.
The 38 sp will have a case dia of .379 inches close to the bullet and a case length of 1.155.
The 30 carbine will fall right through the cylinder and possibly stick in the barrel.
Nice score by the way.
 
tigrr said:
Hey Seth Take a closer look at the head stamp on your, Older UMC .38 LRN - 15 bucks:
It sure looks like 30 carbine!!
All the factory stuff I wouldn't have any problem shooting, but reloads, I pull and reload to my standard.
Have fun
Click to expand...

I agree about the reloads but as the cartridge in the picture uses a rimmed case, I doubt it's a 30 Carbine round.
 
These are definately .38spl cases (as per the headstamp) but the projectile is a 10th of a mm off... are these still ok to shoot in my Gp100?

Sorry about the ignorance but if I don't ask I'll never learn!
 
seth said:
These are definately .38spl cases (as per the headstamp) but the projectile is a 10th of a mm off... are these still ok to shoot in my Gp100?

Sorry about the ignorance but if I don't ask I'll never learn!
Click to expand...

That's not a problem but like you said, you don't want a double charge or anything else so pull those reloads apart and reload them.
 
seth said:
These are definately .38spl cases (as per the headstamp) but the projectile is a 10th of a mm off... are these still ok to shoot in my Gp100?

Sorry about the ignorance but if I don't ask I'll never learn!
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the 1/10th mm is not a problem nor is your question.
 
I would shoot everything you bought, except the 357 stuff. But thats just me. The 357 Dominion is old and would fit in someones collection.
Wear safety glasses K.
Save the brass and start reloading. I look forward to hearing you shot it all off and now are looking for reloading info!!
Have fun.
 
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