Rusty ammo, safe to shoot?

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  • Boondock Saint

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 11, 2008
    24,367
    White Marsh
    Got some Wolf 7.62x39 that got wet. The worst of it is pictured below. Safe to shoot, or not so much?
     
    Last edited:

    Matlack

    Scribe
    Dec 15, 2008
    8,555
    If pitted no.

    Pull the bullets from the casing and save the powder if you reload or know anyone who reloads.
     

    Topher

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 8, 2008
    4,817
    Fredneck
    It's wolf ammo...
    Just pitch it... It's not worth taking a chance on...
    If the rust particles go down your barrel you could introducing an abrsive substance.

    Just my $.02...

    Chris
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    Unless you happen to know exactly what powder is in them and have a source of reloading information for that powder, dump the powder along with the cases if you decide to pull the bullets.
     
    Last edited:

    Boondock Saint

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 11, 2008
    24,367
    White Marsh
    Looks like only four of them were pitted, everything else looks like surface rust. That said, I'll probably not shoot the unpitted rounds unless absolutely necessary. Looking at ~20 rounds here, so not a huge loss. Thanks for the info, folks.
     

    jpk1md

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 13, 2007
    11,313
    pull the projectiles, consider saving the powder and pitch the casings into a container of oil to deactivate them.
     

    Boondock Saint

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 11, 2008
    24,367
    White Marsh
    I don't have any type of reloading setup, so I'm very curious to know how I could go about safely pulling the bullets. Two pairs of vise grips and some elbow grease? :)
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    a bullet puller will work, but Im scared to use one

    The impact bullet pullers work fine and are simple to use. Use a scrap piece of 2x4 or 4x4 about a foot long. Set the end of the block on a concrete floor, snug the round into the hammer's collet, and whack away at the other end of the wood. Depending on how tight the bullet is crimped, after a few good smacks, the bullet and charge will be in the hammer's head.

    Just don't bang your puller directly onto concrete...you'll break it...:innocent0

    http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=215517

    P.S. A kinetic bullet hammer is a good tool to have on your reloading bench. When first adjusting seating depth on your die set up, if you inadvertanly seat a bullet too deeply, a couple of taps with the hammer can bring the bullet out far enough so you can reposition it in the case with your 'new' seating die adjustment.

    Off topic I know...
     
    Last edited:

    snavematt

    say what?
    May 19, 2009
    5,075
    Stafford, VA as of 5/7/13
    The impact bullet pullers work fine and are simple to use. Use a scrap piece of 2x4 or 4x4 about a foot long. Set the end of the block on a concrete floor, snug the round into the hammer's collet, and whack away at the other end of the wood. Depending on how tight the bullet is crimped, after a few good smacks, the bullet and charge will be in the hammer's head.

    Just don't bang your puller directly onto concrete...you'll break it...:innocent0

    http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=215517

    P.S. A kinetic bullet hammer is a good tool to have on your reloading bench. When first adjusting seating depth on your die set up, if you inadvertanly seat a bullet too deeply, a couple of taps with the hammer can bring the bullet out far enough so you can reposition it in the case with your 'new' seating die adjustment.

    Off topic I know...

    More off topic, feel like RussD, what i did was make 1 round of each caliber to spec, no primer or powder, and locked my die to that depth, so I dont need to adjust it , and if I do, I have a spec round to go off of, Thread jack completed
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    More off topic, feel like RussD, what i did was make 1 round of each caliber to spec, no primer or powder, and locked my die to that depth, so I dont need to adjust it , and if I do, I have a spec round to go off of, Thread jack completed

    Like Russ sometimes points out, the thread has maybe run its course?

    But in all fairness: Boondock. If ya don't want to shoot the 20 rounds, bring 'em to the shoot. they'll get shot.

    I apologize for the redirect to snavematt's off topic post. Just trying to help him out.

    Snavematt said: "what i did was make 1 round of each caliber to spec, no primer or powder, and locked my die to that depth, so I dont need to adjust it , and if I do, I have a spec round to go off of".

    That's terrific. Did that myself at first. As long as you 'always' load exactly the same bullets for every future cartridge that works OK. But sometimes the bullet in the 'trusted' dummy round isn't available. Over time you'll likely find 'other' bullets you want to use in a round. The shape and weight of different bullets varies. The seating adjustment varies with them.

    When seating bullets, case length and how that cartridge headspaces in the firearm comes into play as well. Loading bottle neck rifle cases vs. straight walled hand gun cases is different. Rimmed rifle and handgun rounds are different than non-rimmed rounds.

    With practice, you'll begin to understand the differences and nuances of your loads and the firearms you shoot them in. Do it slowly and safely.

    Sorry for the thread hijack.
     

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