Do yourself a favor and dig into your ammo stores and give it a check, especially if its steel cased. Fella walked in this morning and sold me his CZ54 with spare magazines and three boxes of 7.62x25 which he said had been in a storage unit for thirty years.
 |
| 1953 production run of 7..62x25, rusted. |
|
After we concluded our business I took the ammo into my office and opened the boxes to find the mess pictured in the above photograph. Don't panic if you find the same. I just striped the rounds from those silly stripper clips and gave each round a rubdown with fine steel wool.
The filled stripper clips had been stored in the original Soviet block cardboard boxes, dated 1953. Paper screams moisture. Locked inside a storage locker sans climate control ranks high on my list of 'not very bright.'
The ammunition will function just fine. But, if the rust isn't addressed it will eat thru the casing - word to the wise.
Since I don't need, nor want, the stripper clips I'll ignore their rust and chunk 'em. The individual rounds will be cleaned and placed inside dry storage containers with a rust inhibitor.
Ammunition is precious. These three little boxes only held ninety-five rounds. But when you consider the price per round in today's market - any loss, at least to me, is criminal.
So please, check it, don't waste it.
Stephen
Agree, 7.62x25 is going anywhere from 50-90 cents a round.
ReplyDeleteCrazy, isn't it, Bubba. Hey, need another handgun?
DeleteDepends on what it is.
DeleteGood recovery; glad it was found when it was, though.
ReplyDeleteI hate waste. Want It? I ship UPS. I'll mark the package, uh, books.
DeleteI've always kept my ammo in proper storage boxes, with gasketed lids, and a bag of dessicant inside.
ReplyDeleteSmart, Bubba. Others out there just chunk it in a box and drop into a corner of the garage.
DeleteI don't own a steel cased anything in ammo. Still a good idea to check it regularly though.
ReplyDeleteAh, man, I'm sorry. Hey, at least you have those nice bees. Don't worry, many out there are woefully under supplied when it comes to ammunition.
DeleteSorry? I don't consider it a bad thing. I only buy ammo I can reload :)
DeleteAh, shucks, sorry, Bro....couple of stashed wooden crates of steel cased ammo might come in handy some day.
DeleteI store ammo in my house, in my shop, and in my apartment. They are all climate controlled year round. To try to store ammo in the humid South any other way is asking for corrosion or rust. I'm sure somebody would want those stripper clips, toss them in a coffee can and wait a few days, I bet somebody asks about them. I have two pistols that fire that round but they don't have milled guides for the clips.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of steel cased ammo in 7.62X54 and 8mm Mauser. My preference is for brass cased but a lot of the old comm block stuff is soft steel.
You and I very much agree and do much the same. Those stripper clips, ammo, and handgun walked out the door today...quick turn around. I have crates of steel cased stuff...too.
DeleteThat's what I like about you Stephen, you always pass on great information about a wide range of dealings. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rob...no big deal. It's just common sense stuff.
DeleteBravo, that's what I'm doing right now.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds and all....thanks, my friend. Nice to see 'ya again.
Delete