what to do w/rusty shotgun shells

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we live in such a humid area (n. ga mtns) that some of my shotgun shells (12 ga and 20 ga) have some rust on the metal end caps. any advice on what to do w/em? the rust isn't thick, but thick enough that i don't want to put em in my guns, and i'm a bit skeptical about trying to sand that stuff off.

-- james (james@wireboard.com), January 14, 2002

Answers

James,

You can use Scotchbrite or steel wool. Don't use any oil, it can and will creep into the primer and kill it. If the rust has pitted the metal very deep, buy another box of shells and toss these.

-- Eric in ID (umm@nope.com), January 15, 2002.


Agree with Ed. But what you see is not rust but corrosion. Looks terrible and very thick but mostly crystals. And most of them can be simply wiped away with a coarse cloth. Just enough to smooth the surface to allow breech loading. And then, loading may be no problem but extraction could cause the fired shell to stick in the chamber. If surface junk is 90% wiped off, fired shell should extract OK. Problems could go beyond is the shells have been sitting so long that the corrosion allows a break in the metal. Then you would risk the chance of a backfire or premature ignition. Chances of that are minimal unless you are dealing with ammo that's been corroding since the 1940s-1950s when the metal used was meant to be used within 5 years. OO buckshot has been outlawed in Wisconsin for as long as I can remember but 30+ years ago, my father found some old corroded shells and decided to try them out. No problem with the first 2 shells but the third was just a click. When he dropped the shotgun down to Port Arms, POW! But those shells were pre-War technology. Anything made since the 1950s will produce no more damage corrosion problems than simple mildew in a damp corner of our homes. My advice is to just clean up the shells so that they chamber OK and you should have no problems. Business end is the head and primer area and I've never seen any problems there. Happy hunting! Marty

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.com), January 15, 2002.

(Sorry, that was Eric that I was agreeing with!) Late night! :-) Martin

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.comm), January 15, 2002.

If you chamber them, they should shoot, the only problem is if the case separates from the metal, then it would be like a slug instead of shot. Had a few of these occur when I shot trap. It came from the case being reloaded too many times..I didn't hit the clay birds when that happened though.

-- Dave in Ohio (dr43147@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002.

I pack my shells in a sealed container with dissicant packs or a spoonful of rice to control humidy corrosion. You can clean them as others have suggested, however for extreme cases of deterioration, it is safer to nuetralize the cartridge by putting them in a can and submerging then using motor oil or transmission oil for a few days. The oil will penetrate the primer and powder, rendering the cartridge harmless for disposal. I learned this while assigned as an assistant range saftey officer at a private shooting range and recieving instruction from a retired military range NCO.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 15, 2002.


You should never 'just toss' cartridges, especially in the garbage. A few years back someone in my area 'tossed' some shells in the garbage, were compacted in the truck, and one went off! Turn them into your local police department for proper disposal. Emory

-- Emory (NE PA) (et@hazleton.net), January 15, 2002.

It could actually be rust. Some shotgun shells have bases made with nickel plated steel instead of brass. Don't use sandpaper or any kind of heavy abrasive around the primers, I doubt you'd like one going off in your hand. As cheap as shotgun shells are I wouldn't mess with them if they're corroded to the point you're unsure to use them. Cut the crimped end off, dump the shot and wad out and throw them in a bucket of water(or firepit if you like excitement) before you dispose of them.

Military ammo cans work great for storing ammo. Make sure the gaskets are still on them. I have some vintage 1942,43 .45acp mil ammo that was stored properly and still looks and shoots great now 60 years later.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 15, 2002.


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