3006 stash questions. Probably being way over cautious.

[TurdFerguson]

Getting some components together for a target rifle build. Went through my late fathers stash of brass. I found roughly 400 rounds 3006 almost all either once fired or brand new. However, some of it has been primed and I am trying to decide if I should just roll with it or decap and reprime. I am not sure what primers Dad used, most of it was still in loading blocks at Moms. He had started reworking the brass sometime after his 2nd stroke and he was starting to go downhill cognitively. I am not sure where any of it came from. Mix of head stamps, mostly winchester, remington, LC and HXP military brass.

I think these might be the primers he was using, they are fairly old, there has been a little bit of humidity in the bench since 2016 and the brass was in the open. About 50 rounds of new brass also have either these primers or an unknown primers. He liked CCI Bench Rest but those usually have a mark.

I have a couple of other questions:

I am assuming Dad got these at either a gun show or an auction, I am not sure if they are brand new federal or someone's reloads. Should I pull the bullets and start over on them?

And finally I have a pile of floor sweeping brass. All I can figure is that either he bought them this way or he pulled bullets and powder himself. Mix of LC 66, 77 ect, HXP, LC Match brass. They all have what looks like factory primers, should I pop the primers as well or roll on? I am loading for a 700 and squeeze some accuracy out of what I can put into lots.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I vote to load them and use them as foulers.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

The primed brass, I'd pop one in the chamber, step outside and see if it lights off (be smart with where you point it / where you do this). If they don't hang, I'd load and send me.

The fed brass with the sealed primer are likely factory rounds and g2g, I don't know anyone at gun shows selling reloads with sealed primers but I've been proven wrong before.

The gold primered brass - HXP is the headstamp for greek surplus IIRC. I'd make sure it's not corrosive, then probably send it anyways.

 

[mtrmn]

As for the primers, I have a few primers (about 400 of them) that were stored OUTSIDE, UNDER A HOUSE in a tupperware container. They are CCI large pistol primers and were still in their 100-count trays/sleeves and bought sometime in the early 80's. So far every one has done its job and I can't tell any difference from my newer and properly stored primers. I use them for practice ammo in my 1911. This is in central Louisiana, basically a highly humid tropical jungle in the summer.
I would not use your primers for accuracy loads, but good enough for basic load development, and plenty good enough for loading a bunch of FMJs for general fun and games.
The FC in the plastic bag appear to be labeled correctly IMO.
I'm pretty much agreeing with @MarshallDodge and @TheOfficeT-Rex on this.

 

[Doom]

Non mercuric primers are very stable and last indefinitely. The advice to shoot a few should verify they are good. As for the loaded rounds I would not shoot those. The problem is if they are reloads you have no idea who or how much. Just isn't worth the chance. As for the primed military brass I suspect Dad primed but never loaded (mix of headstamps). Again shoot one and see if it goes pop. Did he load for a Garand or a 1903?

 

[TurdFerguson]

He loaded for both an 03 and a Garand. Hr also hit up the cmp for ammo every chance he got lol. I am assuming he just got a wild hair.

I may load a few of the primers in some 308 and see if the work. 3006 barrel is about 6 months out lol.

I think ‘ll start from scratch on the GI ammo as well.

Off topic, I found a bunch of 6mm Remington brass, which of course is primed. To sell it, Id need to pop the primers right?

 

[mtrmn]

He loaded for both an 03 and a Garand. Hr also hit up the cmp for ammo every chance he got lol. I am assuming he just got a wild hair.

I may load a few of the primers in some 308 and see if the work. 3006 barrel is about 6 months out lol.

I think ‘ll start from scratch on the GI ammo as well.

Off topic, I found a bunch of 6mm Remington brass, which of course is primed. To sell it, Id need to pop the primers right?

Deprime and use the primers in practice ammo. On the GI brass, the primers appear to be original and crimped. Best to load and use IMO.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Primed brass that does not show evidence of firing is very likely to be new, factory primed or otherwise unfired brass. A fired case often demonstrates a shiny ring just above the base groove. Such brass may or may not have identifiable primers. Once fire formed, such brass should be reserved for that specific chamber.

Since it's relatively common to use the first firing to fireform the case, it makes better sense to do this, and then start load development, because the case dimensions will have been customized to best match the specific chamber. This allows consistency to be present from the very start of the case's useful life.

Fire forming is not a wasted firing; it's the logical completion of case prep. Once fire formed, cases should be segregated by gun and load for the remainder of their useful lifespan. I typically keep this brass in 100rd batches for that span.

I typically use IMI brass for 308/7.62x51 NATO, fire formed for the specific rifle using the factory load.

A fully prepped case from a batch cannot be assumed to have the same case capacity interchangeably within the batch as any other case in the batch. Manufacturing variations dictate that no specific dimension will be consistently identical within the batch.

One can measure individual case capacities once the cases are prepped and fireformed. I overfill each case using the actual propellant as the fill, then weigh those individual charges for comparison.

Whenever I have odd cases, they are reserved for sighting shots, and/or reloading die setup.

Greg