Are These Slugs Still Safe?

[Member 79223]

I have these Federal rifled slugs that I bought about 8 years ago and have been sitting in my ammo can ever since. I noticed they have an odd white cast to them, and it almost looks like a powdery residue?

Any idea what that’s about, and if they’re still safe to shoot? Obviously it’s not a big loss to toss them out, but I’d rather use them if they’re still ok.

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[ZA_Survivalist]

GTG simply lead oxide I believe.

 

[Yarome]

GTG simply lead oxide I believe.

This.

Absolutely GTG. They look great!

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Safe? Depends on which end of 'em you're lookin' at when they're in the gun!

Choot 'em!

 

[Member 79223]

Cool, glad it’s nothing to worry about.

Thanks!

 

[CLT65]

GTG simply lead oxide I believe.

Looks like lead oxide to me too. Most likely fine, but if they were exposed to moisture enough to cause this "rust", hopefully it wasn't enough to migrate down into the powder. If it did though, it's still not terribly dangerous. Watch out for the remote possibility of a squib.

Also, don't lick the lead oxide; it's toxic.

 

[Grumpy 1]

They could be dangerous, send them to me and I will properly dispose of them.

 

[Yarome]

...but if they were exposed to moisture enough to cause this "rust"

That's naturally occuring lead oxidation due to exposure to oxygen and atmospheric moisture (electrolyte). Unless the lead is heavily sealed immediately after it's cast, it's perfectly normal and unavoidable. Most "affordable" ammo mfg's (Federal) don't go to that expense and it's really not necessary... or has any detrimental affect on the ammo.

 

[CLT65]

Unless the lead is heavily sealed immediately after it's cast, it's perfectly normal and unavoidable.

I'm a little confused by this. Maybe I have less moisture in my house, but I've cast and shot many thousands of lead bullets, and have many hundreds of pounds of loaded and unloaded cast bullets, and bars of lead in my garage. The only time I've seen oxide like that was when something had been stored in a moist environment at some point. It wouldn't particularly concern me, and I wouldn't expect them to be unsafe, but neither would I consider it perfectly normal.

Personally I'd shoot them without hesitation, but it would be at the range and I wouldn't want to bet my life on them.

 

[Joe13]

I'm a little confused by this. Maybe I have less moisture in my house, but I've cast and shot many thousands of lead bullets, and have many hundreds of pounds of loaded and unloaded cast bullets, and bars of lead in my garage. The only time I've seen oxide like that was when something had been stored in a moist environment at some point. It wouldn't particularly concern me, and I wouldn't expect them to be unsafe, but neither would I consider it perfectly normal.

Personally I'd shoot them without hesitation, but it would be at the range and I wouldn't want to bet my life on them.

Same, I have a handful of slugs that got forgotten in a range bag and a good amount of time left to no adverse effects.

The only time I start to question rounds is when the brass is turning green. Then it’s not worth the handful of dollars to me to keep them - and I’m far from rich

 

[Yarome]

The only time I've seen oxide like that was when something had been stored in a moist environment at some point. It wouldn't particularly concern me, and I wouldn't expect them to be unsafe, but neither would I consider it perfectly normal.
.

At minimum (no telling how long they were on the shelf before he bought them) 8 year old federal dried out wax lube and lead oxidation? Yeah. I would consider them looking like that pretty much par for the course and perfectly normal. No apparent or exessive "moisture damage". Have you seen them brand new right outta the box?



A guy could wipe em off to purdy them up, I guess.

 

[CLT65]

I don't consider lead oxide on ammunition to be normal, but what do I know. I've only been casting, loading, shooting, and collecting old ammo of every shape and size for the last several decades. I've seen many, many slugs right out of the box, and many much older. I have some in my garage right now quite a bit older than 8 years, and they don't have any oxide on them. There's a significant difference between your new photo and the one in the first post. Maybe it's more common in other regions?

No offense intended, and I don't mean to be argumentative, we just have a different perspective on what normal is. I still don't think it's a big deal, or dangerous to fire, so we agree on that.

I apologize in advance for the thread drift, but I do have a somewhat off-topic comment about lead oxide. I've been casting and handling lead since the 1980's. I do think that the general scare over lead poisoning is overblown, but when I got married and started having kids, I got serious about learning some facts about it. Clean, metallic lead isn't terribly dangerous (wash your hands, don't eat or smoke when handling lead), but lead oxides certainly can be. Since then, I've been especially cautious around any lead with oxides on it. No need to panic or freak out about it, just be aware and wash your hand thoroughly after touching it.

 

[Howard1955]

Watch out for squibs, since it’s older ammunition. But I’m guessing it’ll be fine.

I have some truly ancient shotgun shells that my wife’s grandfather left behind, and they work well enough to kill deer.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Some people worry way too much about slug safety...



J/k, good to go as others said above.

 

[Tony617]

I bought a few boxes of Winchester PDX1 segmenting 12 gauge slugs years ago from Cabela’s before they were bought by Bass Pros. I shot a few boxes and the they work fine. I put a full box in my bandoleer and I have never shot them again after testing them.

https://winchesterarmory.com/product/winchester-pdx1-12-gauge-2-3-4-1oz-segmenting-slug/

 

[the4thshake]

I am afraid someone may have tried to kill those slugs by pouring salt on them......

 

[gmerkt]

The oxidation shown isn't normal but probably is not deleterious to their function. If the brass heads are clean and unremarkable, probably there is no damage from moisture which is the likely cause of the oxidation. Ambient moisture in the air, perhaps with a taste of some chemical agent. Like bleach if stored in the wash room. Or chlorine if stored in the pool house. Just examples. I've got some .410 slug rounds that I bought in 1966, they are still viable, no sign of oxidation on the noses of the projectiles. Another possibility, the cause could be related to something that didn't go quite right with this lot when manufactured.

 

[po18guy]

They could be dangerous, send them to me and I will properly dispose of them.

Betcha that would turn that old frown upside down!

Seriously, a toothbrush and some duster or compressed air.

 

[titsonritz]

Who give a crap, just shoot them.

 

[po18guy]

Who give a crap, just shoot them.

You know, 1250 fps air blasting them will clean them very nicely.