Old shotgun ammo ?

[bbalcom46]

I hope this doesnt show my stupidity or ignorance but I recently received a bunch of stuff by inheritance and among this stuff with some really old or it looks like really old shotgun ammo it's it's not plastic shell it's paper shell I will try to post a pic of it but I'm not sure if it's okay to shoot.

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[Nosferatu]

As long as it doesn't appear to have gotten wet, should be just fine.

Check the hulls for water stains and swelling.

 

[Lilhigbee]

Check the card wad on the end. It should have a number that tells you what size shot is in the shell and possibly the weight.

 

[P7M13]

The first two answers have excellent information.
I have a bunch of old paper Winchester for my 16 gauge shotguns. Shoots great.

 

[bbalcom46]

As long as it doesn't appear to have gotten wet, should be just fine.

Check the hulls for water stains and swelling.

Ok thank you very much!

 

[bbalcom46]

Check the card wad on the end. It should have a number that tells you what size shot is in the shell and possibly the weight.

It's either a 6 or 9 thanks I did not know that's what that meant.

 

[oremike]

Should be 16 ga

 

[bbalcom46]

This is what they say on the bottom

 

[Andy54Hawken]

#6 shot ....a great "all around " loading.
Andy

 

[DLS]

Second pic;

2 3/4 Dram equivalent
1 oz of shot
#6 shot size

 

[gmerkt]

People would be surprised how long old shot shells can last. They are okay to shoot, so long as they go off!. You may not want to rely on iffy shot shells if you are hunting.

The deal breaker can be exposure to moisture, as stated above. Which is common enough for shot shells, considering many have gone along for waterfowl hunting. I had a batch of 20 ga. shells that I got not long ago, they were dirt cheap, primers and metal heads showed external rust and corrosion. I didn't have a lot of hope for them, but they all fired including the very worst looking ones.

For future reference, the numerals 6 and 9 are sometimes underlined to distinguish their value.

 

[bbalcom46]

People would be surprised how long old shot shells can last. They are okay to shoot, so long as they go off!. You may not want to rely on iffy shot shells if you are hunting.

The deal breaker can be exposure to moisture, as stated above. Which is common enough for shot shells, considering many have gone along for waterfowl hunting. I had a batch of 20 ga. shells that I got not long ago, they were dirt cheap, primers and metal heads showed external rust and corrosion. I didn't have a lot of hope for them, but they all fired including the very worst looking ones.

For future reference, the numerals 6 and 9 are sometimes underlined to distinguish their value.

I seen that when I looked closer thanks but I definitely see no water damage no water spotting no rest or nothing on it this animal was all in the house for a lot of years ,closet to be more exact

 

[HighlandLofts]

They are worth some money to ammo collectors especially if you have the box.

 

[Mikej]

I seen that when I looked closer thanks but I definitely see no water damage no water spotting no rest or nothing on it this animal was all in the house for a lot of years ,closet to be more exact

Coming up here Oct 27th is the Oregon Arms collector's show. You'll find some serious old ammo collectors there.
$5.00 to get in. A lot of interesting things to see and buy.

Gun Shows

www.oregonarmscollectors.com

 

[Grumpy 1]

Can't be too careful these days, those could be dangerous. Let me know when and where to meet and I will carefully "get rid" of them for you at no charge.

 

[Velzey]

Winchester stopped using compressed paper hulls in late 1963 into early 1964. The shell you have there looks to be in fine shape. Lots of folks still reload that style hulls.
No corrosion or water damage signs, I would say it's plenty safe to shoot.

I have tested old shotgun shells that were made in the 1920's. All of them still functioned 100%.
Water damaged shells also still worked fine but on occasion some of them had lost some power.

 

[thorborg]

I wouldn't depend on dinner with them but for plinking or target, My rule of thumb is if it slides into the chamber, expect it to go boom. I've rarely had one fail, If it doesn't, your out nothing, wait a half a minute, wipe the sheepish grin off your face, extract and and try another.

 

[quneur]

16ga shotguns are hard to find nowadays. But if have access to one, be aware of any hang fires or squibs.