Got taken

[Firebird]

Answered a local add for an old box of .270 130 grain ammo. My plan was to let my daughter practice with her .270 and then keep the box for antique sake-I love the old, weathered boxes.
The seller offered to drop them to me on his way home from work and when he did we performed a quick curbside transaction. Came inside and opened the box and immediately saw multiple problems. Haven’t put them on a scale yet but clearly different sizes of bullets. Different primers indicate reloads. A bent bullet tip from crooked bullet seating. Four different headstamps. . . Different packaging also a problem. It wasn’t much money, and I can make this work alright. I doubt the seller even knows what he did-since he was cleaning out his dads house. So I guess I have myself to blame. Next time I probably won’t pay any better attention-but I hope you all do.

 

[CoElkHunter]

That sucks, but have your daughter shoot em up! The box is probably worth more than the cartridges?

 

[flatwater bill]

I wouldn't fire reloads from someone I don't know. Neighbor gave me 200 plus 270 win cartridges that his nephew gave to him. I am busy pulling bullets. I think your seller may not have known what he had..........FWB

 

[CoElkHunter]

I wouldn't fire reloads from someone I don't know. Neighbor gave me 200 plus 270 win cartridges that his nephew gave to him. I am busy pulling bullets. I think your seller may not have known what he had..........FWB

Good point!

 

[JimP]

I agree, reloads from someones old stock pile should be pulled apart. You never know if they were at max pressure in the other persons rifle and might be way over pressure in yours.

That's where I will not load for someone unless I have their rifle where I can test out the loads myself.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I agree, reloads from someones old stock pile should be pulled apart. You never know if they were at max pressure in the other persons rifle and might be way over pressure in yours.

That's where I will not load for someone unless I have their rifle where I can test out the loads myself.

Yes, the reloader may have been young, dumb and inexperienced like me in the ‘70s when I loaded 63gr of H4831 behind a Sierra 130gr bullet and locked the bolt of my .270 Winchester M 70 upon firing at a wild pig. Better to pull the bullets and replace the powder charge.

 

[sestoppelman]

Without seeing the base of all the rounds, the ones I do see dont look like reloads. I suspect what you have there is a box full of various factory rounds, probably leftovers all put into one box. The bent bullet one could have happened any number of ways, perhaps while chambering in a rifle.
The safest thing to do is pull them all down, toss the powder and reload with new powder.

 

[Firebird]

Agree with all of you-the bases did not show extraction marks that I could see tho they are pretty tarnished. Won’t take long to pull, dump and rebuild. I don’t think the seller was malicious-we we’re just in too big a hurry and I didn’t inspect the goods. I Do still like the box, trying to figure out when it was manufactured-what the heck is a Julian year anyway!!!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Agree with all of you-the bases did not show extraction marks that I could see tho they are pretty tarnished. Won’t take long to pull, dump and rebuild. I don’t think the seller was malicious-we we’re just in too big a hurry and I didn’t inspect the goods. I Do still like the box, trying to figure out when it was manufactured-what the heck is a Julian year anyway!!!

I believe the Romans created the “Julian”
year, but where did you see that on this thread? (Not post Stoppelman!)

 

[Trogon]

That box looks like early 1980's from what I remember? Getting tough now with my onset of CRS.

 

[Whacker]

Hard to tell from the pics...looks as if 3 different factory loads have been put into same box. Remington brass on most and the bullet in the pics appears to be factory Core-Lokts...also looks like maybe a couple Winchester brass and for sure a couple federals. The bent tips could be caused by multiple things...I used to have a 7400 Remington semi-auto .270 that would bend the tips on soft bullets if it jammed.

 

[CoElkHunter]

If the cartridges are determined to be factory loads I would shoot them without hesitation. The bent tips or broken tips make no difference. I used to buy bullet seconds from Sierra in the '70s from their factory near me by the pound in paper lunch bags and many bullets had the lead tip extruded. I would break off the excess lead from the tip and shoot them. Half inch to three quarter inch MOA at 100yds was no problem with my .270 Win.

 

[Firebird]

Ran across the Julian year doing internet search for federal ammunition boxes-I thought late 70’s early 80’s. It’s not important really, just something cool to remember and appreciate

 

[C.W. Richter]

Without seeing the base of all the rounds, the ones I do see dont look like reloads. I suspect what you have there is a box full of various factory rounds, probably leftovers all put into one box. The bent bullet one could have happened any number of ways, perhaps while chambering in a rifle.
The safest thing to do is pull them all down, toss the powder and reload with new powder.

agreed fully with this assessment, although as an avid reloader, i don't recall whether or not factory R-P rounds use a gold (Win-style) primer.?? In any event, keep a .25" hardwood dowel and rubber mallet on-hand just in-case any of 'em are overpressure and get stuck in the chamber! the bullets do look like they got messed up feeding in the gun.

 

[Firebird]

To resolve this issue-I pulled all the bullets and dumped the powder in the toilet. Deprimed, ran all brass through the resizing process. Tumbled, some required some elbow grease. There were five different bullets represented. All loaded bullets were factory loads (virgin primer pockets and still clean and shiny inside once powder was dumped). I tumbled brass and bullets. Then I reloaded all of them with “low dose” 4831sc. Seated them according to each bullets crimp ring. Several were 150 grain, the rest 130.
I’ll use the 150 and worst damages bullets to foul the bore and the rest for random practice. At least I know they are loaded to a safe limit. Should be good for my daughter to shoot milk jugs filled with water. Hope the weather warms up a bit soon

 

[JimP]

If you have house plants or even outside plants that powder is a good fertilizer.

 

[Philip Glass]

Reloads are a bad idea all around.
So sorry.
Philip

 

[tarbe]

Without seeing the base of all the rounds, the ones I do see dont look like reloads. I suspect what you have there is a box full of various factory rounds, probably leftovers all put into one box. The bent bullet one could have happened any number of ways, perhaps while chambering in a rifle.
The safest thing to do is pull them all down, toss the powder and reload with new powder.

Yup. The cases I could see in that first pic are, at the very least, reloads with virgin brass. Not fire formed.

 

[meigsbucks]

Sorry about your luck. Just pull the bullets and move on.
We used the Julian date for soft drink production coding. In fact a lot of items integrate the Julian date into their production code.

 

[Firebird]

Pulled restored and rebuilt-sadly it is snowing today so can’t go test my handiwork. Homemade soup instead