clear up the AP mystery

bwa

If the moderator will indulge me a bit more space, I'd like to conclude the discussion about the military .30-06 ammo I solicited comment on under the topic, "what worth, where to sell".v35 said that the description on the cannister indicated that the bullets were not A.P. If my gunsmith, an Army veteran, knows what he's talking about, they ARE A.P.(You tell me who's right.). He said that the way to tell if military loads are armor-piercing is to hold a magnet to the bullet. If it pulls the magnet, it's A.P.; if it doesn't, it isn't. All these bullets attract the magnet.So I don't know if he is mistaken or if somehow the labeling on the cannister and bandoleers is wrong. You veterans out there -does the military ever flub up and put one kind of ammo in containers marked for something else?Now, can someone tell me of some website to visit which will give me another opinion of the worth of this ammo? Or could azgunnut2@yahoo.com(or someone else who knows) tell me how to get hold of a copy of the Shotgun News?

inplanotx

Saxonpig is correct. I would use the old standby as pointed out by V35, if it does not have a black tip (nose of the bullet), it just is not AP. Tracer is orange tip and incindiary is red tipped. If there is no paint on the nose, it is regular ball. Maybe since this has been stored for so long, the National Guardsman just found any old ammo can and dropped this in. Hope this helps.

He Dog

You should be able to find a copy of Shotgun News or Gun List at a large newstand like Borders.

boeboe

AP or not, most propietors of indoor shooting ranges will not allow these to be shot in their rqanges as they are too damaging to the steel plate backdstops.

azgunnut2@yahoo.com

Hey,The magnet stuff is an indication of "steelcore" or even a "steel type jacket"...if it is "steel core" , well it will do serious damage "like" AP but not as wicked as...as far as the sgn ...our local walflippingmartand big grocerie store both have them in the magazine rack...and any "good" newspaper-booktype vender can order them...contact me & Iwill send you one of the latest issues if youwill pay postage....azgunnut2@yahoo.com.....

Iconoclast

bwa, I didn't see the prior thread, so don't know the country involved here, and I'm sure your friend means well, but he is incorrect. Almost all governments have produced steel-jacketed ball ammo at one time or another. It may not appear to be steel because of coatings, most commonly a thin coating of gilding metal, but it will draw a magnet. If it is US ammo manufactured since 1930 and it does not have a tip color, unless the color has been removed, it is ball ammo. And a majority of the ball '06 ammo loaded here during WW2 was steel jacketed, to save copper for other purposes. I've been collecting ammo for 30 years and specialize in US military small arms loadings. I don't claim to be a guru, but on this issue I'm absolutely certain.[This message has been edited by Iconoclast (edited 01-30-2002).]

v35

The M-1 Ball has a 174 grain 9 degree boattail bullet and a hardened steel core. Tips are black.M-2 Ball was short range ammo of 150 grain weight with lead core, no boattailand a jacket of either guilded metal or steel. There is also a later 168 grain M-2 A.P. ball with black tip. If you pull a bullet check the base configuration and weigh it you can determine definitively which it is. However all AP ammo is black tipped and it's not likely to have flaked off.

bwa

Thanks, fellows, for your input. It turns out that some of what I had(I sold it all this morning) was A.P.(black tip) and the rest, ball. We had fired a good bit of the A.P. some years ago.