[grumar]

Hi everyone,
I hope this is the place for this post. I am hoping that the experts can give me some information on shootability of a partial box of 45 auto and the collectability/value of several other 45 auto bullets.

The box says the following: Western X Center Fire Cartridges...45 Auto 230 Gr Full Metal Case, Nickel plated case oilproof. The inside flap has the following numbers 96 63BC6...I assume that's the lot number/year manufactured?? There's about 22 of them left. Case is stamped W-W 45 Auto. I'm going to shoot them if you guys think they're safe to shoot.

The individual bullets are:
RA 63- I have 2 of them, think it's Remington Arms...made in 63??
EC 42- have 2 of them, think this one is Eau Claire, WI or Evansville OH plants...made in 1942
TW 5 - have only one, think this one is Twin Cities Ordinance MN, not sure what the 5 means.

Not sure why my grandfather had these individual bullets...maybe they meant something to him...guess I'll never know.

Thanks in advance for the help!
Mark

 

[LIProgun]

First, the box is Western Super-X, which was an Olin company, later merged with Winchester. These should shoot just fine (see caveat below) and likely have no significant collector's value as a partial box.

You're right on the RA-63. I believe you are also correct that EC is Evansville and year of manufacture is 1943. (Is it a steel case?)

I think you are also right on the Twin Cities, and IIRC, year is 1945.

I don't believe any of these have any particular collector's value. You should be able to shoot them, assuming they have been stored in a cool, dry place. I've shot ammo considerably older than that. But as with any vintage ammo, be on alert for hangfires and squibs, the latter of which could leave you with a bullet stuck in the barrel.

One minor correction: these are cartridges, not bullets. The projectile is the "bullet"; the entire assembly (i.e., primer, case, powder and bullet) is a "cartridge."

 

[HighPowerShooter]

Also... weren't WW-II dates 45acp ammo primers corrosive?

 

[Charlie Petty]

Yes they were so while you could shoot them it's probably not worth the trouble for the extra cleaning required.

"EC" is Evansville Chrysler which were steel cased and highly corrosive. Unfortunately they don't have any special value but I still wouldn't shoot them.

 

[grumar]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the information...especially cartridge/bullet thing... doah!!

 

[LIProgun]

"EC" is Evansville Chrysler which were steel cased and highly corrosive.... but I still wouldn't shoot them.

I should have mentioned the corrosive part. [Thank you, CP!]

Those of us crufflers who shoot old milsurp rifles tend not to get too concerned about corrosive ammo, because we shoot lots of it and generally know how to clean-up afterward. FWIW, pistols are usually even easier to clean after using corrosive ammo, because you can simply remove the barrel and give it a good washing with soap and water in the sink.

 

[Charlie Petty]

Don't forget that the corrosive residue is not limited to the barrel... 8)

 

[trobertson5-0]

Not sure about your Grandfathers background but among my Grandfathers stuff he kept after WW2 I found (2) .45 rounds an EC42 and a steel cased ECS43 (2) 30/06 rounds one LC43 tracer and one TW43 AP round and (1) 8mm round. They have more value to me because they obviously had value to him.

Were they in Normandy? Holland? At the Bulge?

Be sure your Grandfather didn't keep these for a reason before you use them as blasting ammo. TJR

 

[grumar]

I'll never know if they meant anything since he died a couple months ago. He served in WW2, wasn't at any of the places you listed...I think he was state side. My dad has been passing along a lot of stuff as he goes through his stuff...so far I've received the ammo I mentioned above, plus... 2 boxes of .30 carbine ammo, box of .41 Rem Mag, box of .45 Colt, mixed box of .357 and .38, a M14 mag- BRW, 4 boxes of used .308...presumably for an M1A...however, my dad never remembers him to have one...not sure why he kept the empty casings...got a Lee Enfield- Savage manufacturer and a full box of .303...

What a variety, huh?

 

[Retmsgt.]

I've got about 550 rounds of WWII surplus(FA42, WW43) Ball, shoots fine. It's what's left of a big tin I bought that had, IIRC, 750 rounds in it! The tin was marked in Danish.

 

[Eagle90]

The TW 5 headstamp means it was made at the Twin Cities Ammunition Plant in 1955. They simply took the headstamp die and ground off the 4 from the 1954 year. Don't remember where I got that information but I read it a long time ago from a book or magazine article.

 

[felix's tattoo]

'5' headstamp

:!: You're correct, Eagle. The single 5 means 1955. I also read that somewhere, just like you did.

 

[curtisshawk21]

Hi everyone,
I hope this is the place for this post. I am hoping that the experts can give me some information on shootability of a partial box of 45 auto and the collectability/value of several other 45 auto bullets.

The box says the following: Western X Center Fire Cartridges...45 Auto 230 Gr Full Metal Case, Nickel plated case oilproof. The inside flap has the following numbers 96 63BC6...I assume that's the lot number/year manufactured?? There's about 22 of them left. Case is stamped W-W 45 Auto. I'm going to shoot them if you guys think they're safe to shoot.

The individual bullets are:
RA 63- I have 2 of them, think it's Remington Arms...made in 63??
EC 42- have 2 of them, think this one is Eau Claire, WI or Evansville OH plants...made in 1942
TW 5 - have only one, think this one is Twin Cities Ordinance MN, not sure what the 5 means.

Not sure why my grandfather had these individual bullets...maybe they meant something to him...guess I'll never know.

Thanks in advance for the help!
Mark

I know this post is a thousand years old but I spend a lot of time searching the net for information here and there.

Just wanted to comment on the "BC6" part of the ink stamp code. This is the date the box was packaged.

The Western box code should translate to 6 March 1968