shanach

Good morning, all.
This is a very informative forum. Good work.
My question-Due to the death of an elderly relative, I inherited four firearms, two of which he brought back from Germany after WW2-a Walther PPK (I think)and some type of bolt action rifle/shotgun?, a S&W .38 Special and a Remington.22 Model 121 Fieldmaster. I know that the first three guns haven't been fired for 60 some years. Not sure about the .22. Along with them I found 2 cartridges in the magazine of the Walther, three strange looking metal cartridges that I guess are for the bolt action, 6 for the .38 and 5 boxes of .22s. I can only speculate that the .22 cartridges were purchased in the early '70s as that was when he was last able to get out and about. How would you recommend I properly dispose of the ammo? I haven't handled it except for very gingerly moving the boxes that it is in.
Thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide.

ColoradoElk

Hi Shanach:

Soak them in motor oil for a few days and keep them for posterity.

CE

ktscontender

I've soaked old, primed cases in motor oil for over a year and discovered by stupid mistake, that some were still 'hot'

On your center fire cartridges, pull the bullet, dump the powder, chamber the empty case in the gun, and pop the primer. Then if you want to reseat the bullet in the case for collection/show, you'll know it is indeed inert.

Old, unknown powders are good fertilizer on the yard or can be spread out and burned for complete disposal.

The 22 ammo? I'd sit down and shoot it up.

Nomercy

I won't tell you what you should do, because I don't care to have that liability, however my brother in law shoots a Pre-64 featherweight Winchester M-70, his granddad gave him the gun and enough ammo that should "last him a lifetime". The old man loaded the ammo back in the late 60's and early 70's claimed he spent two weekends loading just under 2,000rnds of his hunting ammo because he only wanted to do it once more once he found his load and be done with it, he used it until 5yrs ago when he gave the gun and the rest of the ammo to my brother in law, the kid's shot it for that time, probably nearly 500rnds of it, no problems other than one or two fail to fires, which is expected with any ammo (less than 1% failure). I've ran about 200rnds of match .45acp ammo through my ruger p-97 that my own granddad loaded back in the early 60's.

Pretty much, as long as the brass is still pretty (no spotting/corrosion) I'll still shoot it. Normal and even oxidation is expected-that dull brown color, but it should buff off nicely...as long as I'm certain it's loaded with smokeless powder that is, Black powder loads are a different story.

Like I said, I won't recommend that you shoot it, but I won't say DON'T shoot it either, just what I have experienced.

If you're not even considering shooting it, pull all the bullets, dump the powder, and soak them in motor oil or pop the primer in the gun, you can reload the bullet if you like.

Wolf killer

Stop by or call your local police department. Talk to an officer. Tell him where you live or arrange to drop off the ammo at the station. I am sure they will gladly take the ammo from you. There might even be an officer that would like to buy the guns from you?
I would rather see you give the ammo to a police officer or an avid shooter, than handle it yourself.

driftrider

Have you considered talking to a gunsmith? A 'smith would be far more qualified and interested in inspecting your old firearms and determining if they, and the ammo you have, is safe to fire.

Wolfkiller,

Why do you think his local police dept. would have any interest in disposing of his ammo? Police officers have enough on their plates already to worry about handling and disposing of his decades old ammo. I'm also not quite sure why you think that a police officer is any more qualified than anyone else when it comes to firearms in general. Sure, they have and shoot their duty weapons, but I know several cops that have no interest or knowledge in guns beyond the operation ad maintenence of their duty weapons. I'd bet that an officer wouldn't want anything to do with his ammo. He's a cop, not a garbage man. The only way he's probably going to get a cop interested in taking his ammo is if he shoots someone with it.

shanach,

First, I'd say that you don't have anything to worry about handling that ammo. I've handled and fired ammo that was surplus WWII ammo and never had a problem. Ammo doesn't become unstable with age, and the worst thing that can happen is that the ammo over time had become inert somehow. I'd strongly recommend that you take the guns into a gunsmith and have them safety inspected. He'd also be able to give you a rough appraisal of their value, especially if he knows you're not interested in selling them (to him at least). The rifle you have is probably an 8mm Mauser 98, or possibly an Italian 6.5mm Carcano. A gunsmith/dealer would be able to tell you for sure.

Good luck,

Mike

shanach

Thanks everyone, for all your replies.
Colorado Elk and No Mercy-Hmm, to oil or not to oil? to shoot or not to shoot? Maybe...
By "pulling", may I take it to mean removing the top part of the cartridge from the metal case? and that would be done with pliers?
Wolf Killer-I don't feel the police would be much interested in older rifles and guns, unless one was perhaps a collector.
Driftrider Mike,
No, I have not thought about a gunsmith. It sounds like the best thing to do. Thank you for relieving me of the apprehension of handling the ammo. I didn't know how volatile or not it would be.
The bolt action has these words lengthwise on the barrel but no numbers (unless they are written): "Fluss Stahl Krupt Essen" then across the barrel, the letters "B S W" encircled by worn, by very illegible words. On top these words or letters: Ocozis (worn, illegible) __rabine" and below "Suhl". The words "Mauser" or "Carcano" are not there, unless they are in the illegible part.
Again, thanks so much, everyone, for your prompt replies and very helpful info. It is much appreciated. I must, however, disillusion y'all.
Name=Maureen

Wolf killer

driftrider
You will notice in my post I said. "I would rather see you give the ammo to a police office or an avid shooter, than handle it yourself."
My reason for saying this? I can tell by his post he knows very little about firearms.

I knew when I made the post some know-it-all would jump on my case about getting the cops involved. I was just looking out for his personal heath & safety.

Mr. Longbeard

I would just throw it in the trash[]

8mm/06

I'd wipe down everything but the .22 stuff (keep that) and take it to a gun show. You will find some folks there that are knowledgable and will actuallly give you $$ for the ammo.