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Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 13 Feb 2019 13:11
by Macd
I went to a friends house for a coffee and chat. While there he dug out a box of old ammo that he wanted to get rid of as he no longer shoots. I expected some part boxes of recent vintage but was really surprised. Here is a selection of what he had. I have since priced them in the collectors forums and I hope he will likewise be surprised when he gets several hundred dollars instead of the bottle of Scotch I promised. The bigger box with red letters is Norma 6.5x55. They are Berdan primed and as far as I can tell are from the 1950's
old Cartridges.jpg

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 13 Feb 2019 17:37
by kaycee
Those are awesome! I especially like the old 16 gauge shells as I grew up shooting (still do) 16s...or as several have commented over the years, "that bastidge gauge" . I call it versatile. :D

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 13 Feb 2019 19:33
by larryw
Sweet.

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 14 Feb 2019 05:35
by Ranch Dog
Wow, that is a great collection!

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 14 Feb 2019 09:16
by horseman
A GREAT find indeed. Your pardner seems to have not done any shooting for some time. I've never seen or even HEARD of a 2 1/4 inch 16 gauge shot shell. Seen 2 1/2 inch (actually 2 9/16th) but never a commercial 2 1/4 inch. Way to cool.

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 14 Feb 2019 11:48
by Macd
Being the curious type I pulled one of the 1950's vintage NORMA bullets. It is 1.21 inches long and .263 in diameter at its base but tapers to .260 at mid-point. It has a cupped base and a soft lead tip. It is magnetic, a fact I found interesting so I had to do some research. I also have two boxes of NORMA Alaska cartridges with magnetic bullets. Here is the reason. Taken from an old NORMA ad.
Norma TriClad.jpg
The NORMA TRI-CLAD Bullet is specially designed for maximum effect against tough game. It consists of a lead-antimony core, surrounded by a unique jacket design. Starting from the core, this jacket has an inside layer of gilding metal facing the lead. For maximum killing power, it is important to keep the jacket from folding too far back when the bullet hits the game. The next jacket layer in the NORMA TRI-CLAD bullet solves this problem. It consists of a special soft, but still tough, Swedish steel, which is strong enough to hold the strips of the expanded jacket out at an angle - providing a strong support for the mushrooming lead. The perfect timing and degree of expansion is obtained by internal grooves swaged into the jacket during the manufacturing process. The reinforcing steel layer is protected by an outside (third) layer of gilding metal - which at the same time provides the correct grip for the rifling lands and reduces friction, exactly like a regular all-gilding metal jacket. Actually, less pressure is exerted on the bore walls by the TRICLAD bullet than by one with an all-gilding metal jacket.

The inside steel reinforcement makes the TRI-CLAD bullet more resistant to upsetting in the bore - (higher longitudinal stiffness) which results in lower combustion temperature and consequently less erosion in the forcing cone and rear part of the rifling.

The three layers of the TRICLAD bullet are welded together and hot-rolled to form a solid sheet of material. It will not come apart even under the highest temperatures and velocities. As a matter of fact, the TRI-CLAD bullet can stand higher velocities without stripping the barrel lands or splitting jackets after leaving the muzzle, than a bullet with an ordinary gilding metal jacket.

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 14 Feb 2019 17:46
by JohnnyEnfield
That is really neat stuff. Thanks for sharing it.

Re: Went for Coffee Returned with a Box of Old Rounds

Posted: 15 Feb 2019 10:58
by 9x80Drilling
I agree; awesome find.
kaycee wrote:Those are awesome! I especially like the old 16 gauge shells as I grew up shooting (still do) 16s...or as several have commented over the years, "that bastidge gauge" . I call it versatile. :D

kaycee, I'm right with you regarding the 16 gauge. 60% of my shotgun shooting and reloading is the 16; about 30% is 20 gauge. Although I keep the 12 gauge press set up alongside the others, I haven't run a shell through it for over 20 years. I'll shoot factory 12 gauge steel at waterfowl, but the 16 and the 20 work for the rest, doves through turkeys.

I've even developed a 1 3/8ths oz 16 gauge load-low velocity, reasonable pressure-for spring gobblers that has taken many birds in 3 states since 1993.

Versatile for sure.