19 replies to this topic

[The1930sRust]

Was driving the back roads of KY today and happened upon a mom and pop gun shop. While perusing the stock I saw a few tins of GI repack sititng the the corner.



I picked up one, and paid about $.149 per round. I was a bit dismayed to discover it is steel cased, so I am not sure what the consensus is on that. It is all repacked 7-44, and the headstamps all appear to be E.C. 43. Still, it was fun loading the drums again, having run out of the Russian repack.



Off to the range!

[Whiskey Brother]

$1.49 per round??
And here I thought big 5 was expensive. Seriously though, are you really going to shoot all that ammo off after paying that much for it? Maybe it would be worth it to save it as a military collectible or something. $1.49 a round? $894.00???


Anybody else here reload their own cartridges? I cast my own bullets and it only cost me about a buck for a box of 50. I have found that both the 200 grain semi-wadcutter and 230 grain ball using Lyman moulds and wheel weights gives me excellent ammunition. Surprisingly, the 200 grain semi-wadcutters are real tack drivers, and I get a fantastic velocity out of the 16" barrel on my SA West Hurley. Never had a problem with leading of the barrel either.

[The1930sRust]

Whiskey! Hehe, you missed the point......

[gijive]

Hey Chris,

How did that stufff work? I think I remember reading on the board (or somewhere) that the EC marked ammo was pretty dirty. Was there lots of smoke?

I have a couple of .45 ACP rounds from 1943 that are also steel jackets. That was the year of the war they were trying to conserve other metals. Maybe it's before your time, but the Lincoln pennies dated 1943 are also steel instead of copper.

Let us know how the ammo works.

[Whiskey Brother]

I guess I did....
How did this price compare with the Russian stuff? I personally have not bought a box of factory .45 ACP rounds from any year manufacture in about a decade, having been reloading slightly longer than that. I have found that reloading my own ammunition is a fun and rewarding hobby.

[JimFromFL]

Not sure, but believe this ammo is corrosive so clean well after visiting the range.

[The1930sRust]

I am pretty sure it is corrosive. Same as the Russian stuff. Very dirty. Haven't fired any in the Thompson yet, but just did fire a few rounds in a S&W .45 handgun. Seemed very low power! Dropped the cases right at my feet. No smoke though. I'll keep everyone posted on how it works. I really expected it to be the same as the Ruskie stuff, but I think it is a year or two later in production.

It was actually a bit cheaper than the Russian stuff, but by just a small amount. I am on the Dave Ramsey plan now, so I had only budgeted $100 this month for ammo, and that has to last a while (yeah, right).

Oh, and the Thompson has been paid off! Well, actually, I refinanced the house today and sucked it into the new plan. We only lost about 16 months in the deal, but are saving $157 a month. Anyway...

[mp40]

Chris, you will make another video right? i mean 589 rounds worth? (i figured that you fired a few in the smith!)

[full auto 45]

Chris,
That's the same stuff they are selling on Sportsman's Guide web site for the same price, $89.95. Only you didn't pay shipping. I have a tin of that in the back of the Yukon now, I just never know when those thugs are going to start a fire fight on the way home.
Same tin and numbers on it. I burned up about 1000 rounds of S&B over the week-end getting ready for this week-end, now if I can hit the target......I got the S&B from a local shop for the about the same price. He had 2 cases so I took both. The M1 & the '28 both fed perfect on it.

[full auto 45]

hardede,
If the wife leaves.........buy another Thompson. It'll make you feel better. Or do like I did when the first left, get a dog, they're always glad to see you when you get home, and they like to ride in the back of the truck!
ok just couldn't pass that one up!!!

[gijive]

Hi Hardrede,

Good luck with your 1928 A1 TSMG. I think you'll find it fun to shoot.

Thanks for the correction on the 1943 Lincoln penniy analogy. However, I did find a coin collector's website that refers to the 1943 penny as follows:


"Wheat Pennies 1909 -1958
The US one cent coin was issued with Lincoln on the front and wheat on the reverse from 1909 til 1958 . Since 1959 the one cent coin is issued with the "Memorial reverse".
Composition:
1909 - 1942 95 % copper, 5 % tin and zinc
1943 steel coated with zinc (steel or "silver" pennies)
1944-1958 95 % copper, 5 % tin and zinc"

They were steel coated with zinc, so I guess we were both right:-)

[Ron A]

I purchased a can of the ammo just to keep with my collection. These will dry up and we will wonder why we didn't just keep an unopend can. Like so many other things we didn't do!

[Sgt]

Chris--
You must be a Dave Ramsey fan. I listen to him everyday. You should call him up and say that you refinanced the house to buy a Thompson SMG. I'll record that program.

[The1930sRust]

Sarge:

Yes, I believe that is what Dave Ramsey would call stupid with three zeros! Actually, I prefer to say I refinanced the house to pay off the Thompson. Sounds better that way!

Doin better than I deserve...

[Sgt]

Chris--
Did you ever consider doing the plascetomy dumping an L drum into your credit cards? hee

(For those who haven't heard the Dave Ramsey radio program, he is a financial guru who doesn't believe in debt of any kind. Plascetomy is when the converted destroy their credit cards on the air, using such things as blenders, chain saws, and hopefully one day, with a WH Thompson. )

[Zamm]

Chris,
The primers in that ammo are definitly corrosive.
Do a good cleanout after your fun!!!

Oh yeah, You take the most "arty" photo's of us all!
such nice stuff all the time!
Cheerio, Zamm

[giantpanda4]

Hi All,

I bought a tin of this same stuff at a gun show... decided not to wait till the end of the show, and I had to carry that thing for 2 hours! Amazingly, I had at least 4 others ask where from and how much I got it for. It was the vendors last tin, and they (and I) were surprised when I admitted to paying $75 for it. Well worth it! About 1 minutes worth, I figure.... so that means $4500/hour. These things are expensive! What else could I have bought for $4500/hour???

[The1930sRust]

Nope. Uh-uh. Not gonna. Never again. This stuff is so unbelievably dirty, took me some steel wool to get the crud off the firing pin, and about two hours of hard work to clean the rest. Not worth it. Yuck! Back to S&B for me.......

[LIONHART]

I fired a lot of that S&B through Bob's Savage '28. Worked GREAT! That surplus stuff is WAY to filthy. Not worth it.

[full auto 45]

I agree Chris. I fired about 1000 rounds of S&B at the TCA show and shoot. 100 at the paper targets and only 90 in the steel plate shoot, yep I shot like shit, but I was really surprised to find that there was hardly any build up in the compensator and almost no stuff inside my gun like on reloads or cheap ammo. The only thing I found from S&B is the red paint they put over the primer gets on the firing pin and it wipes off with a rag! I'll keep my miltary surplus rounds for display. Maybe fire a few in my Colt 1911A1 military pistol.