This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
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Wed May 09, 2007 7:57 pm

Wow, I've been slow to get into this and I going to need to look into the reloading thing a bit more. I've shot some of my hunting loads through the gun a couple of times :? . Mostly I shoot Federal 150 FMJs, except when I use it to hunt with.

Thanks for the Corrosive info, I need to check the rounds I was given a few years ago. Anyone ever reload Tracers?

Tim

Thu May 10, 2007 6:24 am

TimAPNY,

Not sure what you mean by "reload tracers". If you meant shoot them, I'd recommend against that...not conducive to long bore life. If you meant reload empty tracer cases, I guess I don't see why not if you have access to them. AFAIK, the brass is the same.

John

Thu May 10, 2007 8:06 am

Some of the ammo I was given was not stored in the best manner, I was thinking of pulling the bullets and reloading them into new casings.

What is the deal with barrel life and tracers?

Any other ammo that I might not want to send down range, just in case I have some other stuff (I've heard conflicting reports of what I can and can't have when it comes to some types of ammo. are there types of ammo that I should not have?)

And last how can I tell if my operating rod has been cut or not. I was given my Grandfathers M1 a few years ago and I'm not sure when he got it but it is a Korean Era gun and has some early parts on it as well as a Winter Safety and I was wondering if it might have a uncut Rod.


Tim

Thu May 10, 2007 8:14 am

Friend of mine got M1 thumb his 1st outing. I told him to watch for it but, live and learn.

Since I am more into Vietnam, my prize is my stock 1968 Colt Sp1.

Thu May 10, 2007 9:47 am

My guess is that, if the gun you have is Korean War vintage, the op rod has been cut. I don't have pictures on hand to show cut vs uncut, but I'm sure a web search will find them for you.

As for tracers, the residue left by the tracer round is very corrosive, or so I've heard many times. Remember, tracers were designed for machine guns, which have a short barrel life anyway. They weren't intended for use in infantry rifles. I suspect that shooting a few for kicks and giggles isn't a problem, especially if you clean thoroughly afterwards, but I wouldn't make a habit of it. I'm also not sure about removing tracer bullets from unfired rounds and reloading them. I don't know what holds the tracer compound in the bullet, and you may find that it comes loose when the bullets are pulled. All in all, I would be very hesitant to mess with them, especially since they aren't good for your rifle anyway. My $0.02 worth.

HTH.

John

Thu May 10, 2007 10:00 am

Notes on ammunition....

- US GI ammo with a headstamp date earlier than 1954 should be considered corrosive. See notes on cleaning corrosive ammo. To answer the question as to "Why corrosive?", it has more reliable ignition qualities in extreme cold conditions - that's one of the reasons that the Sovs/WarPac armies kept using it. The corrosive part, btw, is in the mercuric-based primer compound.

- Tracer/incendiary ammo may or may not be corrosive. It does, however, leave deposits in the bore, chamber, and gas system. Also, check with local laws on havng or firing this type of ammo. And be aware of the danger of fire, as well. Again, see earlier notes on cleaning.

- Blank ammo should be treated the same as corrosive, and it leaves beaucoup deposits!

- Questions on Garand mods, accessories, etc. can be answered by these folks:

http://www.thegca.org/

Thu May 10, 2007 10:04 am

http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/nom ... ngrod.html

Cut vs uncut op rods

John

Thu May 10, 2007 1:20 pm

Thanks

Tim

Thu May 10, 2007 3:02 pm

I have a 42 Garand with a VAR Barrel. Its been a fun shooter for me. Here is one the best WEB Sites for Vintage rifles
www.surplusrifle.com This page has picture break downs for almost all vintage military Rifles

Thu May 10, 2007 3:18 pm

For more information check www.surplusrifleforum.com
Look for a Mod named ZTex... :roll: :shock:

Wed May 30, 2007 4:34 pm

Not sure if I should start a new thread or not, so I'll just put this in here.

I bought what was presented to me as a japanese pistol war trophy from a friend of my Dad. It was $20 and for a a 16 year old kid, I was estactic.

Now, twenty years later, I have finally figured out what it is. I was afraid that it wasn't really Japanese... that it might be something from Korea or China. I let my father in law take it to the Antiques Roadshow, but he couldn't get to the right person in time while he was there. That was 2 years ago, and somehow I misplaced it. Didn't know if he never gave it back, I lost it, or who knows. Well I finally found it this weekend and I quickly hopped on the web to see what I can find.

Turns out its Type 94. And when I did the calculations to determine the date of manufactuer, I had to let out a little shriek of joy when it came out Aug '44.

I'm missing the magazine. Think that is hard to find?

Turns out they are worth $300-600 now. Pretty cool for a $20 investment.

It has been suggested to me by some friends that I need to get my gun card as well, just in case. So I need to find a local gun store for that.

I'm stoked! 8)

Wed May 30, 2007 4:53 pm

Django,

This site should fix you right up with a magazine, if they get any more in stock:

http://www.e-gunparts.com/product.asp?c ... 914200&MC=

or you might email SARCO at:

http://www.sarcoinc.com/handguns.html

to see if they have any, or:

http://members.shaw.ca/tju/jhg.htm

this is a japanese pistol specialty site.

Good luck! :wink:

Wed May 30, 2007 10:31 pm

Django,
A word of caution. The Type 94 is notorious for a design flaw that
causes it to fire when pressed on the left-hand side of the receiver.
Accidental triggering is pretty easy.

Due to it being smaller and lighter than other pistols it was liked by
pilots and tankers.

It gets its name because it was adopted in the Japanese calendar year 2594.

Bill
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