Digging through a "trove"

[squawberryman]

Five or so years ago a friend ended up with somebody's "stuff". The somebody was a gun person. When everyone picked what they wanted, there were three large plastic totes of mostly brass left over. Jay called and said "I got something for you". I knew it would drive up my anxiety to go through it but yesterday I started. I've been through all three, there WERE about 200 small pistol and some small rifle primers. There's a wooden box full of these 38's (I believe) and if you know what they are please tell me. If you have a 303 or a 30 carbine, I've got brass. There's only about thirty of the 303's but a few hundred of the carbine rounds. There were also three, necked DOWN pieces of 30-30 brass.

[clintsfolly]

303 Savage or British?

[squawberryman]

I'll check Clint

[500fksjr]

Can you mic...the lead rds if they are 38's I could home them if you want to get rid of them...Let me know

[squawberryman]

The 38's aren't going anywhere, I've just not ever seen them before sir. Clint they are British sir.

[500fksjr]

Ok...Have fun with them

[wheelguns]

postimg.cc/gallery/TK9TK0t The 38’s ( if they are 38’s) appear to be an H&G button nose wadcutter. They are probably 148 grains. Mine are an mp clone of the H&G mold. A good shooting target bullet. Mine are powder coated and sized to .358”.

[wendigo]

Was going to say the same thing, H&G 50 or Ideal 358495. Lyman's version moved the crimp groove back a bit to where it's not in the middle of the front band - the ones I've seen anyhow.

[bigbrowndog]

Those 38’s will make great small game bullets, I took a lot of rabbits with wadcutters in my yout.

Trapr

[squawberryman]

I myself do not cast so I have not yet had an opportunity to powder coat anything but now I do

[500fksjr]

Good Luck!!! remember to go slow an easy on your temperament as you pro-seed...

[jeffh]

I don't know how many times I've also been drafted to the... "onerous privilege" of sorting through a deceased shooter/handloader/caster's "trove" myself.

It always seems a mixed bag (hence "onerous") of good and bad, but I always approach it with a bit of reverence and respect for the dead man's belongings (privilege), that which was special to him and defined much about him - much as our own stores and caches define each of us. Cast off by someone else who really doesn't know or understand, it is sometimes conveyed upon us the honor and burden of sorting through these very personal things which were once a real part of one of us.

I'm not worried about who gets what or whether my widow gets out of my guns "what they're worth." All that is taken care of. It would be nice though if someone who appreciated all the little treasures could go through it and make a conscious decision about what goes in the dumpster and what could somehow be a bit of a legacy - me helping a budding handloader or caster, who could use and would appreciate the small windfall.

Pretty much all the cartridges I've decided to stick with for the remainder of my "shooting career" ended up being ones which were most common in fifty-year-old shoe-boxes, peanut butter jars and coffee cans, left behind when one of us moved on. Perhaps just a generational thing, but I've never run across any of the newer "whiz-bang" stuff hawked in the past several decades.

I am currently keeping several old boys' hand in the game by refilling ancient 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 222 and 30/30 brass and effecting a "salute" each time I send a projectile down-range, using one of their old cases or vintage primers. I could afford to have ditched it all and stuck with nice, even lots of new brass, but I do like the idea of carrying those torches on a bit farther for those who didn't have the time to use up what they had before signing off.

It's a lot of work too though, and it's rarely "worth it" in monetary terms, otherwise it would not have been cast off, but it's worth expending the effort when one of those old boys can tag along to the range, at least vicariously, for a little longer. I think it gives us an insight into their experiences which no one else saw when the fella was alive. None of us really pay that much attention to each others' "messes," because we each have our own way and tend to naturally mind our own business on that level.

[needsmostuff]

Always have a space and a place for some 30 carb.
Let me know what you need out of them.

[gnappi]

I've had to go through this. The worst and best was my dad's one and only reloading possession, a thousand .45 LSWC's he bought just before he passed. I'm S-L-O-W-L-Y using them in my 45 Colt pistols and most every pull on the Dillon, and hammer drop is a reminder of him.

RIP pop.