Minding my own business. not (purposefully) hurting anyone, and B. sends me a text asking if I would be interested in this:
Well, geez, man….I don’t know. I gotta figure out what it is first. Alright Google…show me what you got. “1305 21 102 8445-0004 7.62mm” returns a few images, including this one:
Hmm..Appears to be Canadian 51’st State-ish. Interesting because if it was from Canuckistan, shouldn’t all those markings be in French also? Or, maybe this stuff predates that bilingual nonsense.
I usually am hesitant to purchase this sort of thing because you never know what storage conditions this stuff was in. However, sometimes its a risk worth taking.. especially if the price is right. So, I made an offer and I’ll pick this stuff up later.
By the way, the .30-06 ammo I picked up in the above-mentioned post was made in 1959 by FN and had been stored sealed in those nice .30 cal cans for almost 60 years. And it all shot flawlessly, and, as I recall, virtually all the tracers lit up. This simply confirms that quality made ammo, packed and stored well, will last indefinitely.
I still have several battlepacks of 7.62×51 sitting on the shelf, so this will be a nice addition. I’ll need to see if there’s anymore where this case came from.
How much per round? Made by Dominion Arsenal in Quebec I think.
.25
Wow. For ammunition that meets the NATO standardization agreement (indicated by the circle with a cross in it), that is an excellent price. When was it made?
No idea. Since the markings arent in French, I suppose it might pre-date that bilingual nonsense they enacted in 1969 since its only in English. However, for all I know, maybe that nonsense didnt apply to materiel. I don’t really wanna crack it open and check the headstamp, but I’m going to guess from the ‘DAQ 66’ (Dominion Arsenal Quebec) on the box that it was 1966. NATO spec and stored well, should shoot just fine.
Methinks it “est tombé d’un camion” (fell off a truck) LOL
Following. Good score for nato headstamped BATTLE RIFLE ammunition manufactured from a nation state arsenal. This is an example that there is stocks of milspec crated up ammunition in closets and storage, just about everywhere. As a simple matter of attrition (people pass on, it’s life) there may be an inflow of boomer possessed arms and ammunition that may flow back out into retail markets or just be offered up by heirs or uninterested relatives to folks in the right place and time for such opportunities. Have a little roll of cash or fast access for deals that rise up, and should not be passed up. Be friendly to those ladies over coffee at the senior center and at bingo events. They may have an odd job for you that requires getting rid of “the old man’s stuff”. Treasures are often found in the most obscure manners. Stay alert stay frosty.
I heard of a guy who worked in an old folks home. He made sure to wear an NRA ball cap or tie tac or some other similar identifier. Invariably some old resident would notice it and say “You’re into guns? I used to shoot. My kids have no interest in the tem and I can’t shoot any more.” and thats how he would find deals.
A great deal.
A lot while ago I ran into a guy who needed money… Linked 50 at $2 a round…
Sorry if I missed it, but which vendor has this ammo at what price?
No vendor as far as I know. A buddy of mine texted me to tell me it came across the counter at his shop and was I interested.
Quick tip for identifying origin of military gear from “the West” and Western-friendly nations: check the NATO stock number’s “country code” — the list includes a number of non-NATO members as well.
In this case, the NSN 1305 21 102 8445 indicates it is small arms ammo (stock category 1305: SAA under 30mm) from Canada (country code 21) while the last 7 digits are simply Canada’s own code for that particular item.
There are also DODIC and DODAC codes but this example predates their use.
Nice!
I’m never surprised by the Canadians. About ten years back I met a fella from Canada that had joined put Civil War Artillery Battery. Just before that I had picked up an very nice British Enfiled No1 Mk4 made and then FTA’d at Farzakerly. I ask him about the fact that I had seen an article which indicated that the Canadian government had 3 million rounds of 303 ammo in storage. About three years ago that stuff appeared and started to be available on the surplus ammo market.
He had told me he didn’t know anything about it. And he is a big gun collector. I did let him k ow the stuff had finally shown up. His only reply was ” Only in Canada”.