1942 Brass

[Blackfoot]

I was sorting my .45acp brass and found several pieces of military dated 42.  Some ECS, EC, and RA.  That brass is almost 70 years old!  It would be interesting to know where all it has been.

Drifter

[St. George]

Not to be flippant - but most likely boxed in an ammo can up until it got sold via the surplus market - or acquired by someone in the Guard who'd owned a .45 and 'knew a Supply Sergeant'...

Kept in a relatively dry and stable environment - it's just as effective today as it was when new.

Uncle Sam had untold millions of rounds left over from the WWII early production lines - more than that from later ones all through the early '90's - and WWI-issued ammunition still shows up it the 20-round salmon-colored boxes - sometimes still crated.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Blackfoot]

I understand. Even if it were still packed in the GI boxes it could have been around the world twice. The brass that I found has been loaded several times.  It is not really beat up but it has definately "been around the block".

Drifter

[Durango Flinthart]

The EC headstamp stands for Evansville Chrysler. If you can get your hands on a long out of print book titled "Bullets by the Billion", it tells how the Chrysler Plant in Evansville, Ind. retooled during WWII and produced 90% of the .45acp and .30 carbine rounds.
I've shot and reloaded many over the years, now when I sort brass I pull the EC stamps out and save them for the sake of nostalgia.    

[Grapeshot]

When I used to work in an Indoor Range/Gunshop we came across a bunch of EC marked .45ACP cases that were made out of Steel.  I even have a box of Steel cased .45ACP locked away in an old .30 Cal Ammo Can.

We found that it was reloadable but not worth the effort as the primer pocket had to be swaged to remove the crimp in it.