Ammo Value

[JeepHammer]

During war time (Viet Nam in 66-67 dates showing) it was common to produce tin/mild steel cores with copper alloy jackets.
It's NOT AP, Actual AP had hardened steel cores (for rifles) and even harder materials for aircraft AP.
The same tin/mild steel cores were used up until recently by the US, and places like Israel are still making them.
They are usually denoted by a 'Green Tip' paint marking, and are still made in US .30, 7.62 NATO and 5.56 NATO.

Korea makes a crap load of US .30 to this day, since they still use Browning machine guns that fire the round.
Keep in mind the US .30 cal coming out of Korea should NOT be used in the M1, current production & surplus from Korea is MUCH too 'Hot' for the M1 rifle.

The .30 ammo produced in the 60s still had corrosive priming, so be aware of that.
Much of the Korean surplus is also corrosive up until about year 2000.
(The Koreans weren't much on updating their processes or firearms)

Strictly personal opinion,
The clips & can are worth more than the ammo to me since I won't fire corrosive in my M1.

On the other hand, it's actual US M1 ammo, no issues with it damaging the rifle like import surplus .30 can.
You will just have to clean the rifle COMPLETELY about 3 times after firing corrosive...

 

[JeepHammer]

Until AmmoManAaron gets here; 30.06 AP made in US has a tungsten core. Don't think it is magnetic. BRB, going to check. EDIT, it is magnetic but slightly less so than steel jacket, if that makes sense... Pulled projectiles go for $1 to $1.75 each. Loaded ammo price is slightly less (go figure). Safe date for non-corrosive can be found by headstamp dates and manufacturer.

Tungsten cores were *Usually* .50 BMG or larger, and we're designated 'Anti-Armor' or 'Anti-Aircraft'.

Anti-Aircraft will be triple paint coded. They are AP/Incendiary/Tracer.
As stray bullets these are legal to own, but loaded in live cartridges they are illegal for common US citizens to own.
Loaded, these are covered under 'Dangerous And Destructive Devices'.

The Anti-Armor that's left will *Usually* be double paint coded, AP/Incendiary.
Ground forces didn't want a tracer pinpointing their position, and had access to plain tracers if they wanted them.

I'm a little guilty of the demise of common single stripe AP (tungsten core), when tungsten shot up in price, millions of pulled surplus got sold for tungsten (and copper) scrap weight.
Being .50 cal or larger, it wasn't hard to press the core out of the jacket and sell as scrap... And they were available in 100k lots just 35 miles up the road at the demil plant...
I scrapped several tons before the price of tungsten tanked.

5.56 & 7.62 NATO AP cores are usually Iron/steel.
A hardened 'Gray Steel' core with thick copper jacket.

'Steel' cores & even jackets have been common since WW I, they are actually tin/iron 'Gray Steel', not actually 'White Metal' steel, and they are magnetic.
Some had copper jackets, some didn't.

These are still in production in many countries as 'Green Tip' (called 'Penetrators', not AP).
It's a Geneva Convention thing, actual anti-material AP is illegal to use on humans, while 'Increase Penetration' bullets aren't illegal under the Geneva Convention.