[Vaarok]

Old guy got nailed with the "harrassing-a-domestic-partner" charge during a nasty divorce, and thus had to put up his collection and his ammo stash.

Local shop cut me a break 'cause most of the ammo on top was '42 and '43 LC, RP, EW, and WC marked, and we figured corrosive.

HOWEVER, there's also '53 and '54 LC, KA-73, and a buncha other stuff. And it turned out there was about a hundred clips of this mixed ammo in the bin. Since the shop really only wanted the PS noncorrosive boxes the guy had, and was already trying to sell the Mystery Mix for a reasonable discount, I asked for and got a bulk price and walked off with all of it for $275. There's even some grenade blanks, black-tip, "salted" SP/FMJ mix clips, and reeealy old hunting ammo in enblocks in there.

Is there a good comprehensive headstamp guide anywhere for sorting origin, maker, and corrosive/noncorrosive?

 

[Old Man]

Ammo ID

Here is a couple of sites that may help you.
http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes_bottom.htm

http://members.shaw.ca/cstein0/uscenter.htm

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankammo.html

http://www.ammo-one.com/00.html

The latter two are more oriented to modern collector items. The others may lead you to the info you are looking for.
There is more help here on this site too, someone else will be here shortly to help.
Old Man

 

[nicholst55]

Try here:

http://www.jouster.com/Bulletin/primers.htm

 

[Deputy Dan]

Your KA headstamped ammunition is Korean corrosive M2. Good ammo but clean accordingly.

 

[Vaarok]

That jouster article is supremely useful, but I thought all WW2 M-2 ball was corrosive? The top listing of arsenals like FA and RA seems to suggest that wartime Remington and Fulton Armory ammo is noncorrosive, but I'd always heard it was...

At least it confirms what I thought about all the '53 and '54 headstamped stuff being surely noncorrosive. Most of the ammo's Korean era US production anyways.

 

[Devil Dog]

No, ALL WWII US manufactured .30-06 is corrosive primed.

D.D.