202: Many old engines for the early airplanes, water pumps, generators, inc. were equipped so that a blank shotgun shell in 8, 10 or 12 ga. could be loaded into a device and fired which sent the explosive gas charge into the cylinder head(s) thus turning the engine over and starting it. So save a few for display and shoot the rest. Otherwise, they are likely only worth their scrap value. Prices for ammunition can range from $0.05 for a . The world of shotgun ammo can get confusing with so many types of shotgun shells to choose from because shotguns are the most versatile firearm you can have. Its advised to toss out properly if you have ammo above 10 years old. Older guns can be more difficult to find ammunition for. Its made up of small pellets, typically anywhere from #8 to #12. These old shotshells call to us of another era when our forefathers hunted. Problem is shipping must be UPS Ground if you are sending it somewhere, and cost runs up pretty quickly. I personally sold some old boxes of shotgun shells at a garage sale a year or so ago. CONTACT US! Vintage Remington UMC Nitro Club Steel Lined 12 ga. Shotshell Wood Ammo Crate $50.00 $20.46 shipping or Best Offer Vintage Remington-Umc Nitro Express 12 ga. 2 piece shotgun shell ammo box empty $19.99 0 bids $17.05 shipping 2d Old Remington Express Advertising Empty Dovetailed 16ga Shotgun Shell Box Crate $65.00 $112.54 shipping or Best Offer That helps. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Find vintage hunting shell boxes on eBay. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If you use it after that, it will be more dangerous to use because the powder and other components may have degraded over time and the casing may have gone through some corrosion. Nothing made now comes close. Hulls that are one piece, such as Win Compression Formed (old style) have a great following and the 3" variety MK 5 even more so. First, look at the brass base of the shell. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. They are just too unpredictable to rely on them for these situations. Its recommended to store it in a room or safe with low humidity and a temperature of 70 degrees or cooler. Usually the earliest shotshell boxes demand the highest value if they're unopened. But what about old shotgun shells? Thanks for any information. If you are looking for a gun that you can easily find parts for, then a new shotgun may be a better option. This 10 Gauge box is FAR rarer and while I'll not hazard a guess as to what its value might be listed at in any price guide, one would certainly expect it to be well in excess of . The vast majority of them are only worth a few dollars, if that. are old shotgun shells shotgun shells task1 Mill Creek Wa Messages 413 Reactions 446 Oct 6, 2021 #1 I was given a box full of old shotgun shells are they worth anything or should I just load em up and shoot them. You can donate them to someone who does reloading, and they can dismantle the shell and use the component parts. You can learn more on our article on how to sell used shotgun shells. JavaScript is disabled. Above all, never use old ammunition for serious purposes, especially home defenseand personal protection. Happy prepping! Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 12 gauge shotguns are the most powerful and are typically used for hunting and home defense. Wet tumble steel pins dirty issues- anyone else have this problem? Shells $50.00 0 bids $10.00 shipping 4d 2h Also depends on gauge, some of the 410 hulls have a good value. I'm assuming they are older than mine, but I'm having a hard time finding out the manufacturing period of the boxes. Usually they can be bought for a couple dollars or less. Many people have old shotgun shells lying around and wonder if they are worth anything. I keep some of these to remind me of Dad and the great memories hunting with friends as a young teen. Hulls used for high velocity steel loads have a value too. Which is better buckshot or slug? The biggest danger around old ammunition is using it in your gun. The Encyclopedia of Shotgun Shell Boxes (Bacyk, 2000), lists the far more common 12 ga box as a Rarity 5 (Very Scarce) and priced it 19 years ago (empty) at $500-$750. Old shotgun shells can be worth a lot of money, depending on their condition and Brass shotgun shells can be sold to metal recyclers after a process of separating the brass. The information here is for general educational purposes only. Old shotgun shells may be dangerous if they are damaged or deteriorated. Do you like articles about the outdoors? Safe, Read More How to Crack a Gun Safe With Electronic LockContinue, There are many factors to consider when choosing a handgun, including caliber, size, weight, capacity, and intended use. Now, these long, obsolete shells make great collectors items that can increase in price and become a small investment. Its also a popular hunting caliber. This copyrighted material may not be republished without express permission. This process should only be attempted by a professional locksmith or safe technician. Most modern shotgun shells are made with a brass base and with plastic hulls rather than cardboard. Propellants have gone from black powder to smokeless, which helped hunters keep an eye on targeted game after the shot rather than through a smoke screen. Similarly, its larger version was often called a shoebox containing 4 and 8-gauge shells. Thanks for any information. There is simply no telling on how well they will perform, given their age. However, they are fairly new and many are still out there so their value would be minimal, perhaps 10% or so more than a similar box of new ammo to the right person. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 GunsBit - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, How to Crack a Gun Safe With Electronic Lock. Lol. Re: Old paper shotshell value. Do an online search of prices of the vintage shotgun shells and you will see they are highly collectible and highly looked for. Most hunting shell boxes are distinguished by the size and the number of rounds in a box. They last around 10 years when stored in a cool and dry environment. The largest among these is perhaps the most common type of vintage shell box. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Not likely to have collector's value (not all that old) but will have value as shootable ammo. Only so many of these remain, and some of the rarer loadings may be worth more than some of the more common 12 and 20 gauge cardboard shells. These include police stations and reloaders. If the cardboard shows signs of having become wet at some point in its existence, then the condition of the powder in the shell may be dubious. Some collectors are willing to pay top dollar for rare and antique shells, so its definitely worth doing some research before you sell them. Did you like this article? First, a bit of history. For years, Travis has written about the best rifles, guns, and other developments in the firearms industry. Ammunition manufacturer: These manufacturers sold vintage shotgun shells under their own brand name. It is one of those things he cannot get wrong even if he tries. View cart for details. Some people just prefer the look and feel of an old shotgun. Something went wrong. Privacy Policy. Are old shotgun shells worth anything? Box and even case lots can bring premiums. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. There are many reasons why someone would want to collect old shotgun shells. If the ammo is 10+ years old and been in average conditions, there is some risk in using it. I found a old jewelry box that held 2.75" 12ga perfectly from when I was a kid that is filled with oo buck and slugs. Shotgun shells last on average 10 years. I was surprised at how much someone was willing to pay. It really depends on what you are looking for and what you value in a gun. . Next, youll have to consider what conditions the ammo has been in and how old the ammo is. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding. If the old shells are factory rounds and have been stored correctly, and do not show any obvious signs of deterioration or damage on the outside, then they are generally fine to be fired from your shotgun. Old shells should be fired with extreme caution to prevent accidents from these mishaps. Finally, perhaps the most valuable type of shotgun shell is the 1-gauge. As anyone whos ever been to a gun show or pawn shop knows, old guns and ammunition are big business. If you have been given a box of old shotgun shells, you may welcome the unexpected gift, but you need to proceed with caution and check the shells out before using them. Arms Collectors of Southwest Washington (ACSWW) Gun Show, Golf Clubs with bags, 5 sets of irons, 3 @ +1", 2 @ regular length, Wanted; Charter Arms Explorer II / Explorer 2. Using the trash will be dangerous as it could explode. Early shells made for the shotgun were made from brass cases, much the same as other rifle cartridges. You may also find 0.410, which is measured in caliber instead of a gauge. You should send it to me for proper disposal. The author states that the shells are worthless and that no one wants them. The gunpowder itself will typically last forever if sealed correctly, but it could be dangerous to assume your shells are all sealed properly when in fact its likely that there will be cracks and other corrosive damages in them over time. You could also try taking them to a gun show or a pawn shop. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. What Can Go Wrong With Using Old Shotgun Shells? The 10 gauge shotgun survived, and in modern society the 12 gauge, with the new technologies in propellants, waddings, casings and projectiles, make the old massive shells even more obsolete. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. I'm actually going to a gun show today. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The market was dominated by gun shops, hardware stores, and lead shot companies. Manufacturers of vintage shotgun shell boxes can be divided into three distinct categories: The most common types of used vintage shells found on eBay are usually 12-gauge. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. I havent been to one in years. What Should You Not Do While Deer Hunting? The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Are old paper shotgun shells worth anything? A full box of unopened paper shells will obviously be worth more than just the box, although some people collect only the box. The dust cover is there to protect the inside of the gun from dirt and debris, but it can be a pain to remove. 22LR round to $10.50 for a . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sure they're worth something more than a new box of shells, the hard part is to find those that will pay for them. Robin Hood, USC, and Union Metallic Cartridge are well-known ammunition producers that marketed vintage shotgun shell boxes for sale exclusively under their brand. I can get a pic later if anyone wants. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Download our FREE pdf guide and learn about essential part of gun maintenance and safety. Lets take a closer look. The best of us always leave too soon. Not only will it keep your gun functioning properly, but it will also help to extend the life of your shotgun. Freedom is not free. I had a bunch of those and sold them in a vintage vest for 20-30 bucks at the last garage sale. Boxes have metal corner braises. The answer, like with most things, is it depends. Generally speaking, old shotgun shells are not worth a whole lot. Sobe carefull what you shoot up or throw away. If the brass section of the shell is cracked or shows evidence of deep corrosion, then the shell is not safe to be fired in your gun. Required fields are marked *. Most of the time I do not even bother trying . There's not a big draw for loose paper shot shells. In the world of modernhunting, times and equipment change quickly. Collectible Unused Vintage Greeting Cards, Amounts shown in italicized text are for items listed in currency other than U.S. dollars and are approximate conversions to U.S. dollars based upon Bloomberg's conversion rates. VINTAGE SHOTGUN SHELLS: WOULD YOU USE THEM? If youre not sure whether your old shotgun shells are worth anything, your best bet is to check with a local gun shop or pawn shop. Of course, not all old shotgun shells are valuable. The most common seem to be either at the 12 oclock or 6 oclock position. Other sites are selling full boxes from $35-$65. Every shot shell box is worth a considerable amount more if its unopened. If its been in hot or humid conditions, its probably risky to use it after around 5 years.