.30-06 surplus - some better than others?

[TheReformedRebel]

.30-06 surplus - some better than others?

 

I have recently inherited a ton of .30-06 ammo (amongst other calibers) and just not sure what is what.

The majority of it is already loaded in enbloc garand clips (and 4-500 empty enbloc clips) There is some loaded up in US marked bandoliers. 
It would appear I have ball, AP and tracer ammo. Its the heads stamps that I am unsure of.

The estate was massive (nearly 60K rounds plus stocks, sights, mags, and more) so I am starting the research stage so I can inventory and move out of my garage ha!

Any insight as to where to start and what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Grayfox54]

Start by checking headstamps on the cartridges. There are several good headstamp reference sites on the internet. Just do a search. If you have the original ammo cans, those markings can also help.

https://cartridgecollectors.org/headstamp-codes/

Mil-surp .30-06 ammo ( M2 Ball) comes in a multitude of brands. U.S. made ammo is always preferred.  The Greek HXP ammo is considered some of the best. OTOH Korean ammo is known to be corrosive. It'll work, just be sure to clean the rifle good soon after shooting. 

[Garufa]

FYI, ALL U.S military surplus .30-06 made prior to 1952-54ish is  corrosive.  Forget the exact year, might look that up later.

 

[Swede]

Look on the CMP website (cmp.org) for information on U.S. and other surplus ammo.  I'm pretty sure there's a chart on there somewhere that tells when U.S. ammo went noncorrosive by lot number.  Since the people on there tend toward milsurp arms in general you'll also find info. on non-.30/06 ammo.

[Beltfed]

Headstamp is everything. LC and HXP ball is around a buck each. You will most likely have to ship.  The rest, I don’t know.   Make locals (like me) a deal and you might get rid of some.