Friday, November 21, 2008

Mystery can.

When I moved in, I slung four full ammo cans into the corner of a closet. I have since pulled out Can #1 (which contained a variety of premium +P and +P+ .38 Special JHP) and Can #2 (.45ACP ball) and taken them to the range.

I know Can #3 is full of 55-grain 5.56mm FMJ from Georgia Arms.

I have no recollection at all what is in Can #4.

I almost don't want to open it. As long as I don't, it could be full of anything: precious .44-40 or .32-20, 9mm I badly need to feed the Para LTC 9, a zillion rounds of .22LR to keep me plinking for months... I'm sure when I open it it's going to turn out to be corrosive Romanian 8mm Mauser or 12ga birdshot or some 7.62x39mm left over from when I had guns chambered for 7.62x39.

But as long as I don't look inside, it's Schrödinger's Can and I can imagine it full of whatever I want.


UPDATE: I was weak. I had to look in the can. Highlight below for spoiler...

The downside? It wasn't full of precious, precious .44-40 or .22 Remington Jet. Upside? If I need to fend off the zombies with my Steyr-Mannlicher stützen, I am squared away with 8x56mmR already loaded on en bloc clips.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Open it. Open it. Open it. Open it. Open it. You know you want to. Open it. :::panting with tongue wagging in anticipation::: Open it. Open it. ARoooOOO???

Anonymous said...

Dammit... I was going to make the Schrödinger's Cat reference and you beat me to the punch.

Lemme see if I can work in a Dyson Sphere somehow.... Nope... Damn..

cma said...

The way ammo prices are going, it's like having a can of gold (or at least silver).

Anonymous said...

The way prices are rising for 7.62x39 that could be a good thing. You could trade it for something you have.

word verification: dineess. Hmm. It is almost time for lunch. Ponder ... ponder ...

Anonymous said...

What's really disappointing is when you open it up and discover various things like cheap holsters, paracord, a spring-loaded flare launcher (not flare gun) and half a pack of .22lr shotshells. It makes a can of jam-o-matic WWB .22lr look like Christmas by comparison.

Matt G said...

I am so glad that such ammo cans are ubiquitous among gunnies. Dad and I label them, so that for a week, we have .45 acp, .30-30, '06, .303, .257 Rbts, .44 Mag, .38 Spl, 9mm, etc all in its own labeled can.

Then come a few trips to the range, and they have:

A box of cheap 9mm,
A few loose rounds of .44 Spl,
A round of .270 with a dented primer that we planned to salvage components from,
A segmented cleaning rod with a broken T handle,
Some dirty patches, and
A bunch of loose spent brass.
Oh, and a box of .22 CB Longs.
And a 16 ga. slug.

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I have some Egyptian 8mm Mauser sitting around. I suppose that would also be corrosive :)

Carteach said...

If 8x57, I shall bring a Mauser or two that are aquainted with corrosive :-)

If 7.62x39, then a Chinese type 56 sks that I am pretty sure is a Vietnam bring back.

Anonymous said...

I recently sold 1600 rounds of Chi-Com 7.62x39 ammo for a mere $350. If I had waited 3 months, I could've easily gotten another $200 for it. DAMN!!!

Tam, what are you going to do with that 8x56mmR ammo? You still have a rifle for that?

Dr. StrangeGun said...

Wishful thinking.... It's full to the brim of 577x450 :-D

Why, that must be 30 or 40 cartridges...

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me the meaning of "Stutzen" and/or the difference between a Stutzen and a Gewehr/Karabiner ?

WV = bancesse

An emasculated bank?

Anonymous said...

A measly 4 ammo cans? Tam, I would have expected so much more from you.

Less said...

Stutzen == Short rifle.

I think the "Stutzen" models were shortened rilfes, while carbines were built with short barrels.

Actuall, Tam, I love shooting mine, but was wondering if you had any info on how the sights work.

Personally, I raise the sights (to the ladder), then lift the bar which gives me a ~100 Yard sight.

With the sights down, I'm guessing it's a 200 Yard sight...

The numbers seem to correspond to a different measure then meters/yards... I have no idea what they are?!

Less said...

Actually, I did some digging just know (last time I tried to dig up info was a few years ago...) and this does a great job explaining what is up:

http://www.sunblest.net/gun/Mann95.htm

Vaarok said...

Oh SWEET, 8x56R is awesome stuff. Bulgarian or Nazi? You do have a long rifle, right?

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v709/Vaarok/steyr95.jpg

You need one.

The clips are going for three bucks apiece and surplus is about a dollar a shot with recent price-scalping. Good find.

Also, look for a bayonet with a sight blade built into the ring, helps with shooting at reasonable distance.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v709/Vaarok/959540bayos.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v709/Vaarok/fggysight.jpg

All I ever find in my ammo cans is more and more KA73 .30-06... I don't even shoot .30-06!

phlegmfatale said...

sort of Christmas-y, finding stuff you stashed...

NotClauswitz said...

I wish I had a Magic Ammo Can!

Anonymous said...

I have an old picture of my buddy Ed shooting his 8x56R carbine at just about dark. The muzzle blast is longer than the barrel and he looks like he's strapped to the end of a rocket.
I mean, I can understand slow burning powder when you're launching half ounce roundnoses, but Jeez, they must have been loading them with kapok soaked in horse urine. I would definately think the rifles are more fun to shoot.
Also, I think Ed forms his brass out of Boxer primed 7.62x54R Russian brass.

Old NFO said...

Dang Matt, you been looking my my ammo cans again? I'm in the same boat... I call it Easter Egging, since I never know if what is written on top is actually correct. Bad part, I seem to have 'lost' two bricks of .22 sigh...

Tam said...

Harman,

"You do have a long rifle, right?"

I wish. I missed one by that much a year or two back and am still kicking myself.

Then there was the lady who came in to Randy's when I worked there to have me appraise her grampa's guns, among which were a brace of unshortened M.1886's. I did my best to talk her out of one, even though they can only be fired with low-pressure handloads, but she decided to hang onto them.

Nate said...

I know this is boring and removes that thrill of wondering, but a Sharpie, applied to the front of the can at the time of loading, takes out the confusion.

Anonymous said...

Thanx Less.

WV = laters

I kid not!

Laters babies! :)

Gewehr98 said...

Tam,

Does your stash of 8x56R have waffenamt headstamps with the little birdy and associated symbol?

I just stumbled across a bunch in my stash that did, and am curious...

The Armed Canadian said...

Geweher98,

A small amount of mine does. The stuff I bought loose or on the clips. Perhaps 60 rounds in total.