Old .358 Win handloads - corrosive?

[tacotime]

I think the answer to this is "No", but when I was a kid my dad had two boxes of .358 Win handloads leftover from when he had the rifle.  Looks like 200 grain jacketed soft points with cases stamped "Super Speed" and "358 Win" but the load info is not shown or was rubbed off.  Box is printed /stamped with a person's name and "Good Handloaded Ammunition".  I think these were from about 1955. 
 
Fast forward 57 years to now.  Dad doesn't even remember having a .358 anymore but I now have one.  I knew it was risky but knowing he wouldn't have bought ammo he didn't trust, I decided to fire one.  It chrono's at 2,300 fps, a fairly mild load it seems.  Later fired three on the range and they performed nicely.
 
But then I wondered, any chance that these could have used corrosive primers?  When were these no longer available in the US?
 
 
 
 

[Blackhawk44]

In a word, no.  Handloading as we know it was not that common prior to the mid-1950's and those that did handload had taken advantage of non-corrosive primers at the earliest opportunity.  I would not worry.

[muznut 54]

I would say no but it wont hurt to keep an eye on things.

[LaOtto222]

1. I doubt if any hand loads from the 50's had corrosive primers. The 358 was not introduced until 1955 by Winchester. So I really think you would be OK.

2. Personally, I do not trust hand loaded ammunition from anyone, only mine. I would pull them down and salvage the bullets and cases. Push out the primers, resize and start over with known powder and primers. Not knowing anything about them is scary to me. If they shoot well, you are not going to be able to duplicate them. Is taking a gamble worth $40?  Like I said that is me.

3. If you are going to shoot them and you are worried about the primers, you have two choices. Pull them down and push out the primer and replace with a new known primer. Or do a very good cleaning job after you shoot them and use a good rust preventative on the gun.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

[tacotime]

That would normally be my way also, to reject other's handloads, though this time I was pretty confident about them.  And...  I had seen these sitting there since I was a little kid, admiring the fat bullet compared to the other calibers, and this was part of why I got a .358 finally 50+ years later. 
 
The rifle is stainless but nonetheless, I gave it a good cleaning.

[muznut 54]

I agree I don't trust anybody else's hand loads.

[iiranger]

For the most part, primers became non corrosive in the 1930s. They did use mercury and were hard on cases. The only exception I am aware of, military, and especially military match ammo was loaded with corrosive primers into the 1950s. '06 mainly. .30 carbine was never corrosive. So if the loader was a competitor who happened to have some corrosive large rifle primers... You just need to clean thoroughly and shouldn't have a problem. Cleaning is a good idea anyway. As said, shooting someone elses reloads is a risky business. A man I respected in almost all ways was quite proud, he would put a small amount of Red Dot into his 7x57 load before seating the bullet AND FOR a 93 Spanish Mauser from Sears! No, I don't want to shoot his reloads. And as said, pulling them down is not that hard... Luck. Happy trails.

[alan in ga]

Congrats on the .358 Winchester. You own one of the finest cartridges made in my opinion. I've had a LOT of rifles.....and I still say the .358 is one very fine round!

[tacotime]

Well at least for a few rounds, the gentleman who loaded these in the 1950's was vindicated last weekend.  A few shots on the range were on track at 100, and 6 in. low at 200 from this short barrel.
 
I went out the next morning and called in a coyote to 85 yards who could not take his eyes off my nearby dog, and the .358 struck true using the nearly 60 year old handload.
 
I later pulled a bullet and it appears to be a Win or Rem 200 SP over 48 grains of Win 748, chrono at 2,300.  Old powder sitting in there for almost 60 years, most of them in a hot garage in Texas, getting well over 100 degrees many days in the summers.