I was digging through my ammo stash today and uncovered a couple of hundred rounds of 7.62x39 ammo that I bought over twenty years ago and forgot about.

It is packaged in green 20 rd. cardboard boxes and printed in white lettering -

EXPORTED BY
CHINA JING AN EQUIPMENT IMP/EXP CORP.

7.62X39MM AMMUNITION

NON-CORROSIVE

Steel cases are coated with what appears to be a brown laquer. The bullets attract a magnet, appear to be coated with a copper wash and are cannelured. Headstamps read 71 @ 12 o'clock and 92 @ 6 o'clock. Primers appear to be sealed with a red sealant.

I put this stuff up without ever firing a single round. Even though it says that it's non-corrosive considering all of the stuff in the news about Chinese products (melamine in milk and petfood, glycol in toothpaste, etc.) can anybody here tell me if it's truly non-corrosive? And if nobody knows for sure, what's the best way that I can test it for myself? I'd rather be safe than be sorry!

Thanks

The best option is to treat any suspect ammo as corrosive, and clean with hot water.
Better safe than sorry.

One test is to pull a bullet from the case, dump the powder, then point the muzzle at a piece of scrap sheet steel that's been degreased and fire into the plate.

If the ammo is corrosive, the metal will rust quickly in normal environments.

My practice has been to always treat all surplus ammo as corrosive, tests or no.  I've never had a rusted firearm.

No offense, but if the headstapmp is from 1992, then you couldn't have gotten it over 20 years ago.

I could have sworn that I bought it in 1987, Oh well - CRS disease strikes again

MY BAD!