I think this is the correct forum for this. My dad just gave me his Ruger SBH with the leather belt and holster. There were a number of loaded cartridges in the loops. They all have a soft green band of junk around them. My question is, are they safe to shoot after cleaning or, does the corrosion weakened the brass sufficiently to cause a problem? It's not really critical because I have a good supply of brass and it's only 8 or 10 casings.

They were safe for me to shoot I had a belt with about 25> 41 mags that I left in same for a few years I cleaned them with some 0000 steel wool the green was on the surface shot just fine.

I'm sure someone will tell you don't shoot them.

It's your choice.

Yes, keeping brass (cartridges) in leather loops does that. Like Hunt-ducks, I have cleaned my corroded cases with a bit of steel wool, and they seemed none the worse for wear - the corroosion is only on the very surface of the case. If you must use a leather cartridge holder (belt) for long term storage, going over the cases with a silicone cloth cuts down on the corrosion effect - although it probably does not stop it completely. Make sure the silicone does not change your POI.

- mike

Thanks. I wasn't really sure how deep the corrosion would go. I never keep anything in leather anyway. I'll pull them and clean them up. It might be interesting to section a case and see if there is much damage. Probably need a micrometer to tell much.

You can tell with a hand-held magnifier. If the corrsion progressed to the point you can see pits (even small ones), the brass is toast and should be tossed. You can pull the bullets and powder and load them in other brass if you want. If the green scale is superficial and you can't detect any pitting under reasonable magnification, you should be able to shoot them BUT (and it's a BIG but) just because the green is gone doen't mean the corrosion has stopped. Sometimes it can continue on a micon-scale level and continue to weaken the brass. I toss all my corroded brass even if it was safe to shoot then and there.