Olaf, for the sake of being specific and cautious I'd refer to those items
that are not loaded in cartridges as projectiles rather than bullets. To
the best of my knowledge (as a longtime shooter and reloader of my own
ammunition) the term bullet refers only to small arms projectiles - 50
caliber or less - that are known to be non-explosive. A projectile *could*
be considered explosive or frangible.
The whitish oxidation you've noted on some projectiles can even be found on
aging lead bullets. I'm inclined to think it's as much a factor of
environmental conditions as of the metallurgy. Our artisian well water
produces the same effect on pewter and certain aluminum kitchen utensils
that are allowed to soak too long.
Regarding whether any of this ordnance is live or dangerous, from what I've
seen, projectiles of 20mm or less are generally non-explosive or
non-frangible. Primers and powders in unfired casings are another matter.
Small arms ammunition of 50 caliber or less have proven quite safe and
stable over many decades. At worst they simply won't fire even when you
want them to. But I don't know about the larger cartrdiges. Linked
ammunition like some of the samples you've photographed typically contain
non-explosive projectiles - but, again, I'm not certain about your samples.
Even many non-explosive rounds contain tracers spaced apart at least every
few rounds.
Do you have a safe storage facility for your collection that's detached from
your dwelling? It's quite easy to make one of something like scrap railroad
ties. Even better if it's partly depressed into the ground.
It's certainly a nice collection. Knowing that there are many serious ammo
collectors around the world I'd be surprised if there isn't a reference
somewhere on the 'net to either a site or book containing more specific
info.
Regarding the overall quality of the photos - try rigging a
reflector/diffuser like my delicious Marie Callender pie pan and white
styrofoam plate doodad. Diffusion helps tremendously in making photos of
metallic objects readable.
===========
Lex Jenkins
===========
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