.470 Nitro Express Cartridges Original Kynock

[Ole Bally]

We have a box of 50 original Kynock .470 Nitro Express Cartridges to sell to a collector in South Africa.
What offers?

 

[Foxi]

Ach ja,the good old times.
It looks like produced in the 60ies.
Not so bad investment for a collector.
Interesting to see that Eley had Kynoch in former times.
Over 150 years of industrial history.
Foxi

www.kynochammunition.co.uk

 

[PeteG]

@Jumbo
get in on this...

 

[Roan]

You guys think they would still be right to shoot or are they more valuable as collectors items?

If they can shoot I might be interested.

 

[CAustin]

Foxi what makes you say the 1960s?

 

[matt85]

Foxi what makes you say the 1960s?

@Foxi im curious of this as well, i dont think they would have used cordite in the 60's (i could easily be wrong).

-matt

 

[CAustin]

@Foxi im curious of this as well, i dont think they would have used cordite in the 60's (i could easily be wrong).

-matt

Matt I was just looking at the packaging and thought it would date later! Note it has a stick on label and I would have thought the information would have been printed or stamped on the box in black ink

Just my detective side thinking out of the box. But I could be way off give what the shells are made with.

 

[Foxi]

Foxi what makes you say the 1960s?

Caustin,
the end of the british empire,was the end of Kynoch Big Bore Cartridges.
They do not produced anymore.
The owner Imperial Metal Industries/Birmingham sold the name Kynoch .
This firm is now Kynamco.
Im not so sure when they stopped producing,but I mean it was in the late 60ies.
Foxi

 

[Wheels]

Ole Bally, Thanks for bringing back memories. I remember the old 5 packs in 375. @spike.t can probably tell us when Kynoch stopped producing. @Ole Bally probably can too.

A couple things that I find interesting:

1. NON-MERCURIC on the label. I don't remember mercury being a major issue until the 70's. Possibly the 60's. Actually labeling things probably put Kynoch ahead of the curve.

2. The statement in the first photo that says, "In writing to us about contents please send this box and if possible, sample cartridges." Makes you wonder how many problems there actually were.

 

[Wheels]

Was curious and just looked this up. If I am reading this correct, production stopped in 1970.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kynoch

 

[BRICKBURN]

You guys think they would still be right to shoot or are they more valuable as collectors items?

If they can shoot I might be interested.

There is one way to tell....

 

[matt85]

1. NON-MERCURIC on the label. I don't remember mercury being a major issue until the 70's. Possibly the 60's. Actually labeling things probably put Kynoch ahead of the curve.

they aren't talking about mercury, they are talking about mercuric salts. mercuric salts are what make most non-black powder ammunition corrosive.

-matt

 

[Wheels]

they aren't talking about mercury, they are talking about mercuric salts. mercuric salts are what make most non-black powder ammunition corrosive.

-matt

Thanks. That makes more sense.

 

[CAustin]

Caustin,
the end of the british empire,was the end of Kynoch Big Bore Cartridges.
They do not produced anymore.
The owner Imperial Metal Industries/Birmingham sold the name Kynoch .
This firm is now Kynamco.
Im not so sure when they stopped producing,but I mean it was in the late 60ies.
Foxi

Makes sense!

 

[Doug McKay]

My Dad, who is really into stuff like this, saw this forum earlier today and has some information that hopefully helps.

According to the stamped lettering ( 5NN )on the paper wrapping, these cartridges were packaged/bundled together on July 5, 1965. The “S” signifies that the ammunition is loaded with steel jacketed solids. The fact that they say non mercuric, non corrosive cap indicates post World War II manufacture.

 

[Foxi]

"these cartridges were packaged/bundled together on July 5, 1965."

a hunter is a true detective.

 

[Pondoro]

As a rule of thumb, brass colored primers are non-corrosive and copper-colored primers are corrosive on old Kynoch ammo..

I have fired old Kynoch in different calibers from time to time, some is allright but some is becoming erratic, ie. hangfires...or duds..

Whatever you do...do not hunt DG with this old stuff.....there has been several maulings in Africa due to failure of old Kynoch..

I read about a father and son hunt in Zim a few years ago, both used vintage doubles...and both used 60 year old Kynoch ammo....on an elephant hunt...

 

[Ole Bally]

Well! Some well read and studied guys amongst us!
I did suggest they may be more valuable to a collector than a shooter! As a retired PH with my skin all intact...I wouldn't recommend hunting DG with them. They have been well stored as can be seen by the original packaging and so could be used without alarm.

@Pondoro ...so what happened on that hunt? I haven't heard of the demise of errant clients here in some years!

 

[Pondoro]

Ole...they were lucky, the ammo worked and one of them got a huge elephant..

 

[CTDolan]

It'd be a shame to shoot this stuff. The ammunition is collectible. It speaks of a rich history and will never be made again (just as the past in which it lived will never be known again). If I had the money, and lived in South Africa, I'd gobble it up, instantly.