Apparently the primers are not just corrosive after they go bang, the stuff the bang bit is made of apparently over time causes the brass to give up it's zinc - which seems to be the bit on the bottom when it's stored for 50-60 years. Brass minus zinc is not very good, break apart with your fingers type stuff. It's quite common in marine applications where brass that isn't 'marine grade' or more bronze than brass goes pink and weak.
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