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Home of the Old Ammo Guy's Virtual
Cartridge Trading Table Featuring a wide range of antique, obsolete, and modern ammunition for collectors Picture Page June 2007 Three Winchester 'Stetson's patent' .38 Long boxes...
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Shown here are three examples of Winchester 'Stetson's patent'.38 long
rimfire cartridge boxes. All three show the incorrect patent date of October 24th,
1871; the correct date was October 31, 1871. The incorrect date was used for
quite a while, as late as 1908 in some less popular calibers. I don't recall
having seen this style label with the correct date on a .38 long rimfire
box, and assume that such a label is uncommon. On the other hand, .38 short
rimfire boxes with this style label seem to be more common with the correct
date. The first box pictured here is an early example, being labeled
'Metallic Cartridges' and of the style first introduced in the mid 1870s.
'Metallic cartridges' was a general term used to differentiate the early self-contained On this second box, the 'Metallic Cartridges' has been changed to 'Rifle Cartridges'; otherwise, the label is pretty much unchanged. . . ..
.. . Perhaps the 'REPACKED' stamp was put on this box for the purpose of explaining the floor sweeping that might have gotten into the box during the process of cleaning up the loose ammo on the floor of the packing room. . . . Even the silverfish enjoy a good box.........
I recently picked up this sad Union Metallic Cartridge Company .32 Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle cartridge box along with quite a few other boxes. All of the boxes had been stored together since the 1950s, and all exhibited bug damage. What struck me as odd was that of all the boxes, which included a few 1950s Frankford Arsenal .30-06 and 45 ACP boxes and an assortment of .22 rimfire and .25 ACP boxes, this box was the only one that showed such a high level of damage. It may say something from a bug's perspective about the quality (and flavor?) of the paper and glue that was used in the older boxes. Fortunately, the cartridges are in good shape, but it was disappointing to see the box in this condition.
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I'd like to see the rifle....
Here's one of the .25 ACP boxes from the group that the .32 CLMR box came from, showing a lesser amount of bug damage. This box with its split UMC and Remington logos dates from around 1913. What is interesting about this otherwise common box is that the side-sealing label is marked in large letters on one side 'RIFLE CARTRIDGES', as are the ends. While the label might indicate otherwise, there was no rifle that I'm aware of that was chambered to fire the .25 ACP cartridge, not even the Model 1885 Winchester single shot, which was chambered for just about every other cartridge. This odd labeling was used by a number of ammunition makers for the purpose of circumventing taxes and regulations on rimfire and centerfire pistol ammunition in a number of southeastern states from the 1880s until sometime in the 1920s. That this deceptive labeling was used over such a long period of time would suggest that it was a successful ploy. Another interesting thing about this box is the cartridges themselves; they are headstamped U M C 25 A C P, rather than having the REM-UMC headstamp that would be expected. This indicates the box was produced soon after the two companies merged, probably during the transition period when they were still using the UMC headstamp bunters until the new REM-UMC bunters could be prepared. . . A new cartridge for the Wildcat collectors.........
. This potent looking little cartridge was developed by Carson Reece for small game and varmint hunting. It is based on the .357 Magnum case, necked, shortened to 1.165", and slightly tapered. Hornady recently began producing the empty cases, chambered barrels are available from T-C, MGM, and O.T.T., and loading dies can be obtained from Mr. Reece. For additional information, or to purchase dies, contact Mr. Reece at: . . . . |
rimfire ammunition
from the separate primed cartridges that were the standard in use at the
time in the early 1860s when this 'high tech' ammunition was just coming onto the
scene. 
