THE CARTRIDGE COLLECTOR'S EXCHANGE

Contents

Home

General Info

Ordering Info

Contact us

Cartridge Lists
Patent & Miscellaneous
Rim Fire
Center Fire Pistol
Center Fire Rifle
Metric Rimfire, Pistol&Rifle
British Pistol and Rifle
Shotgun Shells
Cartridge Boxes & Related

Posters

This Month's Picture Page

Index to Picture Pages

Prior Picture Pages:
 * September 2003
 
* October 2003
 
* November 2003
 
* December 2003                                * January 2004
 
* February 2004
 
* March 2004
 
* April 2004
 
* May 2004
 
* June 2004
 
* July 2004
 
* August 2004
 
* September 2004
 
* October 2004
 
* November 2004
 
* December 2004
 
* January 2005
 
* February 2005
 
* March 2005
 
* April 2005
 
* May 2005
 
* June 2005
 
* July 2005
 
* August 2005
 
* September 2005
 
* October 2005
 
* November 2005
 
* December 2005
 
* January 2006
 
* February 2006
 
* March 2006
 
* April 2006
 
*May 2006
 
*June 2006
 
*July 2006
 
*August 2006
 
*September 2006
 
*October 2006
 
*November 2006
 
*December 2006
 
*January 2007
 
*February 2007
 
*March 2007
 
*April 2007
 
*May 2007
 
*June 2007
 
*July 2007
 
*August 2007
 
*September 2007
 
*October 2007
 
*November 2007
 
*December 2007
 
*January 2008
 
*February 2008
 
*March 2008
 
*April 2008
 
*May 2008
 
*June 2008
 
*July 2008
 
*August 2008
 
*September 2008
 
*October 2008
 
*November 2008
 
*December 2008
 
*January 2009
 
*February 2009
 
*March 2009
 
*April 2009
 
*May 2009
 
*June 2009
 
*July 2009
 
*August 2009
 
*September 2009
 
*October 2009
 
*November 2009
 
*December 2009
 
*January 2010
 
*February 2010
 
*March 2010
 
*April 2010
 
*May 2010
 
*June 2010
 
*July 2010
 
*August 2010
 
*September 2010
 
*October 2010
 
*November 2010
 
*December 2010
 
*January 2011
 

 

 

Links to Other Sites     

Cartridge Collectors Organizations:
IAA
ECRA
SAAACA

Auctions:
Auction Arms
E-Bay
Ward's Collectibles
Sold USA

Books:
Armory Publications
WCF Publications

Other Collector's Sites:
Curtis Steinhauer

Home of the Old Ammo Guy's Virtual Cartridge Trading Table


Picture Page

February 2011


A box of 1917 Frankford Arsenal .45 ACP.......

Here's a relatively early box of .45 automatic Colt pistol cartridges packaged at the Frankford Arsenal on November 16th, 1917. The .45 ACP cartridge was adopted in late 1911, first produced at the arsenal in August of 1911, and commenced production the following month.

.

.

 

The 16 cartridges that remain in this 20 round box have headstamps indicating production in April, June and October of 1917. All of these have the four-position headstamp, as shown in this picture and the one below. Beginning in July of 1917, the month was supposed to have been dropped from the headstamp, but examples can obviously be found having been made after July, as seen on the October headstamped cartridges in this box. The primers on these early .45 ACP cartridges are usually made of copper, but as is also obvious from the pictures, the primers in this box are brass. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The information stamped on the top of the box is difficult to read in places, but appears to be:

NOV 16, 1917    Loading Machine  31

Loader 10       U.Primer   Gauger SE 20   

Inspector 29  24  Packer 39  ??ADE 27

.

.

.

.

According to Hackley, Woodin and Scranton in their Volume I of History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition, brass primers can be found on some rounds dated 1916 and 1917, and these are believed to be Remington primers. The 'U Primer' in the top stamp may refer to the UMC (or Remington) primer, which might account for the primers on these cartridges being brass.

.

.


A Spanish-speaking box of Geco .38 ACP.....

Here's an interesting Spanish language box of Geco cartridges. Geco was the trade name for Gustav Genschow & Co which had ammunition factories in Berlin and Durlach, Germany. It would appear the cartridges were made for the Spanish gun manufacturer Astra, as the 'Unceta y Cia - Guernica' address on the box is the address used by Astra.

.

 

.

.

.

.

The cartridges themselves are headstamped Geco. 38ACP; I'm not sure how common this headstamp is, but I did not have one in my  collection of single cartridges, nor do I recall having seen one before.

.

.

.

The rather poorly aligned side label is also in Spanish, and was apparently applied to indicate that there was a 1,50 peseta tax which was paid to import the box of cartridges. The phrase 'Para articulos de importacion' translates to 'to import items' and 'cartuchos cargados' to 'loaded cartridges'.

.

.