Can anyone tell me me what these 45 Colt rounds are? They have a brass protrusion where the primer should be. The headstamp says "45 Colt WRA CO, so it's a Winchester case. They sound like they have powder in them.

Thank you for any help!
45 Colt Cartridge 1.jpg
45 Colt Cartridge 2.jpg
45 Colt Cartridge 3.jpg

What's the story on how you came by them? How many do you have?

I have not seen a .45 C round like that, and have no idea what the purpose could be. You might post a question on the International Ammunition Association website forum. You do not need to be a member to access the forum. If there is an answer, that will be the place to ask. I think the WRA headstamp stopped being used sometime in the early 1960s.

I have 21 of them. A friend asked if I wanted some very old shotgun shells, and I said sure! These were in the mix, and some Remington 32-20 ammo too.
Thanks for the info on the IAA - I'll try there, but I thought someone here might have seen them before.

From a bullet board display.

I'll check the IAA forum later to see if anyone there has an answer for you. I'd like to know, am always fascinated by oddball cartridges.

I've seen hard primers, but that's ridiculous.

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What, me worry?

Bullet Board Display sounds right! I pulled the bullet and there is something inside that is crystalized, and it doesn't move. I didn't dig around in it to see what might be underneath.

45 Colt Cartridge Bullet Pulled.jpg

Waiting to see an answer, very strange!

I have never seen bullet board display cartridges that looked like that one. And having 21 examples? And for display purposes, why would there be anything "crystallized" inside the case? There is no shortage of strange .45 Colt cartridges that I have seen, but none like that.

DWalt, It seems I can't post a question on IAA without becoming a member. I tried searching, but that doesn't seem to work; it says 'Loading' but never returns any results. Perhaps a membership is needed to search too.

Sure is different, interesting....

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Maybe old snap caps for dry fire practice.

How count you load it with a primer area protrusion that High?

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S&W Accumulator

Perhaps a "movie prop" cartridge for specially modified guns to appear loaded but completely safe to handle? Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

If that is true don't give the round to Alex Baldwin.

Let me try to get on the IAA forum for you.
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Question is now posted, and I will let you know if there are any answers that make sense.

Are you sure its not just a very high primer not seated correctly?

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SWCA #3437

Looks like short sections of turned brass rod stock to me, nothing like a primer.

I'd agree with pharmer & guess they are prop rounds for movie or stage acts. Maybe even some display settings.
They appear real from a distance, good enough for alot of settings.
But they can'be loaded into a firearm, the breech/bolt/gate won't close with that high fake primer,,which might be a demand for dummy rounds in certain settings.

A belt w/ the loops full of them looks real enough for most any need on stage.

The stuff inside looks like melted stick shellac wih some sawdust added for filler,,just a guess of course.

No answers yet from my posting on the IAA Forum. Their use as theatrical dummies to fill cartridge loops on a gunbelt seems the most probable to me, but why would there be any material inside the case?

There's no way those are designed to go in a regular gun. I don't think you could close or rotate the cylinder.

Not possible - cylinder wouldn't close, or go into battery if on a rifle.

Absolutely - looks like machined brass, very sharp edge. I've been reloading since the 70's...

Thank you!!

Possible, but any movie shot showing the base of the bullet, in a cartridge loop for example, would not pass muster.

Well, you know he said it's not his fault - everybody else's fault but not his! I saw that as a result of that incident some shows are eschewing real, or guns capable of firing, entirely and going to computer generated muzzle flashes, with the actors mimicking recoil. The Rookie was one show that said they would do that. I just can't wait....

Fair enough, I'm just grasping at straws since I can't see the brass live.

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SWCA #3437

Those could be someone’s work in process craft project for necklaces or key fobs.

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"I also cook."

That would make a lot of sense. I remember seeing bullet chain key fobs every so often 30+ years ago.

I was even given one as a gift in the 80s but even then thought the risk of forgetting about it when going through an airport outweighed any cool factor. Plus, I don't see the point in key fobs in general. They just take up room in your pocket and serve no purpose.

Ny first thought also ...

cdf121 ...do any of the "primers" appear to have been able to move inwards ... I know there isn't a spring but I wonder if the crystalized stuff you found could have been remains of a cushion for the "primers" to act as Snap Caps ?

From your photo the "primer" sticks up but it doesn't appear to stick up very far , that's why I ruled out "Craft Project" you have to drill a hole to get a ring in there ...how far does it protrude ?

Gary

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NRA Member

This is of course a purpose built cartridge. Designed as a display or training piece and for safety reasons not able to be inserted into a functioning firearm.

Smiles,

When I was a kid, every boy in school had their house key on a bullet key chain. Not anymore I'm afraid.

The problem with that is that the brass doesn't stick out far enough to drill a hole and run anything like that through it. I know it's not clear from the picture, but the machined brass is larger than a regular primer pocket, and it appears to be machined as part of the case, not just something put in the primer pocket, but I'm not sure.

How about contaacting Winchester?

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

I was assuming the machined part was added later because it looks brand new compared to the rest of the case. It would also be hard to headstamp the case with that big disk of brass in the way.

Maybe ask your friend where he got them?

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“Look life in its iron face”

The brass nub is too short to sit in a hole on a horizontal bullet display board and hold it in place. Could it be an ornamental bullet that was made so the brass nub could be inserted into a hole in a piece of metal and peened or soldered in place to make a hidden connection? For a lamp or sculpture? A enigma wrapped up in a conundrum indeed.

True on all counts - good eyes! It could be oversized on top and stuck into the primer hole and made to sit perfectly flush. I could try to pull it out, but not knowing what they were I didn't want to damage them. Who knows, it could have been some kind of personal project and not from a factory. The mystery continues...

So far, no good answers from my posting on the IAA Forum. Just the same types of speculations as seen here. Seems as though no one has seen anything like them before.

Now there's an idea!

Why would Winchester have the slightest idea as to what these are? They obviously never came from the factory that way. The fact that no one on the IAA Forum has been able to make a positive identification indicates to me that it is highly unlikely that anyone other than the individual who originally made them knows for sure what their purpose was.

You're probably right - has to be a one-off someone made for some reason. We may never know.

He said an old girlfriend worked at an auction house and they came out of an estate sale. Read 'Unknown Origin'!

I'd guess the filler/glue type matl was to both hold the false primer disc in place from the inside of the case and gives the bullet something to sit down onto.
Maybe the base of the bullet was supposed to glue itself to the substance if it is in fact something like stick shellac resin glue in there.

Maybe, maybe, maybe...
They are certainly different.

Maybe they were rejects from the key fob things and were too short to drill for the hole or the hole went askew.
So they were lathed off as shown leaving the short stub.

....Maybe they're 45Colt 'Field+' Headspace Gauges.

Now they're good for something even if you never use them...

That may wind up being the be the definitive answer.

Still not sure what that would be, and I don't know how I could ever use them...

The 45 Colt Headspace Gauge might be a possibility . Do we have any Revolver Smiths who might know if such "gauges" exist ?
I always enjoy these ...Whatizit's !
Gary

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NRA Member

Well, I tried to pull the piece out from the bottom with no success. It is a separate piece. A little gap I can get a utility blade under, but it wouldn't budge, with pliers either.

I then emptied the contents out and saw the brass protrudes inside the case at full diameter for about 0.2". I took a punch and tried to hammer it out, but no movement.

[ATTACH][ATTACH]45 Colt Cartridge Contents.jpg[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

Attached Images

	45 Colt Cartridge Inside 1.jpg (72.5 KB, 34 views)
	45 Colt Cartridge Inside 2.jpg (64.6 KB, 34 views)

Whatever these were for someone sure went to a lot of trouble to make them.

And as of a few minutes ago, there is still no positive identification on the IAA forum. If there is anyplace on Earth that a resolution of what that .45 round was intended to do could come from, it would be there.