Over on the private side, I posted a WTB request for a preferably unopened box of .44 S & W Special ammunition manufactured between 1906 and 1918, that is ammunition produced contemporary to the Triple Lock. No responses yet, but does anyone have boxes of the aforementioned they can post photographs of? I'm not even sure what I am looking for as far as appearance and manufacturer.

Here is my TL with exact period ammo. Very scarce and very expensive. Big Larry

I was going to say, "This is serious business---bring money!!", but Larry beat me to it.

Ralph Tremaine

I would have expected Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co to be appropriate, but with over 15,000 manufactured in the Triple Lock alone, why would .44 S & W Special be so rare?

Maybe more people shot it than saved it for collectors?

EXACTLY!!!

BTW, please note that these are "central" fire cartridges, not "center" fire.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Well, of course most would be fired, as with any ammunition.

But, it was with surprising ease I located these three boxes of .45 Colt ammunition, Frankford Arsenal, 1878. So easy in fact that I located a full unopened box and must have acquired an open box with it and then when an opened box came up for sale some time later, I acquired it, only to discover I already had an opened box of the aforementioned, thereby giving me three boxes, sort of by accident.

Attached Thumbnails

 

I'd be curious as to what those would chrono at, as compared to modern .44 Spl.

__________________
SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

If you could travel back 110 years and try to explain collecting of these models and the ammo to most shooters of the time, they would more likely believe you were time travelling than that anyone would collect these. While the wealthy bought really top end stuff, I doubt many were collectors in the same sense as many members here.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

If I should be able to find that which I seek, how deeply will I have to dig in my pockets?

To us highbrows, that's ".44 Calibre Centre Fire".

__________________
They lack our altruism.

Not only was most of it shot up, these were sold back in the day when a box of 50 rounds might last someone a couple of years. The days of a casual range trip consuming 100 rounds or more are a relatively modern phenomenon.

The city where I used to po-leese had a pawn shop that would sell you individual cartridges. I saw a number of folks over the years come in and buy 5-6 rounds at a time.

It was handy for me too. I once held a gunsmithing FFL and I could buy a few cartridges to test fire a gun if it was a caliber I didn't have on hand-.25 ACP, .32 S&W, .32 Short and Long Colt, etc.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

When I lived in Missouri, the local "Gas, Guns, & Beer" stations would have open boxes of ammunition sitting around. You could buy onesy-twoseys just like a single cigarette or can of beer.

__________________
They lack our altruism.

Maybe some folks didn't think they need .44 Russian +P?

I paid $364.83 OTD at Wards Auction. It is a sealed box. I also managed to out bid some folks for a 38-44 Winchester semi jacketed sealed box.
The 44 stuff is very scarce as is any original ammo over 100 years old. I collect ammo to go with my firearms, so I know how expensive it can be. Big Larry

It's my understanding that original factory loads for 44 S&W Special were loaded to the same velocity the predecessor cartridge. Many have wondered why.....maybe so experimentors like Elmer Keith had plenty of room to hot load them. Maybe because steel used in early 1900s guns wasn't being heat-treated yet. The first 800,000 Springfield 30-06 rifles weren't heat treated and we are cautioned to not use hot ammo in them.

__________________
Bob.
SWCA 1821

I had "guessed" $300 to $350. So I might have to dig a little deeper.

When was that box purchased?

I was under the impression is that the initial heat treat method was unreliable. After Feb 1918, around S/N 800,000 for Springfield and exactly serial number 285,507 for Rock Island, the Ordnance Department commenced double heat treatment of receivers and bolts.

It proved impossible to determine, without destructive testing, which receivers and bolts were so affected and therefore potentially dangerous. Shooting any of the so-called "low number" rifles has been a topic of heated debate ever since.

Not to stray too far from the topic, the early 1903s were heat treated by eye. Unfortunately that is a skill not easily learned and the rookies often need retraining.

Kevin

__________________
Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Thanks for the further information on heat treat and '03s. When I bought my rifle many years ago I was totally unaware of the heat treat problem. When I did learn, I hurried to my safe to check the SN. Happily, my SN is above 800,000 by a bit. I had already fired a whole series of handloads when I was learning to load '06 ammo. The rifle survived and went to the range about a year ago for a workout.

__________________
Bob.
SWCA 1821

The double heat treated M1903's were amongst the strongest actions ever made, near impossible to blow up. I used to collect US militaria and had a few I loaded rather heavily, and they were super accurate. Big Larry