I found a box of this "repacked" .45 ball ammunition in a purchase I made recently. I've never seen one marked like this before. I can think of reasons why ammunition may have been repacked, but am unsure of why it was marked as such. In addition, unlike the military .45 cartridge boxes I've seen before, the top flap is glued to the side so the box cannot be opened without tearing up the box. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

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FWIW -

Do the headstamps indicate anything in particular?

Many years ago I bought 5 boxes of 45 acp ammo from a friend who obtained them in a collection. Each box was square, green cardboard with metal corners and French (IIRC) writing. Each held 16 rounds IIRC. After shooting first 3 rounds, I determined they were extra HOT. (Fired cases flew yards behind me and pistol wanted to jump from hand Later discovered they were machine gun ammo.
Don't know if this happens often, as I also understood that GI 1911's and 11 A1's were made to withstand use of the 45 Thompson MG ammo, but this French stuff was way too hot for my early blue steel commander.

Might be of concern to 'repacked' ammo as well?

Unfortunately, I am unable to open the box without tearing it up; all the flaps are glued together. I kept it sealed as a curio or in case it had some significance.

There was another box like this in the purchase I made. It was, however, torn open. It was partially full of military 45 ACP ball ammo but I don't know if they were original to the box. The headstamps were some FA 39 (Frankford Arsenal 1939, brass cases) and primarily ECS 43 (steel cases). I found the following on a surplus rifle forum:

Evansville Ordnance Plant (EC & ECS)

Located in Evansville, IN this plant was operated by the Chrysler Corp. from 1942 to 1944 and produced billions of rounds of caliber 45 and caliber 30 carbine ammunition. Most cases were made of steel using the EC headstamp. This plant also loaded ammunition using cases made at the Sunbeam Refrigerator Plant, also at Evansville, IN, with ECS headstamp.

And:

EC Evansville-Chrysler Ordnance Plant, Evansville, Ind., USA. Operated by Chrysler Corporation from June 1942 to April 1944 producing .30 carbine and .45 ACP carts

ECS Evansville Ordnance Plant ( Sunbeam Refrigerator Co.), Evansville, Ind., USA. Operated 1942-44, principal product was steel .45 acp.

So, I still don't know why it would need to be marked repacked and would have the flaps glued. Does the above help any?

DON'T open the box. You will diminish collector value......

I had some of that stuff (only repacked in 1943) from a whole "spam can" that someone at the club sold me for a very good price just a little before I found out that it was worth money (or maybe just a little before it became worth money). I opened the can and used most of it. It was some of the most accurate ammo I ever put through my 4.25" cut-down M25-2. However, it is corrosive, so the gun must be cleaned before you go to bed.

Years ago, after my father died, I found a box of .45 ammo similar to the one pictured among his things. Oddly, as far as I know he never owned a .45 auto. I don't recall the wording on the box but the box looked identical. The ammo inside had steel cases. Later still when I was grown and into shooting, I read in a reloading book about some WWII .45 ammo having been loaded in steel cases. The book warned about shooting it or attempting to reload the cases due to the material being steel instead of brass. Of course that box of ammo is long gone today.

As for the "repacked"...I don't have an answer. Maybe it was repacked from bulk for sale as surplus. Just a guess.

I won't be opening the sealed box.

I learned about damage from corrosive ammo the hard way. Back in the 80s I bought some "non-corrosive" 45 ACP from a gun shop and ran it through my Browning BDA 45. It rusted overnight, even in Colorado's dry weather.

I found an answer in a book titled “Bullets By the Billions” by Wesley W. Stout. It was about how Chrysler Corporation converted to the war effort and goes into detail about brass vs. steel cases, primers, etc. and the efforts required. I found an online copy and am reading it. Anyway, here is what it says about repacking:

“Employment had reached a peak of 12,655 in September, 1943. It was down to 7,951 by early January, reached a low of 2,401 May 31, 1944. These two thousand stayed on for the repacking of a billion and a half rounds of .45 and .30 ammunition between then and October.

BULLETS SEALED IN CANS

These cartridges had been packed originally by Chrysler and other makers in containers of double-dipped, heavy, waxed paper enclosed in heavy wooden boxes. Ample protection in the past and in the fighting in Africa and Italy, the pack failed to stand up in the South Pacific and by midsummer of 1943 General MacArthur was asking for a better one. Ordnance gave Evansville an engineering project to develop such a pack, out of which grew a heavy gauge can made by the American Can Co., hermetically sealed, opened with a turn key like a can of corned beef, and capable of being resealed with scotch tape if all the contents should not be used at first opening.” (Pages 46, 47)

“General Kirk in May. 1945, told Mr. Jacobsen that the repackaging program was the greatest single contribution made to the war by the Evansville arsenal, exceeding even its successful production of steel cases.” (Page 49)

So, I don't know why the flaps were glued but now I know why they were repacked.

I think I was given some of that same French 45 ACP ammo once upon a time.

It was a brown box with a Green label. It was loaded by S.F.M. Lot 156-56 [loaded in 1956].

When I shot it in a 1911, you could definately hear and feel the hammer drop, there was a very slight pause, then Boom.
{A slight hang fire}
It was in a 25 round box. I have one of them with me now...

Steel cased 45 ACP ammo....

Way back in the late 1960's when I was shooting Bullseye Pistol Matches, I was in High School, there was a fella that used steel cases for his reloads.

He called them "Steeliees". He loaded on a Star Progressive, with a carbide sizing die.

He owned a hardware store in Corsicana TX.

He liked the "Steeliees" because no one else would bother to pick them up...

And he had a magnet on a stick, so he could pick up "his brass" without bending over.

He said the steel cases lasted forever.

BTW, if you do shoot any of that stuff, it is advisable to use a seating die to very gently crack the seal, on every round, that is formed by the age-hardening of the asphalt (?) that is used to seal the case mouth. It was applied to seal the ammo against moisture, and it worked fine, but in very old ammo, it causes increased pressure. I don't know how much the bullet is moved to break the seal, but it is probably only a very few thousandths, and you can feel it. Like I said, some of the best ammo my 25 has seen, except for the cleaning chore.

I have many unopened 50 rds boxes of this EC stuff with the same repack stamping. I don't shoot it, its collectors stuff. About 30 years ago I purchased a shopping bag full of once fired EC steel cases at a gun show for $5. Probably 2000 cases. I've been reloading them for years, some probably over 20 times with maybe one cracked case. They do almost last forever, except the primer holes are slightly smaller than standard large pistol primers, and you really have to squish them in there. Can't use a progressive reloader, have to use an old fashioned "Rock-Chucker" with alot of leverage.

Have you tried using a primer pocket reamer?

I seriously doubt it has any collector ammo. I was buying those 'spam cans' of 900rds or so for $125 from KY Imports about 10yrs ago. All steel-cased ECS headstamp from the early 50s. We ran several cans thru my friends Thompson. I still have a few.

When I was in the USAF at Omaha, I worked in a gun shop. A guy came

in and had two ammo cans of WW II 45acp ammo in sealed cases. I

bought them. Opened one and it had wax over the top of the boxes

like you have. All steel cases. I had a 1927 Arg Colt and they worked

great. I don't remember what I did with the second can- sold it I

guess. This was about 1972. Like they said, keep it as is.

Good luck

8th

Steel case ammunition;
As I recall back when the Rifleman had a reloading column we were told not to reload it. It seems that the friction coating on the case is required to get the same grip as the brass would have on the chamber, resizing it takes the coating off.
I have some (1952) and have reloaded a few rounds, the sizing die does seem to remove the case coating. Since I have brass I have not carried the experiment further.

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