Western brass

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rockquarry

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I recently ran across some .38 Special brass with the "Western" headstamp. I've used Western brass on occasion over many years. I think it's far from scarce, but this is the first I've seen in a while and I know it's been long out of production.

Anyone know how long it's been since the Western headstamp was used? Seems like it all became Winchester or Winchester Western. Is that right?
 
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I know I was still getting Western ammo in the 1960's. I think it became Winchester-Western in the late 1960's or early 1970's. I'm still using some Western head stamped brass in .38 Special, .38 S&W, .45 Colt, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP.
 
Western and Winchester headstamps became W-W starting in the early 1960s. But not all at once. New W-W bunters replaced the old bunters as they wore out. Pretty much the same time period when Remington and Peters headstamps changed to R-P.
 
rockquarry said:
I recently ran across some .38 Special brass with the "Western" headstamp. I've used Western brass on occasion over many years. I think it's far from scarce, but this is the first I've seen in a while and I know it's been long out of production.

Anyone know how long it's been since the Western headstamp was used? Seems like it all became Winchester or Winchester Western. Is that right?
Click to expand...


1969 Google knows everything, all you need to do is ask it!
 
rockquarry said:
I recently ran across some .38 Special brass with the "Western" headstamp. I've used Western brass on occasion over many years. I think it's far from scarce, but this is the first I've seen in a while and I know it's been long out of production.

Anyone know how long it's been since the Western headstamp was used? Seems like it all became Winchester or Winchester Western. Is that right?
Click to expand...

For perspective, I've been unable to wear out, split, or crack Federal 357 mag brass from factory loads shot in the 1980s that we used when we started qualiying with carry ammo - still have so much once-fired brass that I just sold my stash of new brass because I'll never get to use it.
 
rockquarry said:
I apologize for violating protocol.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum...

You didn't violate anything and asked a valid question. If you need to know something just ask. There are many knowledgeable people here who are very willing to help.

Again, welcome aboard, hope you like it here...
 
In reality Olin was the Western Cartridge Company since1898. Winchester is even older formed in 1866. In 1931 the Western Cartridge Company acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company when they were going bankrupt. Olin ran both the Western Cartridge Company and the Winchester Repeating Arms Company as separate subsidiaries until 1935 when Olin merged the two. I'm guessing that's when the W-W head stamp began. The WCC head stamp was used for the Western Ammo Company's WWII government ammo contracts.

I believe Olin still owns the Winchester brand name and the guns are being produced under license instead of the Olin Corporation. (I could be wrong on that)
 
I remember buying shotgun shells into the late 60s still boxed as "Western Xpert Mk 5" - high brass 20 gauge #4 shot for rabbit and squirrel hunting. I also have 600-800 original box . 38 Special wadcutters in Western boxes, brass is headstamped Western. These came to me from a great uncle in New Mexico many years ago - originally given to him by a friend who was in the Border Patrol. I still load and shoot that brass, wad utters only, and kept carefully segregated from my other . 38 brass.
 
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ArchAngelCD said:
In reality Olin was the Western Cartridge Company since1898. Winchester is even older formed in 1866. In 1931 the Western Cartridge Company acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company when they were going bankrupt. Olin ran both the Western Cartridge Company and the Winchester Repeating Arms Company as separate subsidiaries until 1935 when Olin merged the two. I'm guessing that's when the W-W head stamp began. The WCC head stamp was used for the Western Ammo Company's WWII government ammo contracts.

I believe Olin still owns the Winchester brand name and the guns are being produced under license instead of the Olin Corporation. (I could be wrong on that)
Click to expand...

Olin ran the two ammo divisions as separate operations (with some interchange when needed) until the late 50's when they finally closed the Winchester ammo plant and moved all production to the Western plant. Most commercial center fire ammo was still using either Western or WRA head stamps into the 50's (some loads used Super X or Super Speed as well). I would have to check but IIRC the W-W head stamp first appeared in the late 50's but packaging was still offered as either Winchester or Western. In the early 70's everything was combined under the Winchester-Western name and packaging changed to reflect that as well.

As to the gun side Olin has licensed out the use of the Winchester name since the late 70's when they had decided to close the gun manufacturer. Currently Browning/Herstal is the license agent for the gun line.
 
Interesting stuff. I've been curious about the various permutations as I have all of those headstamps and more in the 5-gallon bucket of .38SPL brass under the bench. I've actually started sorting headstamps out and when I figure out what I have I'll try some accuracy testing, but for now I'm still reloading with mixed brass. I did come up on a big vein of Markell brass the other day.
 
Good old Western…..still have some lying around…
thadheth-albums-s-and-w-picture24898-dc92af52-68c4-4d37-838d-e309ae1cca98.jpeg
 
rosewood said:
Where do you think Google gets the info? From forum post just like this or where someone has uploaded the info.

Rosewood
Click to expand...


Google is a search engine. It simply locates information that has been posted on the internet from various sources. If you think of anything, and simply enter the question in the search field it will locate anything that contains the words or combinations of words that appear in any documents already on the internet. This can include even posts on this and other forums. If you enter the current question, when was the W-W headstamp first used?, you will even receive this thread as one of multiple sources in which "WW-headstamp" appears.
 
Alk8944 said:
Google is a search engine. It simply locates information that has been posted on the internet from various sources. If you think of anything, and simply enter the question in the search field it will locate anything that contains the words or combinations of words that appear in any documents already on the internet. This can include even posts on this and other forums. If you enter the current question, when was the W-W headstamp first used?, you will even receive this thread as one of multiple sources in which "WW-headstamp" appears.
Click to expand...

That was my point! Without post like this, it wouldn't have any information to return on the search.
 
Even the current ( last 8 years or so) W-W brass aint bad. I use the heck out of it in both 357 and 44mag and its as tough as woodpecker lips. I know I have some lots of 44 that I have at least 12 loads of some nasty h110 loads on and I aint skeered to load it again the same way. Another surprisingly tough brass is fiocchi. I know, I know but it is. Some valiber but probably twice as many loads in it.
 
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