Anybody Collect Vintage Ammo? Picture Heavy.

[chud333]

Any of you guys collect old vintage ammo or boxes?
These just bring back so many good memories for me seeing
an old box that grandpa used to reach in and grab a handful
of shells before heading out to rabbit hunt.

I try and collect the best condition possible and these are all
full boxes of ammo.

I have no particular rhyme or reason in my collection other than these are all brands i remember seeing, shooting, reading about.
That is, other than the CIL "Canuck" which is a Canadian manufacturer.

I also mostly collect the .22's as they are smaller and they are
what i really like best.
Enjoy and reminesse a little.












Chuck

 

[Calaveras Slim]

Super collection, and thanks for the memories. I have some of those boxes on my shelves but with reloads not factory fresh ammo.

 

[billwill]

So this is where all of the 22 has been going. You've been stockpiling for a while...huh?
Neat to see alot of the old box designs and brand logos.

 

[italiansport]

Great pictures:
I've been buying old ammo in original boxes whenever the opportunity has presented itself and the price has been favorable. Like everything else associated with firearms it's become cost prohibitve in recent years so I'm please I got what I could when I did.
That's a very impressive collection!
Jim

 

[Douglas8860]

Thanks for the post Chuck! Seeing the Peters, Remington, and especially Western Super X boxes brought back a flood of memories of Autumn hunting outings with my Father and Grandfather. The smell of spent gunpowder, falling leaves, and Federal paper-hulled shot shells fill my memories of past adventures.

 

[Alpo]

I don't see it in any of yours, but I have seen pix of "collector ammo" where the boxes are very shiny, reflecting the flash.

After thinking if over, I decided they were wrapped in Saran Wrap, which would protect the boxes from dust and dampness, but (unlike scotch tape) not make any permanent change to the box.

Does that seem like a GOOD idea, or a BAD one?

 

[Alpo]

Oh, and that box of gallery loads, in the bottom left corner. It is much larger than the other 22 boxes. How are they packed? Or is it, maybe, a larger box than fifty rounds?


edit: I just blew the picture up. 250 rounds. Ah.

 

[federali]

Cartridge Collecting

When I was a boy, my grandfather owned property near a private gun club with an outdoor shooting range, near the hamlet of Rock Hill, on the old Route 17 in the foothills of NY's Catskill Mountains. I'd wander there and find shell casings and occasional live rounds in the grass surrounding the shooting benches.

That was about 60 years ago. My collection has grown to more than 500 different cartridges, including many British elephant cartridges and a good sampling of America's cartridges through the decades such as he .44-40, .30-40 Krag, 6mm Lee Navy, 218 Bee, 219 Zipper, etc.

Box collecting is a recognized part of cartridge collecting, particularly 20th century shotshell boxes with their beautiful artistry. There's also an international association of cartridge collectors with a quarterly magazine. A google search brings up tons of info on various aspects of cartridge collecting.

 

[walkin jack]

I don't call myself a collector of vintage ammo but I do have This British Webley MK I that a friend left to me....along with 144 rnds of .455 ammo made in 1943/44.

As the pics will show this ammo came in boxes of 12 rnds each and was sealed with brown paper tape. Each box is dated on the top. The tape was broken on 3 of the boxes but completely intact on the other nine. I fired one box that was open through the gun and took the rnds out of another of the open boxes to use in a display (shadow box) with the revolver. So now I have 9 12rnd sealed boxes and one unsealed box and several loose rnds of .455.

No pics but I also have 5 .38 rnds from my grandfathers 1885 S&W topbreak revolver and 14 rnds of .32acp that was with my dads Colt 1903 Which he carried as a B-29 pilot during WW II Don't know when the .38s were made but the .32 would have been made around the same time as the .455.

 

[Frank237]

I started collecting boxes and different ammo back in the late 1950's when I was just a pup. Over the years I have acquired so many singles, boxes of loaded rds and empty boxes that it would take a wall to display them all. Mostly rifle and pistol but a few dozen shot shell boxes too.

Sad to think of ALL the boxes I passed up over the years though. Back in the mid 70's the Dept I worked for issued S&W ammo. I can recall a hundred empty boxes in the 55 gal trash can at the range after an annual qualification. Or the tens of thousands of boxes I've passed up on gun show tables over the years as I seldom BOUGHT boxes.

Few weeks back a friend gave me a 40 year old brick of SEARS .22 ammo. Been quite a few years since I saw ammo from Sears. A different time back then.

FN in MT

 

[the ringo kid]

Fantastic collection. All i have are two vintage boxes of either remington or Winchester 30-40 Krag cartridges that came as part of the purchase for my 1898 Krag Carbine.

 

[mojave30cal]

As we old Hawaii long board surfers from the 60's say, "Bitchn"
collection. I had a question for you on one of the boxes:
Can you give an approximate date for the Western Super-X
.357 Magnum Lubaloy Blue over yellow box? I have a 1950
pre-model 27 and wondered if that colored box would be
correct? Mahalo in advance.

 

[30-30remchester]

I have collected antique ammo for 50 years now. At some point in collecting, a person has to specialize. I settled on 22's, 30-30, 30-06, 25-35 and large bore bottleneck cartridges. I collect more than necessary so I have trading stock. Does anyone have needs and trading stock?

 

[chud333]

I don't see it in any of yours, but I have seen pix of "collector ammo" where the boxes are very shiny, reflecting the flash.

After thinking if over, I decided they were wrapped in Saran Wrap, which would protect the boxes from dust and dampness, but (unlike scotch tape) not make any permanent change to the box.

Does that seem like a GOOD idea, or a BAD one?

Alpo,
Yes, i believe thats's what some people do is wrap them in saran wrap for protection. I just prefer to leave mine as is.
I keep them in a dry, stable temperature environment and
when i want to open a box and look at the ammo itself from
time to time, it is much less a hassle.
Especially like to look at the older .22 shot shells from my
younger days. Remember when the case mouths were crimped
on the .22 shot shells? You don't find them like that anymore.

Chuck

 

[Alpo]

Actually, both Federal and Winchester still make them.

Shotshell | 22 Long Rifle | Rimfire Ammo | Ammo

I thought Remington did, but apparently they have been discontinued.

 

[weatherby]

collect no....randomly acquire yes.

But it is nice when I acquire something and justify it with......I have ammo for that.



I could use a broomhandle

 

[30-30remchester]

Weatherby, nice collection. I really like your Whiz Bangs.

 

[chud333]

Actually, both Federal and Winchester still make them.

Shotshell | 22 Long Rifle | Rimfire Ammo | Ammo

I thought Remington did, but apparently they have been discontinued.

Well i guess they do still make them. New one on me.
I thought they had all gone to the plastic shot cup
design on the .22 shot shells. Thanks for the correction.

Chuck

 

[wbraswell]

Great collection, Chuck. Nice pics.

 

[BigBill]

I have some old Peters blue box 12ga full of the orginal paper body shotgun shells. What's the value?