Rare .38 Special headstamps

[David LaPell]

What are the rare headstamps for .38 Special brass? I know .38-44 is one, but are there others. I was given a milk jug full of .38 Special brass over the weekend, and I found a couple Browning .38 Specials and one that says AMRON. Also there is some with what appears to be military markings. I don't know how rare mine are, but are there any really rare .38 Special headstamps out there?

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

There are some rare ones out there, but without my .38 Special headstamp guides, I couldn't give you any specific examples.

The .38 Spl is probably the 2nd most widely produced handgun cartridge throughout the world, right behind the 9x19mm.

There have been many short-run productions of cases made for small independent ammo makers here in the States which are often hard to find. And all of the major U.S. manufacturers have outsourced their case production to other manufacturers. These cases often have a slight variation in the h/s to distinguish these cases as being made by an outside source.

Headstamps also can vary from the same manufacturer over the years as h/s bunters wear out and are replaced, especially with the 9mm. Example. Just with PMC in 9mm there are about 7-8 variations of h/s with wide letters and skinny one, small and large, close set and wide apart, some with dots (periods) between the letters and some without. But such variations are not as common with the .38.

Some styles of h/s's can even tell one what type of equipmnt was used to make the cases, specifically with Speer.

Some of the hardest to find cases will come from foreign countries from the Asia and Indonesia.

Fired cases that you will probably never find would be the CCI Blazer aluminum ones that are made as retirement cartridges for their employees. It's hard enough to find loaded samples of these rounds and I doubt that no one will be shooting any of these limited poduction retirement rounds.

One of my favorite cartridges in 9mm is a alum CCI Blazer stamped "Sam's" for Sam Walton. It was to be an exclusive product for Walmart but the company decided not to go forward with the project. A single "Sam's" cartridge can go for around $10 or more depending on who's selling and how much the buyer is willing to pay.

 

[Gatofeo]

I've seen far more Browning ACP cartridges than .38 Specials. For some reason, the .380 and 9mm cartridges with BROWNING on them seem to be the most common.

AMRON is from Gulf + Western Systems, Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
Its most common cartridge is .38 Special, though I seem to recall seeing a few .45 ACP with AMRON on them. I may be wrong on this.

The old .38 Special high-pressure load should not be fired in anything but large-frame guns: N-frame Smith & Wesson, Colt Peacemaker, Colt New Service, etc.
These loads are a significant step up in pressure from the old .38 loads. Such cartridges are identified by the inclusion of Speed, HS or .38-44 in their headstamp.
These higher pressure loads were introduced in the early 1930s, as I recall. They were manufactured into the 1960s, possibly the early 1970s.
I wouldn't shoot such a cartridge. It's a nice little collectible.

 

[guesser]

I have had a few 38 Special cases come thru my hands that were marked "INEL" and 38 Special. I suspect that they were marked especially for the "Idaho National Engineering Laboratory" west of Idaho Falls on US 20. Used to be the Atomic Energy Commission site and has changed names several times. They employ a Para-Military style security group including black helicopters with radar and infrared imaging systems. I have never been able to confirm or deny the "INEL" head stamp. Anyone know?

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

I have had a few 38 Special cases come thru my hands that were marked "INEL" and 38 Special. I suspect that they were marked especially for the "Idaho National Engineering Laboratory" west of Idaho Falls on US 20. Used to be the Atomic Energy Commission site and has changed names several times. They employ a Para-Military style security group including black helicopters with radar and infrared imaging systems. I have never been able to confirm or deny the "INEL" head stamp. Anyone know?

The ammo made with INEL cases were manufactured for:

EG&G Inc.
Idaho National Engineering Labratory
Idaho Falls, ID

"This headstamp occurs on cases made by Starline in the 1980's and loaded by Nevins Ammunition Inc. in Boise, ID. During this period , EG&G held the contract for plant operations and security for the Labratory and this ammunition was apparently produced by the Labratory security unit." Only brass cases are known to have been made.

Info from:
Otto's 38s
A Guide to 38 Special and 357 Magnum Headstamps
Vol. 1 A-N
By: Otto Witt

 

[rburg]

and one that says AMRON.

Maybe it should say Amway, and was used to eliminate door to door salesmen?

 

[smith17]

Pre-war Winchester with Super Speed 38 Special are not exceedingly common.