What is this envelope and shell casing?

[vintage40s]

I just bought a new 642-2 Airweight with Crimson Trace, which came in a cardboard box. It seems these guns used to come in a nice plastic case. So on eBay I bought a used blue plastic S&W case for the exact same gun. The case contained all the manuals and cards and keys for the original gun. Plus -- an envelope with a shell casing in it, photo attached.
I was going to throw it away, but then saw a similar envelope for a 642-2 that was being sold with its case on gunbroker.com.
What is the story on these envelopes with a shell casing in them? Like, does the factory fire one round through new guns and provide the shell casing as some kind of report, and is my new gun missing this?

 

[Rpg]

At one point Smith included a fired cartridge case with each new gun.

I’m not sure they continue to do so, since I don’t buy new Smith guns.

Hang onto the paper box. That ‘nice’ plastic case you bought isn’t highly thought of.

 

[H Richard]

There was a period of time where it was a Federal Law that every handgun sold had to have a fired shell A. Retained by the company, and B. Include a fired case with every gun sold. It was "thought" it could lead to tracking criminal activity and solve crimes. It was finally determined it was of no value in solving crimes and discontinued. It did come in handy to determine the age of the handgun.

 

[UncleEd]

Several states required a test
firing and casing as a tracking
device some years ago. No
state so requires it now.

Do a Google for a fuller explanation.

If your gun is "new" it was old
stock and that's why you got the
casing.

 

[s&wchad]

I originally posted this in 2016. The only good thing about the FC is you know when the gun was made.

The fired shell casing was supplied by manufacturers so their guns could be sold in Maryland. The concept was to create a searchable database to match fired cases found at crime scenes. The licensed dealer would remove the sealed envelope and submit it, so buyer in MD never saw it. Everyone else received a piece of once fired brass they could add to their reloading pile, save for posterity or throw away.

The law was an expensive exercise in futility. It cost the State and the manufacturers millions of dollars, but the program never resulted in a solved criminal case. Maryland repealed the law and abandoned the program last year. Their State Police are authorized to sell the brass, which should be worth about $9,000 after they open 300,000 envelopes and sort it by caliber.

The following link is a report from The Baltimore Sun. Don't bother reading more than the first couple paragraphs, but the video is worth watching.
Maryland spent millions on gun database that solved no crimes. - Baltimore Sun

 

[kscharlie]

Based on the date printed on the envelope, 09-19-08, that gun is just a tad older than "new". If the serial number on the gun matches the one on the envelope, your gun was new 12 years ago.

 

[vintage40s]

Based on the date printed on the envelope, 09-19-08, that gun is just a tad older than "new". If the serial number on the gun matches the one on the envelope, your gun was new 12 years ago.

A couple of people mis-read my first post.
My gun is new. Came from Cabelas in a S&W cardboard box with no shell casing.
The plastic S&W case from eBay, and the manual and shell casing for the gun it once held, are old. The manual was printed in 2007 and the shell's envelope says 2008.
I appreciate the answers! And will toss the shell.

 

[ejr10mm]

In NY it was called COBIS and it was ended in 2012 when someone looked at it and saw that it was a waste of 1.2 million dollars a year for a program that didn't solve a single crime.

 

[seldon14]

The S&W hard cases arn't good for much, other than wasting space, though same goes for the cardboard I guess.

 

[cmj8591]

I would just leave it in the box. Some day, 100 years from now, collectors will highly value the fired case as part of the original contents of a boxed gun.

 

[Green Frog]

Why the lack of love for the blue plastic cases? There were two variants that I’ve encountered, one with molded on clips, the other with grey clips attached. I view the clips on the former to be a potential weak spot, but the latter are most appealing to me. Other than the weird oval cutout in the upper foam, I find them most useful and attractive for my “late” Smiths. Am I the only one who likes them??

Froggie

 

[vintage40s]

Why the lack of love for the blue plastic cases? ... Other than the weird oval cutout in the upper foam, I find them most useful and attractive for my “late” Smiths. Am I the only one who likes them??

The present cardboard box is just that. The gun rattles around, with a little corner compartment that is no good for carrying anything else.
The old blue plastic case has a carrying handle, a foam lining, and room on the foam for carrying three speed strips of ammo.
The oval cut out in the foam is for slipping the gun's manual behind it.
I love the blue plastic case that I had to buy on eBay.

 

[s&wchad]

The S&W hard cases arn't good for much, other than wasting space, though same goes for the cardboard I guess.

Why anyone would save gun boxes is beyond me...

 

[CajunBass]

Don't throw the case away. You've got the start of a new hobby. Reloading.

That's how I got started. I was too cheap to throw away (any) fired brass.

 

[vintage40s]

I would just leave it in the box. Some day, 100 years from now, collectors will highly value the fired case as part of the original contents of a boxed gun.

The fired casing did not come in my new gun's cardboard box. It came in the empty blue plastic case that I bought on eBay.
The shell casing was fired from the 2008 gun that once lived in that blue case, not from my 2020 gun. The envelope containing the shell casing has that other old gun's serial number, not my gun's number.
So I see no reason to keep it.

 

[gwpercle]

Keep it as a momento (memento ?) of a gun law that sounded real good on paper but in the real world of crime , criminals and police ...
it was a BIG failure and waste of taxpayers dollars .
It was NEVER used to solve one crime !
Gary

 

[murphydog]

MD and NY were the two states involved in the fired case database debacle.

There are a couple reasons to save any kind of box, the first being people collect and pay for them. The second is this is a very rare instance of a government “crime control” scheme that not only didn’t work, but also in a temporary case of sanity was actually canceled. A good teaching tool for current and future generations.

 

[texmex]

If crooks had any brains they would pick up some empty brass at the range and drop some at any shooting they were involved in. They are usually pretty dumb so they might leave their fingerprint on the brass. Can you imagine responding to a shooting scene and finding a half dozen different cartridge cases? Wow, must have been multiple shooters using weapons from 22 Short to 50 BMG. The victim must have lots of enemies!

 

[cmj8591]

The fired casing did not come in my new gun's cardboard box. It came in the empty blue plastic case that I bought on eBay.
The shell casing was fired from the 2008 gun that once lived in that blue case, not from my 2020 gun. The envelope containing the shell casing has that other old gun's serial number, not my gun's number.
So I see no reason to keep it.

Ok. Then throw it away.

 

[gwpercle]

MD and NY were the two states involved in the fired case database debacle.

There are a couple reasons to save any kind of box, the first being people collect and pay for them. The second is this is a very rare instance of a government “crime control” scheme that not only didn’t work, but also in a temporary case of sanity was actually canceled. A good teaching tool for current and future generations.

I totally forgot that big important lesson !
Bad laws CAN be changed by electing the right politicians !!!
" in a Temporary case of Sanity" ...Love it ,
Well Said Murphydog , well said !
Gary