Brief History of UMC Loaded 8-gauge Shells

[Researcher]

After posting on the 1922 10-gauge article link, I reviewed UMC catalogues last night while watching TV. During the 1890s UMC only offered 8-gauge NPEs, both paper and all brass. Their first offering of loaded 8-gauge shells came in their 1900 catalogue --



They must have realized pretty quickly that some of those bulk smokeless powder loads were too hot and scaled back by 1901 --



Things stayed the same through 1905 --



UMC then began phasing out the TRAP shell and replaced it with an ARROW shell made for bulk smokeless powder. Previously the ARROW shell had just been made for dense smokeless powder.

June 1909, 8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with bulk smokeless powder --



June 1909, 8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with black powder --

[Researcher]

8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with bulk smokeless powder 1913-14 --



8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with black powder 1913-14 --



8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with bulk smokeless powder 1918-19 --



8-gauge ARROW Shells loaded with black powder 1918-19 --



The next catalogue I have is 1923 and all that is offered is 8-gauge yacht gun blanks and 3 1/4 inch ARROW NPEs.

[Bruce Day]

Thanks Dave. You are a real resource to users of old doubles.

I would be interested in seeing the same type of documentation for 12 and sub gauges.

[Researcher]

I would be interested in seeing the same type of documentation for 12 and sub gauges.

Bruce,

That is nowhere near as simple and straight forward as these few 8-gauge loadings.

Just in my 1903 UMC catalogue as an example, for smokeless powders there are six pages of 10- to 28-gauge loads in the NITRO CLUB shell, ten pages of 10- to 20-gauge loads in the ARROW shell and two pages of 10- to 20-gauge loads in the TRAP shell. Then for black powder there are six pages of 10- to 28-gauge loads in the NEW CLUB shell. Then more pages of single ball, buck shot and scatter loads. Also lots of footnotes for longer shells, special wadding, etc.

A couple of other 8-gauge notes. It doesn't appear that UMC ever offered 8-gauge shells loaded with any dense smokeless powders. In the Peters Cartridge Co. and Western Cartridge Co. catalogues I've looked through for the period I don't see them offering anything in 8-gauge. I don't have any Winchester ammunition catalogues from the hay day of the 8-gauge, so perhaps someone else can tell us what Winchester offered.

[Elk Hunter]

Sign me up for 1000 rounds of the Arrow, black powder, 2 oz of #1 shot loads. What a load that would have been for pass shooting high ducks.

[charlie cleveland]

no wonder the old silent auction 8 ga parker was so loose and off face..she must have fired countless loads of those 7 dram black powder loads..i really enjoyed these 8 ga loadings..thanks charlie

[George Lander]

Dave: Did you ever see any reference for 4 gauge UMC or other makers shells? The 4 gauge E.M. Reilly that I purchased a few years ago came with six Winchester "Metal Lined" high brass green paper shells factory loaded with BB shot. I have not seen any printed reference to these.

Best Regards, George

[charlie cleveland]

george could you post some pictures of those green 4 ga shells...charlie

[Snap Cap]

Dave, Sears Roebuck catalogs 115 and 118 of the 1905-1910 period list smokeless loaded 8 gauge shotshells for sale. Pointer brand 8 gauge ammo manufactured by the Meriden Fire Arms Company is listed as Catalog item nos: 6T1924 and 6L1924. Both loads were listed as 5 1/2 Dram eq. 1 3/4 oz. of BB size shot only. I thought several points listed in the catalogs were interesting. Sears claimed they repeatedly tested their shotshells with electrical chronographs and that their black powder shells were loaded to average 960 feet per second while their smokeless shells were loaded to average 1050 fps. The 8 gauge brass BP shells they sold were 3" while the bulk smokeless paper 8 gauge shells were 3 1/4". The Pointer shells used a bulk smokeless powder called Triumph that was imported from England and which they claimed was superior to any American made smokeless powder and "There is no acid in Triumph to eat your gun barrel or to create an enormous breech pressure which is apt to endanger your life." Ten, twelve and sixteen gauge Pointer shells were were listed as being loaded with smokeless powder while the eight gauge Pointers were Hand Loaded with smokeless powder. The prices of boxes of 25 shells for 12, 10, and 8 gauge shells were $0.50, $0.55, and $1.37 respectively. HTH.

[Paul Harm]

Those are some loads - I'd want a heavy gun for the 7 dram loads. Thanks for posting.