Question on stamping of shell boxes

[Garry L Gordon]

I bought several shell boxes yesterday at a local auction. After I examined them I found two were stamped "U.S. Property" I'm not a collector of shell boxes and know very little about them, but this is the first I have seen of this stamping.

Can anyone tell me what this means? Is it a war year stamp required by the government? Does it help identify the timeframe of manufacture?

Thanks for your help.

[Dean Romig]

I know that Skeet was used as part of military training for hitting a moving target. Might be some surplus ammo....





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[CraigThompson]

My pop told me when he was in the service back in the 50’s on each base in the US he was stationed they had a sports thing where you could check out sports equipment to use on the base . And it included rifles and shotguns for shooting and or hunting . He told me when he was stationed in Savanah they had Winchester 21’s , 12’s and 70’s . So “perhaps” these were shells sold to the military for “sporting” use on one of the bases .

[John Dallas]

Apparently, they used M31 Remingtons also, as I bought a surplus stock from SARCO years ago, still wrapped in vintage newspaper.

[Dave Noreen]

That style box came into use just before WW-II. We see quite a few of these U.S. Property boxes come up in Wards Auctions --

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1215

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1361

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1376
With the HELP CONSERVE WILD LIFE -- COOPERATE WITH FARM OWNERS this is a post war box.

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1388

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1538

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/viewitem.php?item=1064

[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks to all for the information. I'm still wondering why the boxes were stamped this way. If this is a pre-WWII stamping, what is the reason? Any thoughts?

[charlie cleveland]

your no 6 shot was either used for training aid for bombers and anti aircraft...also used for just plain shooting trap and such but the 00 buck boxes were probably ueed for guard duty puroposes... i know our compound was still guarded by model 97 winchesters and useing 00 buck in 1967 and 1968.....charlie......collecting shot shell boxes is neat stuff....charlie

[William Davis]

At Oceania trap and skeet on the Navy Air station government furnishes shells to units for recreation. Mostly AA in Commercial boxes but I have bought AA empties marked US Property . All # 9

Some unknown reason they stoped selling empties. Fortunaly I laid in a good supply while they were available .

William

[Dean Romig]

Some unknown reason they stoped selling empties. Fortunaly I laid in a good supply while they were available .

William

During the last presidential administration it became 'illegal' for the military to distribute reusable ammunition cases - they were to be shredded and recycled.






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[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks again to all!!! So...any educated guesses on when these shells might have been purchased/used?

[charlie cleveland]

these shells are from 1938 to 1945 .....charlie

[Garry L Gordon]

these shells are from 1938 to 1945 .....charlie

Thank you, Charlie!

[todd allen]

I know that Skeet was used as part of military training for hitting a moving target. Might be some surplus ammo....





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Number 6s are skeet shot built to government specs.

[Garry L Gordon]

I’m intrigued by all of this. When did the manufacturers stop making 2 9/16” shells? I assumed sometime around 1930. It might narrow down a date window.

[Dave Noreen]

I’m intrigued by all of this. When did the manufacturers stop making 2 9/16” shells? I assumed sometime around 1930. It might narrow down a date window.

16-Gauge History lesson --

From the late 1890s until after WW-I, the heaviest 16-gauge loads our North American ammunition companies offered were 2 3/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 22 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite, pushing 1 ounce of shot. Those loads could be had in the "standard" 2 9/16 inch case or any of the longer 2 3/4, 2 7/8 or 3-inch cases. In late 1922 or early 1923, Western Cartridge Co. added the 16-gauge to their progressive burning powder, high velocity loads called Super-X, but unlike the 1 1/4 ounce 12-gauge and 1 ounce 20-gauge Super-X loads which were put up in Western's 2 3/4 inch FIELD shells, the 1 1/8 ounce 16-gauge Super-X load was put up in their 2 9/16 inch FIELD shell. When the Lubaloy shot Super-X loads were introduced in July 1929, they were put up in Western's high brass RECORD shell, but the 16-gauge still in a 2 9/16 inch length case.

The 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge shell really began to get some traction when Remington Arms Co., Inc. introduced their Model 11 and "Sportsman" autoloaders in 16-gauge in 1931, chambered for 2 3/4 inch shells. While Remington's regular Nitro Express 16-gauge progressive burning powder load was put up in a 2 9/16 inch hull with a load of 3 drams equiv. pushing 1 1/8 ounce of shot, for their new 16-gauge autoloaders they introduced the slightly faster Auto-Express with a 3 1/4 drams equiv. charge pushing 1 1/8 ounce of shot --

70938

70937

I'm thin on Winchester ammo catalogues, but for sure by 1934, they were offering a similar 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge load.

The 2 3/4 inch Magnum shells with 1 1/2 ounce in 12-gauge, 1 1/4 ounce in 16-gauge and 1 1/8 ounce in 20-gauge first appear in the December 15, 1954, Western Cartridge Co. catalogues.

Western Cartridge Co. added a 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge to their Super-X offerings for 1938. From 1938 through 1942 they called this 16-gauge 2 3/4 inch Super-X shell "Magnum", even though it was still a 1 1/8 ounce payload. By Western Cartridge Co.'s March 7, 1946, catalogue the term "Magnum" was gone from this 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell. In Western's January 2, 1947, catalogue, the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell was gone from both the chilled shot and the Lubaloy offerings, and their only 2 9/16 inch shells being offered were Xpert. This may have been an oversight, as the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell with chilled shot is back in Western Cartridge Co.'s April 8, 1948, catalogue and price list, and the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X loads remained until their last appearance on Western Cartridge Co.'s January 2, 1962, catalogue and price lists, where it is "available until stocks depleted." By Western Cartridge Co.’s January 2, 1963, catalogue and price lists the new Mark 5 was introduced and all the 16-gauge Super-X offerings are 2 3/4 inch. By the January 2, 1964, Western Cartridge Co. catalogue and price list the 16-gauge 2 9/16 inch Xpert shell is gone as well.

Remington Arms Co., Inc. dropped their 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge shells with their switch to plastic hulls which began in 1961. By the 1962 Remington Arms Co., Inc. catalog all the paper 12-, 16- and 20-gauge Remington Express, Magnum, Buckshot and Rifled Slug Loads were marked available subject to stock on hand. By the 1963 catalog the 10-gauge Express and Magnum loads were in plastic, and the Shur Shot 12-, 16- and 20-gauge Field Loads were being put up in plastic.

[Garry L Gordon]

Incredibly informative! Information like this is well worth the (life!) membership. Thanks again, Dave, for increasing our knowledge (and most assuredly, mine).

[Dave Noreen]

Another thing to note on these blue and yellow Western Cartridge Co. both Xpert and Super-X loads to help date them is the type of wads. The early boxes will show the Seal-Tite wads --

70943

70945

Fairly soon after WW-II Western replaced the Seal-Tite wad with their Super-Seal Cup wads --

70944

70946

as they began using the Super-Seal "pie crimp" on their hunting loads. The 16-gauge 2 9/16 inch shells don't appear to have ever gotten the Super-Seal crimp but continued to be made with the roll-crimp to the end of production.

Just to muddy the waters, the Xpert 12-gauge Trap and 12-, 16- & 20-gauge Skeet loads got the Super-Seal crimp for 1938 and along with that the cup base wad but still the Seal-Tite wad --

70947

[Garry L Gordon]

This is all so fascinating!