Question on stamping of shell boxes
 

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.

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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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 .

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

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/vi....php?item=1215

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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