Brief History of UMC Loaded 8-gauge Shells

[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.