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FRANKFORD ARSENAL 45/70
AMMUNITION CARTON – DATED 1877 – FIRST PRODUCTION OF THE
RELOADING CARTRIDGES – SCARCE BOX:
This 20 round box of
.45-70 Rifle ammunition was manufactured at the
Frankford Arsenal in April of 1877, and is from the
first production run of the newly adopted “RELOADING
CARTRIDGE”. A notable specimen, these Reloading – or
externally primed – cartridges were produced while the
arsenal was still producing the internally primed
cartridges which could not be reloaded, and which would
continue to be produced by the arsenal for another six
years. Likely produced in comparatively limited
amounts, this was the army’s first effort to provide a
cartridge that could be reloaded by the soldiers at the
unit level and is a significant milestone in the
evolution of the US military cartridge.
The box was carefully opened
and the cartridges were removed, but the label is still
fully present and legible, the interior dividers are
intact and present, and the original pull string is
present, attached and full length. I have located one
copper case, externally primed Frankford Arsenal
cartridge – again, this particular loading is quite rare
– with the correct headstamp, “R 4 77 F” that is
included with this carton. The box is still in very
good, clean condition with solid seams, no misshaping,
and the top is still present and attached. The top of
the rear panel is missing and one end of the carton has
been replaced with a nicely matching panel from another
carton. The label is still present and fully legible,
to include “20 U.S. SPRINGFIELD RIFLE RELOADING
CARTRIDGES, CALIBER .45”, and an explanation of the
headstamp characters on the cartridges, as well as the
powder charge and bullet weight information. This style
of label is very similar to the label on the packets of
internally primed cartridges produced during this same
period. The cartridge provided with this carton is in
excellent condition with a fully legible headstamp, a
clean cartridge case and a full form lead bullet.
This is a very scarce, early
Indian War box and cartridge, and would be a significant
addition to a display of your early production Trapdoor
rifle or in your ammunition collection. (0545)
$175
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