Ammo Collecting

[ffuries]

Well I found two of the four hard fo find ammo examples I needed for my ammo display. This display is for the weapons I own, it will also show what the weapon was originally chambered in and the what it is chambered in now, if it was upgraded.

Examples

Austrian-Hungarian went from 8x50R to 8x56R
P1853 Enfied went from 577 Minie to the 577 Snider Cartridge

So my 577 Snider-Enfield cartridge and my 10.4x38 aka Swiss 41 finally all showed up. Still looking for a....

8x50R
8x57J

When I do find them the prices are ridiculously high for a single round or a commerical variant of the round (Soft tip). Looked at the snap cap versions, but they just don't look right. If anyone has an example of the two I'm short reach out to me and see if we can come to an agreement.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Can't help with either, but I do know the .41 Swiss. Remington was making it right up to the start of WW2, 1940 I think was the last year, maybe 41. Bannerman imported thousands of Vetterlis around 1900, and sold them for years in the catalogs. They were offered with one box of ammo for each rifle you bought to start with, and then they dropped that and lowered the rifle price. What wasn't in the advertisement was that Bannerman imported very little ammo for these rifles. Then like now the Swiss shot their weapons regularly, they used up surplus stocks of ammo. Pissed off Vetterli owners who couldn't get ammo from Bannerman had to buy Remington's new rounds, or not shoot the rifle. They bought the rifles with the expectation of a cheap shooter, this accounts for why so many Vetterlis are found with spotless bores. They went from the shipping box right up to hanging on a wall once the new owners found out about the ammo situation. Remington rounds were expensive in a time when few had lots of disposable income. They could buy shotshells cheaper, or .22 rimfire.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Oh yea, it took me 27 years to find a round of .41 Swiss in the era before the internet made it easy. It was over ten years before I even knew what round the rifles fired since nobody knew anything about them, and I had zero information in the available milsurp books. The 69/71 Vetterli was my first milsurp bought from a tag sale on the side of the road for $25

[bunkysdad]

I have never seen some of those old rounds. I was able to get a couple of rounds of more common but very cool 8mm Lebel for my small collection from Junkyard dog.

[ffuries]

A British made 577 Enfield Minie' round showed up today. Slowly getting the ammo display ready for making.

Need still:

8X57 J (8mm Round Nose)
8X50 (8mm original Mannlicher round)

On Hand:

7.62X38
7.62X54
7.62x53 Finnish
7.62X25
7.62X39
7.62X51 NATO
7.7X58 Japanese
7mm
7.5x54 French
8mm Mauser
8mm (8X56R) Mannlicher
303 British
5.56
9mm
380
12 Gauge
44 Magnum
44 Special
36 Ball
22 Long Rifle
22 Long 
22 Short
30-06
6.5X50 Japanese
223
.577 Snider-Enfield
.577 Enfield (Minie)
10.4X38 Swiss

[ffuries]

Hot damn got a lead on one of two military cartridges I'm short, just waiting to hear back from the guy. The 8X50R Austrian/Hungarian Mannlicher round.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I have cigar box's, bags, cans, and who knows what else filled with oddball rounds. Not a collection, just a pile of crap that accumulated from 40 years of buying odd lots of ammo from tag sales and flea markets because there was something in it I could shoot. The rest got saved because it was ammo, and you never know what new gun you will have next year, or ten years down the road. When this shit is all over, if we make it, remind me about that junk and we will see if there is anything in there you can use. The Snyder .577 I could have helped with, I manufacture bullets for that round for my Snyder MkII, and III

[Evil Eddy 1B]

Hello hiatus might be over with me. I might be able to help with a cartridge or two of what you need. I have some 8x56r reformed into 8x50r by Interarmco in the 60's or 70's . Plus I have a goodie package in shipping for possible other options. I have been adamantly collecting cartridges for about 10 years so I have a few. No I do not have the firearms to use them. I just the history , purpose intent, and history. Last two pictures of a possibility.

[Evil Eddy 1B]

While I am at it , a few more beauties I have.

[ffuries]

While I am at it , a few more beauties I have.

Damn what an impressive collection. I actually acquired original examples of the 8x50R and 8x57J rounds.

So far all I have done is get examples for the firearms I own. I'm afraid I that if I started getting orphan rounds, I'd want to get the gun also. Which means my wife will kill me with one of the guns....

[Evil Eddy 1B]

Yes sir. You know the best part is if she did you definitely wouldn't know as everything would be heaven afterwards.
Have a great rest of the year and Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

[tomaustin]

In 1968-69, I had a friend in Houston TX named John...as we became friends, he invited me along with several other friends to visit him at his apartment just east of downtown on Allen Parkway...When we walked in, beginning at the door, was an apartment FULL of his ammo collection....large calibers, 105 mm, 8 inch, artillery, all the way down to sub .22...1000s of rounds.........I expressed surprise and asked about his safety....he said most were live rounds....John also said, if the apartments caught fire, he was not sure how far away he could get, but would be headed in an outbound direction....lost touch with him through the years..hope he is still enjoying his collection.....

[hoopharted]

contact "Valley Guns II" in inwood WV, they have a whole display case filled with collector ammo , just google search for their web page to get their contact info

[hoopharted]

also , you may be able to get them to text a few pics to you of the display so you can see whats what