Cartridge Collecting

My brother worked at an S&h green stamps store...

I was younger but occasionally they'd let me help out, mop the back room ect. And they'd pay me in green-stamps and along with the ones from my grandma... I remember getting a sleeping bag and a camp lantern
 
I never collected full cartridges but I definitely collected spent ones, and I don't simply mean piling up brass -- but getting one example of each different chambering I could find. As a kid, it was far more affordable than even attempting to collect whole cartridges.

At that time, I also began handloading and .38 Special was where I started. It occurred to me that there was quite an array of completely different headstamps all in .38 Special so I began to collect one example of each of those also.

Like many, haven't touched that stuff in decades, but pretty sure I have some 200+ different .38 Special head stamps. And if I know anything at all... that is probably just a fraction of what is out there. Even still, I find some of them quite interesting. A couple plastic USAC rounds, many defunct manufacturer names from years gone by. Who has shot "Dominion" brand ammo? Sounds Canadian to me.:p
 
I don't "collect" following any formula or overall plan, but any time I get my hands on a new type of defensive bullet in a handgun caliber I use I save one. I have 9-10 types of JHP/SWCHP, etc. cartridges of pretty much all my calibers.

I also have a lot of one-off cartridges for guns I don't own. Ought sixes, a big old 45-70 government.

I just like it. :)
 
I guess I don't really have an organized thought in my head of how I want to collect cartridges. I am particularly interested in American cartridges at the moment but may expand into foreign designs and military cartridges in the future. I don't want to get overwhelmed and get discouraged early on so I figured I would stick to a smaller area of interest for now.

There are very few public ranges nearby and I would like to collect complete cartridges rather than spent casings (not saying I won't pick up unique spent casings along the way). Hopefully I can find some goodies at gun shows when they come through the area and maybe some auctions here and there.

Has anyone bought from Ammo-One before? I have browsed their website to look at different cartridges and it seems like a very good reference in itself.

I don't like asking for handouts by any means but would be interested in making a deal if anyone has any items they would consider offering up.
 
I have one 455 Colt with a Dominion headstamp. It appears a lead bullet. I do not collect cartridges so if you want it I would be glad to add to your collection. I found it in a box of yard sale junk years ago and just could not bring myself to throw it away.
 
.455 Colt from Dominion was, I'm pretty sure, loaded only with lead bullets. It was the longer .455 Mk I case loaded for Colt & S&W revolvers that were in service with Canadian government police and paramilitary organizations.

Many of these revolvers were, oddly enough, marked .455 Eley...


ETA: Nope, just found a picture of .455 Colt Dominion loaded with a jacketed bullet...
 
I received my "Cartridges of the World" book a couple of days ago (14th edition btw AMP 44). It has been very useful so far but I have found it does not contain everything, but I guess I shouldn't expect it to.

I have a .257 Condor round that I can't find much information about.

I have asked around some of the gun shops and no one seems to know of any cartridge collecting clubs or individual collectors for that matter in my small part of the world.
 
COTW is a good primer, but it is by no means even remotely comprehensive.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of cartridges not listed in COTW, including many that were manufactured for years.

Another good book to have is Jean Huon's Military Rifle and Machine Gun Cartridges.
 
Mark, in similar posts of yours on other sites I have suggested that you check out the International Ammunition Association (IAA) at:
www.cartridgecollectors.org
Plenty of collector info for you, as well as info on cartridge shows. You live relatively close to the biggest cartridge show in the world, the SLICS Show this April, in St. Louis.
If you join the IAA, you will also get the members' directory and you can contact other collectors near and far. Check out the Forum on the IAA site. Ask all the questions you want, TONS of collective wisdom there.
 
Saw a site selling individual rounds of the 257 condor ( www.ammo-one.com )and the information they had is that the round was developed by Dr. Ramon Somoria and Normas designer Niles Kvale norma is supose to have only made one lot of the .257 Condor.
 
Thanks for the information sgms. I will check it out, I hadn't seen any published information on the round. That would make sense, the case is head stamped Norma Re .257 Condor. Not sure how much is in a "lot", but if that's all that was manufactured, might not be too many of them around.
 
I collected artillery rounds for years. I have Janes Ammunition 2008. The Janes book is hard to come by in many ways, but has a lot of skinny on smaller ammo too.
 
I've got a small collection, and all but a couple cases are rounds I've fired...

9mm
45acp
30 carbine
5.45x39
5.56x45
7.62x39
7.62x51
45-70
12ga
-flechette
-grapeshot
-50BMG sabot
-dragon's breathe
enbloc of 30-06
50BMG
40mm

I should really toss in one of my rounds of .22 in there :P
 
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