musket caps
- Thread starter jjlesax
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
No they are not.
They are thoroughly corroded rimfire cartridge cases.
Are you sure that the letter in the center of the big one is an E? It looks like it could be an H, which would mean that it's a Winchester case.
The small one looks like it could be a .22, the larger one a .38 or possibly a .44 rimfire. Hard to tell overall.
EDIT IN - No, you're right, it does look like it might be an E, which could stand for Eley, a British manufacturer.
Where did you find these?
Judging by your IP address, it looks like you're posting from somewhere in the United Kingdom, so an E would be a good bet for that cartridge.
They are thoroughly corroded rimfire cartridge cases.
Are you sure that the letter in the center of the big one is an E? It looks like it could be an H, which would mean that it's a Winchester case.
The small one looks like it could be a .22, the larger one a .38 or possibly a .44 rimfire. Hard to tell overall.
EDIT IN - No, you're right, it does look like it might be an E, which could stand for Eley, a British manufacturer.
Where did you find these?
Judging by your IP address, it looks like you're posting from somewhere in the United Kingdom, so an E would be a good bet for that cartridge.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Copper cases for older rimfire cartridges were used for many years.
In the United States final production of the larger (above .22 rimfire) copper cased rounds finally shut down in the late 1930s as American industry came online to support the ramp up to World War II.
Many of the less popular ones had been dropped around World War I, or just after.
Production of .22 rimfire copper cases apparently continued into the 1950s in the United States.
I don't know what British industry practices were, though.
In the United States final production of the larger (above .22 rimfire) copper cased rounds finally shut down in the late 1930s as American industry came online to support the ramp up to World War II.
Many of the less popular ones had been dropped around World War I, or just after.
Production of .22 rimfire copper cases apparently continued into the 1950s in the United States.
I don't know what British industry practices were, though.
Mike Irwin
Staff
The top one, i'm not sure what that is. It's hard to get any kind of scale as to how large or small it is.
Try laying a ruler beside the item so we can see approximately how big it is.
The 8mm Geco case is very likely a blank.
Geco is a trade name used by Dynamit Nobel, a German manufacturer and apparently the parent company of Gustav Genschow & Co.
The 8mm blank was a fairly popular cartridge for blank firing guns in Europe when those were still allowed.
As you can see from this page (http://www.google.com/search?q=8mm+...lup5pP-UFQ&oq=8mm+blank+pistol&aq=f&aqi=&aql=) there's still a lot of interest in them.
One use for them that just popped into my mind is for training retriever dogs for bird hunting. The blanks get the dogs used to the sound of gunfire. It's possible you found one that was so used.
Try laying a ruler beside the item so we can see approximately how big it is.
The 8mm Geco case is very likely a blank.
Geco is a trade name used by Dynamit Nobel, a German manufacturer and apparently the parent company of Gustav Genschow & Co.
The 8mm blank was a fairly popular cartridge for blank firing guns in Europe when those were still allowed.
As you can see from this page (http://www.google.com/search?q=8mm+...lup5pP-UFQ&oq=8mm+blank+pistol&aq=f&aqi=&aql=) there's still a lot of interest in them.
One use for them that just popped into my mind is for training retriever dogs for bird hunting. The blanks get the dogs used to the sound of gunfire. It's possible you found one that was so used.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Were you near a graveyard?
That looks almost like the metal tip that used to be put onto the bottom of the stick used to support a small national flag used to decorate graves.
I remember them from when I was a little kid.
My guess, though, is that it's the tip off something.
That looks almost like the metal tip that used to be put onto the bottom of the stick used to support a small national flag used to decorate graves.
I remember them from when I was a little kid.
My guess, though, is that it's the tip off something.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Good call, Mal, that does look like a practice tip.
As for the large cartridge, if that IS an E, and it looks like it to me, it would be Eley Brothers and no later than 1918 according to my headstamp guide.
If it's a B, it would be Birmingham Munitions (or something similar) also used up to World War I.
As for the large cartridge, if that IS an E, and it looks like it to me, it would be Eley Brothers and no later than 1918 according to my headstamp guide.
If it's a B, it would be Birmingham Munitions (or something similar) also used up to World War I.