Vintage .32 S&W ammo quiry?

G

greenberg86

Inactive
Hi, just got a box of vintage ammo in .32 S&W short. It was manufactured by the United States Cartridge Co. in Lowell MA. Have no other marking except the word Leswok. Can anyone tell me what that means? also, I'd like some info on the lead bullet grain and the FPS powder charge? Thanks, Steve :confused:
 
LESMOKE was the propellent used in those cartridges. It is/was a BP varient used in many small cartridges in the times smokeless propellents were replacing BP in everything.
CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD has ALL the other information you desire.
And so it goes...
 
I think Lesmok (no 'e' on the end, IIRC) is also mentioned in Hatcher's notebook. I recall it being a hybrid of black powder and gun cotton used mainly in .22 Rimfire.

{later} Here's a brief mention under "Semi-smokeless powder".

.32 S&W (aka, .32 S&W short) is a rimmed pistol round that S&W pocket revolvers were chambered in. I have my great grandfather's S&W Safety Hammerless, 5-shot break action revolver, and it shoots these small cartridges with remarkable accuracy. You can still buy the loaded ammunition from Remington and Winchester with a modern smokeless powder charge under an 88 grain RN (Rem) or an 85 grain RN (Win) bullet. The Wikipedia entry on the cartridge has a little more information.
 
US Cartridge Company was a true giant in the early years of self-contained metallic cartridges.

It was, IIRC, founded by a former Union civil war general, and became one of the largest (if not the largest) manufacturers of ammunition post 1900.

During World War I they produced enormous quantities of ammo for both the United States and for European allies.

In the 1920s they were bought by Winchester, and ammunition manufacturing was moved to New Haven.

Lesmok powder was, like other semi-smokeless powders, a combination of nitrocellulose and blackpowder.

Apparently it was also extremely dangerous to manufacture, as the combining process could have interesting effects. Winchester, owner of Lesmok, stopped manufacture after World War II.

Finally, IIRC, Les Smoke was the pen name of an early outdoors writer, back in the late 1800s.
 
If that's a full box, don't shoot any them, or write on the box, label it, etc. Collectors like them original and complete.
 
"I recall it being a hybrid of black powder and gun cotton..."

No, not gun cotton. Gun cotton is a blasting agent completely unsuitable for use in firearms.

It can be, however, a base that, with further processing, can be used in the production of nitrocellulose gun powders.
 
Does the label look like this?

LESMOK.jpg.html


ETA The photo doesn't show up for me so here is a link:

http://s116.photobucket.com/user/w30wcf/media/Collector Cartridges/LESMOK.jpg.html
 
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