is this military and....

[aa battery]

how old ? Thanks...aa

 

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[ivan salis]

yep its a old military ammo can -- had cartons of .38 special revolver pistol ammo in it at one time.

rock island armory --or remington arms ----- RA 5313
hummm 53 -1- 3 ------(1953 jan 3rd) or (5 - 3 0f 1913)

the 38 special was issued for pilot carry in case they went down --regular duty service pistols were 45 autos --the reason the 45 auto was invented was the moro revolt in the phillipines where the tribes men used bamboo matting as a sort of bullet proof vest and being doped up they kept coming kill the officers armed with 38's with their machetes---thus the 45 cal (hand cannon) was made --it hit so hard it knocked them off their feet even with their chest vest of bamboo so you could do a head shot to take them out.

 

[Monty]

I'm guessing Rhode Island Armory, lot # not necessarily the date, but likely, full metal patch ammunition. That's what the Air Force pilots and the Air Police carried in the 60s when I was in the AF. certainly no older than 1953. The original military .38 wasn't the special, it was the .38 long Colt that is similar to the .38 Special but is not as powerful. That's what they found out wouldn't stop a doped up tribesman during the Phillipine Insurrection. That would have been around 1908, 'cause the .45 ACP was dopted in 1910, issued in 1911. I may be off a year or so on those later dates, but it was that era. Monty

 

[Montana Jim]

I carried a .38 in the AF right up till 1995... one of the last to do so.

 

[nhbenz]

Good info provided above. I think though that the box itself could be older, perhaps not specifically made for .38 special rounds. I was under the impression (correct me if I'm wrong) that the yellow paint specs were used on re-packed boxes, (rather than their original use). aa, Are there any marks pressed into the steel?

 

[aa battery]

Good info provided above. I think though that the box itself could be older, perhaps not specifically made for .38 special rounds. I was under the impression (correct me if I'm wrong) that the yellow paint specs were used on re-packed boxes. aa, Are there any marks pressed into the steel?

hmm i dont know. Thanks guys i inherited a lot of old military stuff from my wifes family...aa

 

[Montana Jim]

15 - 30 years old... want some more?

 

[nhbenz]

I've been wrong a lot lately. :P

 

[Montana Jim]

I've been wrong a lot lately.  :P

Eh - I'm just judging the condition, and kinda looking at the paint color too - they used to be a lot darker it seems like.

Ammo cans are everyplace, re-painted, re-stenciled, re-used for all kinds of things. 
They were generally always in the way. 

 

[aa battery]

I've been wrong a lot lately. :P

Eh - I'm just judging the condition, and kinda looking at the paint color too - they used to be a lot darker it seems like.

Ammo cans are everyplave, re-painted, re-stenciled, re-used for all kinds of things.
They were generally always in the way.

they make good storage containers for....

 

[ivan salis]

think of old ammo cans as water and weather proof storeage containers --great for ammo or other what not items (hurricane supplies )---also good for cashe can for hiding stuff while playing ----geocashe --- a gps based "hide and seek" game--- and for stashing stuff the modern plastic type ammo cans are great for hiding stuff (they don't rust --and will not be picked up by metal detectors)

 

[Jagdpanther]

Radford Arsenal also known as Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Located in southwestern Virginia, 40 miles west of Roanoke.

Lot number does not indicate the date in this case. It would be post WWII but prior to the mid 70s (1975 I think MIL-STD-1168A) when the army adopted a 13 digit lot numbering system.

Under the old system the only way do date small arms was to have the outer wooden pack that would have the date of manufacture or check the head stamp on the item.

The yellow markings do not indicate a repack. If ammunition is reworked it is assigned a lot number suffix (A for the first rework B for the second...).