✅ SOLVED U headstamp id

[McCDig]

Found this on 26Apr17 in Baltimore County on an old farm property.

It appears to be a dropped cartridge that over time lost most of the lead from the end. There was a lead stain in the soil at the end of the cartridge. The head stamp is a "U".

I'd appreciate hearing from someone whose knows such cartridges if this is a .50 cal or greater and if it may be a Spencer.

 

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[McCDig]

Follow-up: Noted the brass crimp at the bullet end, so this would be a post-Civil war piece.

Would this be a handgun or long-rifle cartridge?

 

[Tpmetal]

doesn't seem like a cartridge.... no place for primer or hole to set off powder? unless its unfired rim fire with no bullet

 

[McCDig]

Positive this is a rimfire cartridge. Not certain what carbine would use it though. Peabody? Spencer?

 

[ecmo]

What I believe you have is a .44 caliber Henry rimfire cartridge manufactured by Remington. U marking for union metallic arms munitions of Remington. I know not nearly everyone owns a caliper but that's the way ammunition is correctly and precisely measured, but your ruler shows 7/8 in. and the case length for the Henry was .875 or 7/8 inches.

The Henry leveraction rifle was used already in last part of the Civil War, than shortly after the war Winchester bought Henry and made some improvements to the rifle like adding a wooden forearm as one improvement and it became the 1866 Winchester, still fireing the same cartridge.

Yes in the early days this case was made from copper but ammunition manufacturers made that round until the depression of the 1930's so as you know brass casses had been produced for many years.

Don

 

[Tpmetal]

yup your in the right range .50 - .56 spencer peabody or possibly 44 henry? leaning towards .44 henry

 

[McCDig]

Thank you, Don. I read that this caliber Henry was made into the 1930s, so we may not be able to date this cartridge as 19th century.

 

[McCDig]

Thank you, Tpmetal. A cartridge that could be 19th century. Appreciate your input. I know next to nothing about these things.

 

[BosnMate]

From the looks of the crimp on the end, apparently it's a blank cartridge. The army used blanks for training horses to gunfire.

 

[McCDig]

Thx BosnMate! That puts a unique spin on this id.

 

[4x4x4]

....my 2 cents.... I find many older 22cal. cases with the same "U" ..... curious.

 

[McCDig]

Thx 4x4x4! Same with me. Union Metallic Cartridge Co. started making cartridges in 1867. Most UMC targets I've dug are of the shotgun shell variety.

 

[smokeythecat]

From what I read, almost all the headstamps started after the Civil War , primarily in the 1880 range. I purchased a few cartridges (complete, non dug), from a noted dealer in Gettysburg and got quite the lowdown on the rimfire cartridges. The "U" is post Civil War but 19th century. Easily someone's ex military deer rifle. That happened a lot. Nice find.

 

[ivan salis]

if its a 44 henry -- look for the unique dual strike firing pin marks ...