ElDorado
06-17-2012, 02:15 PM
When I was young, my father liked taking the family on Sunday drives. It seems like we rarely had a particular destination, but we would usually end up out in the country, and he would stop every now and then to let us stretch our legs and have a look around.
One day in the early 1970s, we stopped near a creek at the edge of a small town where a railroad track paralleled the main road. There was a small wooden trestle where the single track crossed the creek.
I always like to look for fish when I’m near water, so I stood on the bank and made a quick inspection of the creek. The water was clear, maybe a foot or two deep, with a silty bottom. I didn’t see any fish, but I did see what look like an old car battery directly under the trestle. I ignored it and went on up the creek towards the road to look around up there.
A few minutes later, my brother, who was standing on the trestle with my father, noticed the “car battery” in the water – except he said it was some kind of box. Since my brother was just getting over the flu, Dad made me roll up my pant legs and retrieve the box.
I walked out in the creek. Sure enough, it was a box – a metal one with a handle on top – and boy, it was heavy! I got it to the bank and set it down. It was the first GI ammo can that I had ever seen. It was a fifty caliber can, the old kind with the latch on the front instead of the side. We opened the can and found that it was nearly full of 45 ACP ammo. Most of the ammo was in boxes, but some were loose or in opened boxes. It seems like most of the rounds were GI FMJ, although there were quite a few lead rounds in there.
My father invoked the old “finders keepers” rule and brought the booty home. Not having a 45 ACP, Dad called his buddy on the reserve police unit, and he picked up the ammo and found it a good home (I suppose). They surmised that the ammo may have been “liberated” by an airman from the nearby Air Force base and hidden in the creek until he could get it someplace safe.
Anyhow, Dad let us keep a few of each of the types of bullets that were in the can, and he kept the can itself, which I believe is still out in his workbench.
Now that you know the background, here are the photos of the pieces that I still have. The lead rounds are in cases with an RA 68 headstamp, the ball rounds are WCC 69.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_02.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_01.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_03.jpg
It would appear to me that the round on the far left is an H&G 68 and the two next to it are Lyman 452389. I assume these were used for bullseye matches or something similar.
For curiosities sake, I would like to know if my assessments of the mould styles are correct, and was there a “standard” bullseye load for these. I know I can find loads and work them up for my gun, I guess I’m just looking for a little shooter’s history on these loads.
Thanks for your help.
Jeff
One day in the early 1970s, we stopped near a creek at the edge of a small town where a railroad track paralleled the main road. There was a small wooden trestle where the single track crossed the creek.
I always like to look for fish when I’m near water, so I stood on the bank and made a quick inspection of the creek. The water was clear, maybe a foot or two deep, with a silty bottom. I didn’t see any fish, but I did see what look like an old car battery directly under the trestle. I ignored it and went on up the creek towards the road to look around up there.
A few minutes later, my brother, who was standing on the trestle with my father, noticed the “car battery” in the water – except he said it was some kind of box. Since my brother was just getting over the flu, Dad made me roll up my pant legs and retrieve the box.
I walked out in the creek. Sure enough, it was a box – a metal one with a handle on top – and boy, it was heavy! I got it to the bank and set it down. It was the first GI ammo can that I had ever seen. It was a fifty caliber can, the old kind with the latch on the front instead of the side. We opened the can and found that it was nearly full of 45 ACP ammo. Most of the ammo was in boxes, but some were loose or in opened boxes. It seems like most of the rounds were GI FMJ, although there were quite a few lead rounds in there.
My father invoked the old “finders keepers” rule and brought the booty home. Not having a 45 ACP, Dad called his buddy on the reserve police unit, and he picked up the ammo and found it a good home (I suppose). They surmised that the ammo may have been “liberated” by an airman from the nearby Air Force base and hidden in the creek until he could get it someplace safe.
Anyhow, Dad let us keep a few of each of the types of bullets that were in the can, and he kept the can itself, which I believe is still out in his workbench.
Now that you know the background, here are the photos of the pieces that I still have. The lead rounds are in cases with an RA 68 headstamp, the ball rounds are WCC 69.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_02.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_01.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/ElDoradoJeff/ForumPics/45_ACP_03.jpg
It would appear to me that the round on the far left is an H&G 68 and the two next to it are Lyman 452389. I assume these were used for bullseye matches or something similar.
For curiosities sake, I would like to know if my assessments of the mould styles are correct, and was there a “standard” bullseye load for these. I know I can find loads and work them up for my gun, I guess I’m just looking for a little shooter’s history on these loads.
Thanks for your help.
Jeff