Interesting Head Stamp

[three50seven]

I noticed this odd head stamp while loading up some .357 this evening. It is obviously a Winchester nickel .357 Magnum case, but it looks like it has been stamped "3 | D" at some point. Anyone ever see a case like this?

153756

[Tim357]

There was an outfit years ago that commercially reloaded ammo that went by the name of 3D. Never saw the ammo, but I do have an empty box somewhere.

[Vann]

There used to be a manufacturer that sold ammo under the 3D name. I wonder if it may have been made by them before they started buying brass with their own head stamp. They also sold reloaded ammo, maybe they tried to remark it if they reloaded it.

[Scharfschuetze]

That brings back a few memories.

3D loaded ammo was common in the 70s and 80s on police ranges. At the time, most departments used SWC or WC ammo in revolvers for training and 3D loaded a lot of that ammo in already fired cases. I guess now it would be called "remanufactured ammo." It was probably a pretty lucrative market given that almost all PDs used the 38 Special or 357 Magnum as an issue revolver.

Hornady bought the 3D company's equipment and machinery some time ago. Like Hornady, 3D was a Nebraska based company.

[three50seven]

Very interesting...you learn something new every day! Thanks all!

[376Steyr]

Now that is interesting. I've found plenty of 3-D brand cases with a regular headstamp, but I never knew they did an overstamp on brass by others.

[pacomdiver]

I have a couple 3D boxes out on my reloading bench

[three50seven]

I came across another one last evening. The stamp on it was really feint, but it was the same stamp.

[runfiverun]

I have a full box of these [38 sp. 158gr swc] sitting out in the kitchen, they are remanufactured rounds and the brass is a mix of fed/rem/win cases.
none of them have a 3/D stamp on the head.
the box is purple with white writing.