FRANKFORD ARSENAL 44 CALIBER INTERNALLY "MARTIN
PRIMED" AMMUNITION PACKET FOR THE COLT & REMINGTON
CONVERSION REVOLVERS – DATED JUNE 1871 – AN EXCELLENT
EARLY PACKET: Manufactured at the Frankford
Arsenal in June of 1871, this 12 round box of .44
caliber Internally Martin Primed ammunition was produced
for the Colt Richards Conversion revolvers and the
Remington Conversion revolvers in use by the army
between 1871 and 1873. As these converted pistols were
in use for a relatively brief period, these early Indian
War packets are fairly rare and are not regularly
available on the collector’s market.
Loaded using the “Martin” priming system, one of the
first internally
primed center fire cartridge systems which was quickly eclipsed by the
adoption of the "Benet" priming system and then the introduction of the Model 1873
Colt Single Action, and the resulting .45 caliber pistol
ammunition. The brief period these
Martin primed cartridges were in production contributed significantly to the
rarity of these 1871 dated .44 caliber packets on
today’s collector market.
This packet is in excellent condition, still sealed and
with the pull string still intact. The label is
complete and fully legible, the edges are sharp, all of
the seams are intact, and the packet is very solid.
The packet is
not fragile and is very tight. The top edge of the
front panel has some minimal misshaping, likely due to
the weight of surrounding packets in storage, but
overall the packet's form and the state of the wrapper
presents in excellent condition.
This is a rare
opportunity to acquire one of these early packets in
this condition. Whether you own a Colt or Remington
conversion revolver at this time or not, this .44
Caliber Martin Primed pistol cartridge packet from the early Indian
Wars period is a key Frankford Arsenal specimen to add
to your collection, and certainly one that you’ll never
regret owning. Finding another in this condition will
be a tall order if you pick up a Richards or Remington
conversion in the future, so give this one some serious
thought before you let it slip away.
(0501) $995
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