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FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70 CARBINE & RIFLE AMMUNITION
PACKETS – INTERNALLY PRIMED COPPER CASES – RARE EARLY
DATED PACKETS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION: A
rare offering, these early Frankford Arsenal 20 round
packets of .45-70 caliber ammunition were produced for
the newly adopted Model 1873 Springfield Trapdoor
Carbines and Rifles. These internally primed
cartridges were packaged in packets of this pattern from
early 1874 through early 1877 – a fairly short run - and
as a result, these early dated cartons are quite rare
and are not regularly available on the collector’s
market. With the exception of the one week
production of cartridges headstamped “US CARBINE”, the
cartridges produced during this period were not
headstamped.
These are key early Indian War era ammunition packets to
display with your early production Springfield Carbine
or Rifle, or in a grouping of Indian War accoutrements,
and would also be a significant addition an ammunition
collection.
I have the packets described and pictured below.
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FRANKFORD ARSENAL 45/70 RIFLE AMMUNITION CARTON –
DATED 1875 – EARLY RARE BOX: This 20 round
carton of .45-70 Rifle ammunition was manufactured at
the Frankford Arsenal in April of 1875, the third year
of production of ammunition for the newly adopted Model
1873 Trapdoor Carbines. A rare specimen, these early
dated cartons that contained the internally primed
cartridges which were not headstamped are seldom, if
ever, offered on the open collector’s market.
While not readily known by collectors, these packets of
rifle ammunition were regularly provided to the cavalry
troopers armed with the Model 1873 Springfield
Carbines. Although the Ordnance Department produced
cartridges with the reduced powder charge of 55 grains
specifically to lessen the recoil in the lighter
carbines, the extreme distances encountered on the
frontier caused even the mounted soldiers to request the
rifle ammunition with the heavier, and hence more
powerful, 70 grain powder charge. A rifle cartridge
packet would be entirely appropriate to display with a
Springfield Trapdoor Carbine.
The carton does not appear to have ever been opened;
rather one end of the packet broke out as a result of
paper wrapper being compromised by the weight of the
cartridges, a common cause and affect in these early
packets. The label is still present and fully legible.
Over the course of time, the cartridges were removed.
The top,
front, back, one end, and bottom panels are all original
and intact, as are the original cartridge dividers.
The carton is still in very good, clean
condition with solid seams, no misshaping. The pull
string used to open the packets is still present and
sealed under the top panel of the paper wrapper.
Dating just over one year before the Little Big Horn,
this is the type of packet which was in the inventory of
the 7TH Cavalry at the time of the battle and
all of the regiments involved in the early conflicts on
the Western Frontier, and these are the packets carried
into those battles in the saddlebags and knapsacks of
the soldiers and in the panniers of the pack trains.
This very rare, early Indian War box and would be a
significant addition to display with your early
production Springfield Trapdoor Carbine and Rifle, or in
your early Indian War ammunition collection. (0427)
$550
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No. 2
FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70 CARBINE AMMUNITION PACKET
– INTERNALLY PRIMED COPPER CASES – DATED MAY 1876 – A
RARE EARLY PRODUCTION PACKET IN EXCELLENT CONDITION –
PRODUCED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE LITTLE BIG HORN:
Manufactured at the Frankford Arsenal in May of 1876,
this 20 round box of .45-70 caliber Carbine ammunition
was produced a month before the Battle of the Little Big
Horn. While the timing would have been tight, it is
entirely possible and well within the capabilities of
the army supply system, that packets from this
production were rushed out west to supply the three
columns preparing to take the field against the hostile
Sioux, including the 7TH Cavalry at Ft.
Abraham Lincoln.
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. SOLD
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No. 3
FRANKFORD ARSENAL 45/70 CARBINE
AMMUNITION CARTON – DATED 1875 – EARLY RARE BOX:
This 20 round carton of .45-70 CARBINE
ammunition was manufactured at the Frankford Arsenal in
September of 1875, the third year of production of
ammunition for the newly adopted Model 1873 Trapdoor
Carbines. A rare specimen, these early dated cartons
that contained the internally primed cartridges which
were not headstamped are seldom, if ever, offered on the
open collector’s market.
The carton was carefully opened and the cartridges were
removed. The
top, front, back, ends, and bottom panels are all
original and intact, as are the original cartridge
dividers. The carton is still in very
good, clean condition with solid seams, no misshaping,
and the top is still present and attached along the top
front edge. The label is still present and fully
legible.
Dating only ten months before the Little Big Horn, this
is the type of packet which was in the inventory of the
7TH Cavalry at the time of the battle, and
that were carried into the battle in the saddlebags of
the troopers and in the panniers of the pack train.
This very rare, early Indian War box and would be a
significant addition to a display of your early
production Springfield Trapdoor Carbine or your early
Indian War ammunition collection.
SOLD
 
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No. 4
FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70 RIFLE AMMUNITION PACKET –
INTERNALLY PRIMED COPPER CASES – DATED SEPTEMBER 1874 –
A RARE EARLY FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION PACKET IN VERY
NICE CONDITION:
Manufactured at the Frankford Arsenal in first year of
production - September of 1874 -
this packet is in very nice condition. While still
sealed with the pull string still intact, upper right
rear corner was peeled away - probably by some early
collector to see what was inside. The label is
complete and fully legible, the edges are sharp, all of
the seams are intact, and the packet is very solid.
While not readily known by collectors, these packets of
rifle ammunition were not only supplied to the infantry,
but were regularly provided to the cavalry
troopers armed with the Model 1873 Springfield
Carbines. Although the Ordnance Department produced
cartridges with the reduced powder charge of 55 grains
specifically to lessen the recoil in the lighter
carbines, the extreme distances encountered on the
frontier caused even the mounted soldiers to request the
rifle ammunition with the heavier, and hence more
powerful, 70 grain powder charge. A rifle cartridge
packet would be entirely appropriate to display with a
Springfield Trapdoor Carbine. SOLD
 
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No. 5
FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70 RIFLE AMMUNITION PACKET –
INTERNALLY PRIMED COPPER CASES – DATED JANUARY 1882 –
EXCELLENT CONDITION:
Manufactured at the Frankford Arsenal in what would be
the last year of production -1882 -
of the internally primed cartridges, this packet is in
excellent condition. The packet is still
sealed 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.
While not readily known by collectors, these packets of
rifle ammunition were not only supplied to the infantry,
but were regularly provided to the cavalry
troopers armed with the Model 1873 Springfield
Carbines. Although the Ordnance Department produced
cartridges with the reduced powder charge of 55 grains
specifically to lessen the recoil in the lighter
carbines, the extreme distances encountered on the
frontier caused even the mounted soldiers to request the
rifle ammunition with the heavier, and hence more
powerful, 70 grain powder charge. A rifle cartridge
packet would be entirely appropriate to display with a
Springfield Trapdoor Carbine.
Any of these Frankford Arsenal packets of internally
primed .45-70 cartridges are becoming very difficult to
find and this excellent specimen is a very affordable
opportunity to add such a packet to your collection.
SOLD
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No. 6
FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70 CARBINE AMMUNITION PACKET
– INTERNALLY PRIMED COPPER CASES – DATED OCTOBER 1874 –
A RARE EARLY FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION PACKET IN
EXCELLENT CONDITION: Manufactured in the
first year of production, 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. SOLD
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