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FRANKFORD ARSENAL BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE
“FOLDED CARTRIDGE” – HEADSTAMPED “FA 1976” – INTERESTING
CONCEPT CARTRIDGE: The “Folded, U-shaped, or
Encapsulated” cartridge was one of the more interesting
experimental programs that were conducted during the
1960’s and 1970’s at the Frankford Arsenal.
The Folded Cartridge was invented by Andrew Grandy
(pictured in this Frankford Arsenal photograph). The
cartridge featured a separate combustion chamber which
allowed only the gases created by the burning powder to
be conveyed to the base of the bullet, excluding the
unburned powder such as would occur in a traditional
in-line cartridge design. This concept was applied to
several calibers, however production and chambering
problems associated with the nonsymmetrical case
undermined the development, and eventually the concept
was abandoned.
Before the Folded Cartridge Project was shelved, in 1976
Frankford Arsenal produced a limited number of these
inert Bicentennial Commemorative Cartridges. As
evidenced by this specimen of that commemorative
cartridge run, these cartridges were formed with a blue
plastic case bearing a raised headstamp “F A 1976” and
were loaded with a jacketed micro-hollow point bullet.
This is a scarce example of the type of ammunition
experimentation conducted at the famous Frankford
Arsenal.
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