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.45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGES AND SHOT FILLED GUARD
CARTRIDGES - SCARCE INDIAN WAR ERA ISSUE
CARTRIDGES: Well known to have been issued to
and used by the soldiers to augment their meager
standard issue rations with small game, these
cartridges, rather than being loaded with a lead bullet
were loaded with hollow wooden sabot filled with small
bird shot. Very effective on game birds and small
animals at close range, these cartridges were
particularly popular with the troops on the frontier and
a cursory inspection of cartridge pouches, saddle bags
or pockets would likely have revealed a number of these
forager rounds on the person of every soldier and
officer in the column.
There appears to have been at least three lengths of the
wooden sabots – a short length which extended
approximately 7/16” from the mouth of the case; a medium
length which extended a good ˝” from the mouth of the
case; and a long version which measures approximately 1”
from the mouth of the case. The short and medium
lengths could have been the same sabot and the differing
length of the exposed portion of the sabot being nothing
more than a function of the depth it was seated or the
powder charge in the case. The long sabot, however,
definitely held a much larger charge of shot and there
are two different shapes seen in the nose of the sabot
on these longer versions – a decidedly flat nose and a
rounded nose shaped more like the standard lead bullet.
Fairly scarce today due to their continued use in
surplus firearms and the relatively fragile nature of
the thin wood sabot, these forager rounds have a
rightful place in any US Army cartridge display.
I have the following forager cartridges in stock, each
listed individually below.
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No. 1
WINCHESTER
EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 GATLING GUN SHOT CARTRIDGE:
Produced along the same concept as the forager
cartridges, but with a much more lethal intent, these
shot filled Gatling Gun cartridges were deployed against
massed groups, both in military and civil disturbance
situations. You can imagine the damage these
cartridges could inflict upon a mass of people
approaching a barricaded position defended with a
battery of these rapid firing guns.
Headstamped “WRA CO. 45
GOVT". (0824) $45
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No. 2
U. S. CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT EXTERNALLY
PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
USC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the large sabot, and
headstamped “USC Co. 45-70". (0823a) $45
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No.
3 U. S. CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT EXTERNALLY
PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
USC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the medium sabot, and
headstamped “USC Co. 45-70". (0823b) $45
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No. 4
UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT
EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
UMC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the medium sabot, and
headstamped “UMC 45-70" with the notation "SH" in the
headstamp indicating a solid head cartridge.
(0823d) $40
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No. 5
WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT
EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
WRA externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the short sabot, and
headstamped “WRA Co. 45-70". (0823e) $45
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No. 6 UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT
EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
UMC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the short sabot, and
headstamped “UMC 45 GOVT". (0823f) $45
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No. 7
UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT
EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
UMC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the short sabot, and
headstamped “UMC 45 GOVT". (0823h) $45
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No.
8
REMINGTON -
UMC CARTRIDGE
COMPANY US ARMY CONTRACT EXTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70
FORAGER CARTRIDGE:
Produced after the army issued contracts with civilian
ammunition manufacturing companies to meet the demand
for ammunition during the Spanish American War, these
REM-UMC externally
primed .45/70 Forager Rounds were as much a part of the
army's inventory as were the Frankford Arsenal
cartridges. Loaded with the short sabot, and
headstamped “REM UMC 45 GOVT". (0823h) $40
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No. 9
WOODEN SABOTS FOR THE FRANKFORD ARSENAL .45/70
FORAGER ROUNDS: These are a scarce selection of
unused wooden sabots as were manufactured at the
Frankford Arsenal to produce the .45/70 Forager Rounds
for issue to the troops.
Seldom encountered separate from the finished cartridges
and fairly scarce
today due to their continued sale on the surplus market
and the relatively fragile nature of the thin wood
sabot, these forager sabots have a rightful place in any
US Army cartridge display.
I have the following
forager cartridges in stock, each listed individually
below with accompanying photographs.
No. 1:
LONG VERSION WOOD SABOT: With a flat
nose, this sabot is full length and form with no
checks. SOLD
No. 2:
SHORT VERSION WOOD SABOT: With a flat
nose, this sabot is full length and form with a minor
age check, but still stable and retaining its
integrity. SOLD
No. 3:
SHORT VERSION WOOD SABOT: With a flat
nose, this sabot is full length and form with a minor
age check, but still stable and retaining its
integrity. SOLD
No. 4:
SHORT VERSION WOOD SABOT: With a round
nose, this sabot is full length and form with a minor
age check, but still stable and retaining its
integrity. SOLD
No. 5:
SHORT VERSION WOOD SABOT: With a round
nose, this sabot is full length and form with no
checks. SOLD
 
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