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US MILITARY ISSUE .45 CALIBER ACP AMMUNITION
PACKETS AND SINGLE CARTRIDGES - FRANKFORD ARSENAL & CIVILIAN CONTRACTORS -
WINCHESTER, REMINGTON, WESTERN, ETC.: Manufactured either at
Frankford Arsenal or under
government contracts by civilian ammunition companies for the US Armed
Services, these packets are the
perfect addition to a display of your Model 1911
Pistol. Our current inventory is listed below -
each box separately listed with a full description and
photographs - scroll all the way down through the
listings.
NOTE:
There are additional packets and some rare variants of
single .45 ACP cartridges
listed at the bottom of this page. BE SURE
to scroll down to
see all the listings.
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No.
1
PETERS CARTRIDGE COMPANY US ARMY ISSUE .45 CALIBER
ACP AMMUNITION PACKET – VERY GOOD PACKET - CARTRIDGES
HEADSTAMPED 1918: Manufactured by the Peters
Cartridge Company under contract for the US government
during World War One, this packet retains an excellent,
legible label, “20 Cartridges Pistol Ball, Caliber .45
MODEL OF 1911”. The packet has been opened across the
front edge where the top panel meets the front panel,
but the top panel is still attached along the rear
edge. The packet is complete with all 20 original
cartridges, each headstamped “P. C. CO. 18” indicating
the cartridges were manufactured by the Peters Cartridge
Company in 1918.
This very nice packet survives from the years of the
United States’ involvement in World War One, and will be
perfect for display with a pre-war or war production
Colt Model 1911 Pistol. These World War One
vintage packets are becoming quite rare and in a very
few years I fully expect they will have disappeared from
the market all together.
SOLD - See additional listings below
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No. 2
REMINGTON ARMS US ARMY ISSUE .45 CALIBER
ACP AMMUNITION PACKET – VERY GOOD SEALED PACKET -
CARTRIDGES HEADSTAMPED 1942: Manufactured by
the Remington Arms Company during World War Two, this
sealed packet retains an excellent, legible label, “20
CARTRIDGES PISTOL BALL CALIBER .45 M1911”.
The cartridges in another packet,
also manufactured by Remington and bearing the exact
same lot number, have the headstamp date of 1942 and
based on my experience, the cartridges in this packet
are dated the same. This packet is in excellent
condition, still sealed with an intact, legible label,
and is complete with all 20 original cartridges.
On the bottom of the packet is lightly ink stamped a
modern day retailer’s disclaimer to “keep out of the
reach of children”, obviously applied after we began
having to second guess parents who might have believed
this was just the thing to toss into the play pen to
keep the little tyke occupied. In spite of being “child
proofed” this very nice packet survives from the first
years of the United States’ involvement in World War
Two, and will be perfect for display with a pre-war or
early war production Colt Model 1911 Pistol.
I have a very small quantity of these packets from the
same lot, all from 1942. These packets produced in
the early war years are becoming scarce and hard to
find. In a very few years, I fully expect they will
have disappeared from the market all together.
(0328) $60
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No. 3
FRANKFORD ARSENAL MANUFACTURED US ARMY ISSUE
.45 CALIBER ACP AMMUNITION PACKET – FULL UNOPENED PACKET
- DATED 1937:
This full unopened packet retains an excellent, full
form legible
label, “20 Pistol Ball Cartridges, Caliber .45 M1911”.
The
packet is still sealed, is in full form and both of the cloth pull tabs are
present and intact. This packet survives in as close to
"like new" condition as is likely to appear on today's
market. This packet was found with another bearing
the same Lot Number which had been opened, and the
cartridges in that open packet were headstamped "F A
37". This packet is also annotated in pencil on
the bottom panel "FA 37". This is an excellent
specimen of a fairly rare packet to
add to your collection. (1009) $75
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No.
4 FRANKFORD ARSENAL MANUFACTURED US ARMY ISSUE
.45 CALIBER ACP AMMUNITION PACKET – FULL UNOPENED PACKET
- "ROLL TESTED" AT BENICIA ARSENAL IN 1938:
This full unopened packet retains an excellent, full
form legible
label, “20 Pistol Ball Cartridges, Caliber .45 M1911”.
In addition to the printed label on the face and rear
panels, the packet is also printed on the top with the
notation "ROLL TESTED AT BENICIA ARSENAL 1938".
This extra
labeling indicating "Roll Testing" refers to an
interesting and little known chapter in the history of
US Army cartridge manufacturing. This testing is
explained on page 28 of History of Modern U.S.
Military Small Arms Cartridges, Vol. 1, by Hackley,
Woodin, and Scranton. In the late 1930's it was
discovered that a quantity of .45 caliber Model 1911
cartridges had been manufactured at Frankford Arsenal
with incorrect powder charges. A malfunction in
the powder charging machine resulted in double and
triple charges being dropped into cartridge cases,
resulting in the damage or destruction of pistols upon
being fired. In attempting to determine which
cartridges were affected, weighing the cartridges was
found to be ineffective due to the variations in the
weight of the metallic components of the cartridges.
Eventually the army settled on a system which involved
the cartridges being removed from the packets and rolled
down an incline onto a polished surface, generally
glass. Where the cartridge came to rest determined
whether it had a light, normal, or excessive powder
charge. This testing was carried out at Ordnance
Department facilities throughout the United States and
in our overseas possessions. Some packets of
suspected cartridges were redesignated with a new lot
number and presumably those passing the test were simply
identified with the notation found on this packet as
having been tested and passed.
This packet is
shrink wrapped in clear plastic to protect the pristine
label and from all appearances the packet is unopened
and in "like new" condition. The
packet is full form and both of the cloth pull tabs are
present and intact.
This is an excellent
specimen of a fairly rare packet to
add to your collection. (0935) $75
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No. 5 FRANKFORD
ARSENAL MANUFACTURED
US ARMY ISSUE
.45 CALIBER ACP AMMUNITION PACKET – FULL UNOPENED PACKET
- "ROLL TESTED":
This full unopened packet retains an excellent, full
form legible
label, “20 Pistol Ball Cartridges, Caliber .45 M1911”.
In addition to the printed label on the face and rear
panels, the packet is also printed on the top with the
notation "ROLL TESTED AND NEW LOT NUMBER ASSIGNED".
This extra
labeling indicating "Roll Testing" refers to an
interesting and little known chapter in the history of
US Army cartridge manufacturing. This testing is
explained on page 28 of History of Modern U.S.
Military Small Arms Cartridges, Vol. 1, by Hackley,
Woodin, and Scranton. In the late 1930's it was
discovered that a quantity of .45 caliber Model 1911
cartridges had been manufactured at Frankford Arsenal
with incorrect powder charges. A malfunction in
the powder charging machine resulted in double and
triple charges being dropped into cartridge cases,
resulting in the damage or destruction of pistols upon
being fired. In attempting to determine which
cartridges were affected, weighing the cartridges was
found to be ineffective due to the variations in the
weight of the metallic components of the cartridges.
Eventually the army settled on a system which involved
the cartridges being removed from the packets and rolled
down an incline onto a polished surface, generally
glass. Where the cartridge came to rest determined
whether it had a light, normal, or excessive powder
charge. This testing was carried out at Ordnance
Department facilities throughout the United States and
in our overseas possessions. Presumably those
passing the test were simply identified with the
notation found on the other packet listed above as
having been tested and passed. Those packets of
suspected cartridges were redesignated with a new lot
number as this one was, with a new lot number assigned
after the testing.
This packet is
unopened with a complete and fully legible label.
One end of the top panel which was lifted about
¾" so a previous owner could see the headstamp on the
cartridges. The first two cartridges can be seen
by lifting this end and they are headstamped "FA 34"
indicating they were made at Frankford Arsenal in 1934.
Except for this one end the packet is
unopened and in "like new" condition. The
packet is full form and both of the cloth pull tabs are
present and intact.
This is an excellent
specimen of a fairly rare packet to
add to your collection. (0937) $75
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No.
6
WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY US ARMY ISSUE .45
CALIBER ACP AMMUNITION - 50 ROUND PACKET – EXCELLENT
PACKET - CARTRIDGES HEADSTAMPED 1967:
Manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company
during the Vietnam War, this packet retains an
excellent, legible label, “50 CARTRIDGES CALIBER .45
BALL M1911”. This style of packet was not sealed;
rather the lid folded over the cartridges and was held
in place by the front tab. The packet is very clean, is
full form with no damage, no significant soiling, and
shows no wear. The packet contains all 50 of the
original cartridges, all matching and appearing to be
original to the packet, and all are head stamped “W R A
67” indicating the cartridges were manufactured in
1967. This is a very nice packet (0727) $65
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No.
7
REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY US ARMY ISSUE .45 CALIBER ACP
AMMUNITION 50 ROUND PACKET – EXCELLENT PACKET -
CARTRIDGES HEADSTAMPED 1965: Manufactured by
the Remington Arms Company during the Vietnam War, this
packet retains an excellent, legible label, “50
CARTRIDGES CALIBER .45 BALL M1911”. This style of
packet was not sealed; rather the lid folded over the
cartridges and was held in place by the front tab. The
packet is full form with no damage, no significant
soiling, and shows no wear. The packet contains 28 of
the original 50 cartridges, all matching and appearing
to be original to the packet, and all are head stamped
“R A 65” indicating the cartridges were manufactured in
1965. (0726) $40
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No.
8
FABRICA MILITAR
“FRAY LUIS BELTRAN” – ARGENTINA ARMED FORCES ISSUE 11.25
MM AMMUNITION PACKET – VERY INTERESTING PACKET IN THE
FOREIGN SERVICES .45 ACP FAMILY:
Manufactured by the Fabrica Militar “Fray Luis Beltran”
Cartridge Company of Argentina, made for the Argentine
armed forces. The packet retains an excellent, legible
integral label, “50 CARTOUCHOS CALIBRE 11.25 X 23”, the
foreign designation for the Caliber .45 M1911 ACP
cartridge.
In 1916, Argentina ordered 10,000
Model 1911 Pistols from the US for their military. They
were so impressed with the pistol that they ordered
another 100,000 pistols with some slight modifications.
This modified Model 1911 became known as the “Colt
Systema Modello 1927”. By the 1930’s, Argentina
decided it could make a version of the Model 1911 Colt
Pistol within their armament system and the result was
sufficiently different that Colt had no grounds for
complaining of a patent infringement. The resulting
“Balleser-Molina” pistol became quite popular with the
Argentine military forces as well as being exported to
other South American countries such as Bolivia,
Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. An interesting footnote to
the history of this pistol is that a significant
quantity – perhaps as many as 15,000 – were sold to the
British government during World War Two for use by the
famous British Special Operations Executive (SOE)
commando units. In addition to providing good service
in the field, the pistol had the benefit of not bearing
any marks identifying the pistols to the British
government, and in the event one was captured by the
enemy, the pistols could not be traced back to the
clandestine units.
Ammunition for these pistols was produced at the
Argentine arsenal, the San Lorenzo Military Factory. In
1961, the manufacturing was turned over to Fabrica
Militar “Fray Luis Beltran”. Based on the headstamp
data and the lot number information on the front label,
this packet was produced in June of 1980.
This packet is full form and although showing some shelf
wear it still presents in very good condition. As noted
above, the label is fully legible on both the top and
side panels, and the maker’s emblem is printed on both
end flaps. The packet contains 33 of 50 cartridges, and
all appear to be original to this packet, each bearing
the matching headstamp “11.25 x 23” and “6 FLB 80”.
This is an interesting and unusual packet from the
family of Colt Model 1911 Pistols. (0718) $50
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No. 9
FRANKFORD
ARSENAL .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGE - DATED 1913:
A rare early .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridge, headstamped
"F A 13" - excellent condition.
SOLD
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No.
10
WORLD WAR ONE REMINGTON - UMC .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGE - DATED 1918:
A scarce WWI production standard issue .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridge,
dated 1918 - excellent condition.
SOLD
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No.
11
WORLD WAR ONE US CARTRIDGE COMPANY .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGES - DATED 1917
- 18:
A scarce WWI production standard issue .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridge,
dated 1917 - excellent condition. Also have
another by the same company dated "18".
SOLD
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No.
12
WORLD WAR TWO REMINGTON .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGES - DATED 1941-42:
Early WWII production standard issue .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridges,
dated 1941 and 1942 - excellent condition.
SOLD
 
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No.
13
WORLD WAR TWO EAU CLAIRE STEEL
CASE .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGE - DATED 1943:
Early WWII production steel cartridge case .45 Caliber
ACP Ball Cartridge, dated 1943 - excellent condition.
Interesting war time variant.
SOLD
 
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No.
14
PRE - WORLD WAR TWO FRANKFORD
ARSENAL .45 ACP BLANK CARTRIDGES - DATED 1938: Pre-WWII
production .45 Caliber ACP Blank Cartridges, dated 1938 - excellent condition. All
soldiers - and horses - were trained with these. $10
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No.
15
PRE
- WORLD WAR TWO FRANKFORD
ARSENAL .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGE - DATED 1932:
A standard issue .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridge, headstamped
"F A 32" - excellent condition. $10
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No.
16
VIETNAM WAR REMINGTON .45 ACP BALL CARTRIDGE - DATED 1963:
Vietnam War era production standard issue .45 Caliber ACP Ball Cartridge,
dated 1963 - excellent condition. $8
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No.
17
REMINGTON ARMS CARTRIDGE COMPANY
NATIONAL MATCH COMMEMORATIVE CHROMED .45 ACP DUMMY
CARTRIDGE - DATED 1965:
A real collector piece, this is a commemorative chromed .45 Caliber
ACP Dummy Cartridge manufactured by Remington Arms for
the National Match competition in 1965, headstamped
"RA 65 NM" - excellent condition. $25
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No.
18
REMINGTON PETERS
.45 AUTO RIM BALL CARTRIDGE:
Headstamped
"R-P" - excellent condition. $5
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No. 19
REMINGTON ARMS WWII
US ARMY AIR FORCE ISSUE T-15 .45 CALIBER ACP SHOT
CARTRIDGE AMMUNITION PACKET – RARE OFFERING:
Developed under contract for the US Army Air Force, this
packet was manufactured by the Remington Arms Company
during World War Two. This sealed packet retains an
excellent, legible label, “20 CARTRIDGES SHOT CAL. 45
M15” with the additional call out “FOR USE IN HUNTING
SMALL GAME”.
In August of 1943, the Army Air
Force established a requirement for a Caliber .45 ACP
Shot Cartridge to be used by combat aircraft crews for
survival purposes. The original requirement called for
the shot cartridge to have as close to the same
dimensions as the standard issue ball cartridge in order
that the shot cartridge would feed through the pistol
magazine.
The project for the development of this shot cartridge
was approved on August 20, 1943, and assigned the
nomenclature, “Cartridge, Shot, Cal. .45, T23”. A
development order was placed with Remington Arms Company
for 10,000 rounds to be patterned after their commercial
riot control cartridge for the Thompson submachine gun.
Remington produced the cartridges as requested, however
the length of the resulting shot cartridge was too long
to be fed through the pistol magazine, necessitating
loading each cartridge into the pistol’s chamber by
hand. These first production rounds were designated
M-12 and consisted of a brass case loaded with 6 grains
of Bullseye Powder and a waxed red paper bullet
containing 125-133 size 7 ½ chilled lead shot.
While the USAAF was pleased with the initial production,
almost immediately reports were received from the combat
zones that the M12 cartridge would not hold up in hot,
humid climates. The paper-jacketed bullet would swell
and crack, resulting in the loss of the shot. Also, the
shot pattern was inconsistent, as on occasion the paper
bullet did not break up as it was designed to do,
reducing the effective spread of the shot. Remington
was asked to correct these deficiencies and the new
development project was assigned T-29 in December of
1943.
By March of 1944, Remington had developed and tested
several different designs, settling on what would become
the M15 as seen below in the Ordnance Department
drawing. The M15 featured an extended case so that the
paper bullet was no longer needed, and the cartridge
contained from 108-118 No. 7 ½” lead pellets. The mouth
of the cartridge was closed with a colored waterproofed
cardboard wad. These cartridges have been found bearing
headstamps which included R A 4 (1944); R A 45; and
REM-UMC 45 ACP. All of the production of this cartridge
was at Remington, and during the first quarter of 1945
totaled 3 million rounds. As with the M12, the M15
would not load from the pistol magazine and had to be
hand loaded in the pistol as a single cartridge. The
instruction sheet included in this packet is shown in
the photographs below, explaining how the cartridges
were to be used.
Despite the number of these cartridges produced during
World War Two, full packets of these shot cartridges are
quite rare. I suspect that a fair number of them were
taken home as a useful addition to the farm and ranch
gun cabinets for pest and snake control, and those which
made it into the surplus market after the war were
consumed as a practical cartridge. Whatever the reason,
full packets do not appear on the market very often.
This full packet retains the full waterproofed external
wrapper, with a complete, fully legible label printed
directly on the wrapper. When these packets were made,
the waxed wrapper was folded closed on each end. Some
“Curious George” along the way, just couldn’t stand it,
and an attempt was made to open the left end of the
wrapper to get a peek at the cartridges. The bottom
panel of the wrapper was lifted, resulting in a tear
across that surface of the wrapper, but as a benefit,
the internal wrapping of the packet can be seen by
gently lifting the external wrapper. Under the waxed
external wrapper, the packet is metal foil wrapped, and
under that layer the body of the packet is wrapped in a
clear plastic barrier. These layers of wrapping were
intended to weather proof these packets as much as
possible with a view towards the reality that the combat
aircraft operated over vast expanses of oceans, and
ditching a crippled aircraft was a very real prospect.
Any effort to protect the contents would certainly
benefit the air crews who would have to use the
cartridges to survive.
This packet retains its full form, is a very solid
example, and it would be a special addition to your
collection.
SOLD
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