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WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY AND OTHER
MAKERS FACTORY SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – INERT ROUNDS
FOR TESTING FIREARM FUNCTIONS AT THE GUNSMITH’S BENCH –
SETS AND INDIVIDUAL CARTRIDGES – SCARCE OFFERING:
Manufactured by Winchester and other makers, and
intended for use by their gunsmiths and on their arms
production floors, these “Factory Shop Function
Cartridges” were never intended for sale to the general
public.
Produced for every caliber needed by the gunsmiths,
these inert cartridges were manufactured without any gun
powder and the primers were not only empty, but in many
cases were also drilled to prevent an accident in the
shop. To take the safety measures one step further,
some of the shop function cartridges were drilled
through the side walls. To further identify them as
inert, and to provide a ready visual difference between
these function cartridges and a standard live cartridge,
many of these function cartridges were coated with a
unique finishes in dark bronze, or metallic red and
blue. Each cartridge bears the standard headstamp for
that particular caliber.
The centerfire function cartridges were made in two
different patterns – those with the standard cartridge
head with the primer pocket, and a flat base with no
primer pocket. While the flat based cartridges have an
appearance much like a rim fire or an early internally
primed cartridge, they are headstamped with the
centerfire caliber identification and all of them were
cartridges developed after external primers became
standard. I have not been able to determine the reason
for the difference, but perhaps it is a function of the
period in which they were made, the flat base specimens
being older.
These are relatively scarce offerings from an old, well
established collection and when these are sold I do not
anticipate having any others. I have the following sets
and individual pieces in stock, each described below
with accompanying photographs.
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NO. 1
FACTORY INERT SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – 9 PIECE SET:
This set includes a range of factory shop function
cartridges from .300 Weatherby Magnum to .44-40
Winchester. Each cartridge is in very good to excellent
condition, retaining the original factory applied bronze
finish, the factory loaded bullet, and a clear legible
headstamp. The full listing of the cartridges can be
seen in the photograph below of the cartridge
headstamps. (0825) $60
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NO. 2
FACTORY INERT SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – 6 PIECE SET:
This set includes a range of factory shop function
cartridges from .30-06 Springfield to .22 Rimfire. Each cartridge is in very good to excellent
condition, retaining the original factory nickel plated
cases and red metallic plated bullets, and a clear legible
headstamp. The full listing of the cartridges can be
seen in the photograph below of the cartridge
headstamps. (0822) $60
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NO. 3
FACTORY “BLACK CASE” INERT SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES –
5 PIECE SET: This
set includes a range of factory shop function cartridges
from .22 Magnum Rimfire to .375 Winchester. Each cartridge is in very good to excellent
condition, retaining the original factory applied bronze
finish, the factory loaded bullet, and a clear legible
headstamp. The full listing of the cartridges can be
seen in the photograph below of the cartridge
headstamps. (0821) $50
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NO. 4
WRA FACTORY
SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – 3 PIECE SET: This
set consists of three factory shop function cartridges -
.243, .308, and .35 Remington. Each cartridge is in
very good to excellent condition, retaining the original
factory applied bronze finish, the factory loaded
bullet, and a clear legible headstamp. While limited in
range, this set provides a nice sampling of these unique
cartridges used by the Winchester Arms employees.
(0763) $35
 
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NO. 5
RIMFIRE INERT SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – 2 PIECE SET: This
set includes two rimfire shop function cartridges - .22
Magnum Rimfire and .17 HMR. These cartridges are in very good to excellent
condition, retaining the original factory applied blue
metallic
finish and the factory loaded bullet. (0824)
$25
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NO. 6
FACTORY INERT SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGES – 3 PIECE SET:
This set includes three factory shop function cartridges
from .300 WSM, .30-30 Winchester and .38 Special. Each cartridge is in very good to excellent
condition, retaining the original factory nickel plated
cases, copper jacketed bullets, and a clear legible
headstamp. The full listing of the cartridges can be
seen in the photograph below of the cartridge
headstamps. (0823) $30
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NO. 7
WRA FACTORY
SHOP FUNCTION CARTRIDGE - .32 AUTOMATIC COLT PISTOL (.32
ACP) – SCARCE “WOOD ROD DUMMY”: Another of the
Winchester factory produced shop function rounds, this
cartridge incorporated a wood rod loaded under the
bullet which ran the full length of the inside of the
cartridge case, hence the name. The wooden rod is not
visible, however the sides of the cartridge case are
drilled as with other shop function rounds in order to
preclude them from being loaded and to readily identify
them as inert. The wooden rod can be felt by inserting
a paper clip-sized wire through the holes. I suspect
the rod was intended to keep the bullet at the proper
seating depth. The cartridge is the standard brass
color and the primer bears the Winchester “W”, leading
me to believe this cartridge pre-dates the dark bronze
finished shop function cartridges. This is another
interesting Winchester product, and one that would be an
interesting addition to a Colt Pistol collection as
well. (0512) $15
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NO. 8
UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY FACTORY SHOP
FUNCTION CARTRIDGE – .30 REMINGTON: This UMC
factory shop function cartridge is headstamped .30
Remington, dating the production of this piece between
the introduction of this caliber in 1906 and the merger
of the UMC and Remington Arms in 1912. Likely far
scarcer than the Winchester Shop Function Rounds, this
UMC piece is in excellent condition, retaining the
original factory applied nickel plating, the factory
loaded bullet, and a clear legible headstamp. This is a
very nice example of the shop function cartridges in use
in factories and gunsmith shops at the turn of the 20th
Century. (0765) $15
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