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“US CARBINE” HEADSTAMPED FRANKFORD ARSENAL
INTERNALLY PRIMED .45/70 CARTRIDGE – ca. 1874 – VERY
RARE OFFERING: One of the most sought after
cartridges produced by the Frankford Arsenal, this
internally primed, .45/70 carbine cartridge bears the
headstamp, “US CARBINE”.
According to information discovered in the National
Archives by noted researcher Frank Mallory of the
Springfield Research Service, and detailed on page 368
of The .45-70 Springfield, Book II by Al Frasca,
“JULY 27, 1874:
Plan of marking, in raised letters, at heading machine,
the heads of carbine cartridges with “U.S. CARBINE”
tried. After one week’s trial this was discontinued.”
While it is difficult to determine today what the
manufacturing capability of the Frankford Arsenal was
for one week in 1874, the total production of these
specially headstamped carbine cartridges must have been
fairly small, evidenced by their rarity today. A
considerable number of them must have been issued and
expended by the soldiers in the field, leaving a limited
number to survive in today’s collections.
This is an excellent specimen, with the full form clean
cartridge case bearing a very legible raised “US
CARBINE” headstamp.
Note that in March of 1875,
the length of the crimps which held the primer anvil in
place was increased, reducing the space between the ends
of the crimps. Those cases with the wider space between
the crimps are the earlier version, and appropriately
these cases bearing the “US CARBINE” headstamp have the
wider spacing between the ends of the crimps.
These rare cartridges are an
excellent addition to a Custer era carbine display.
SOLD
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