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ca. 1941
FRANKFORD ARSENAL CRATE FOR 1500 M-1 BALL AMMUNITION IN
CLIPS AND CARTONS – COMPLETE WITH METAL LINER:
A nice solid original Frankford Arsenal ammunition crate
for the M-1 Rifle cartridges. Constructed of thick wide
boards, the crate still retains the original OD brown
paint with a broad red stripe running up the front and
back panels. The arsenal stenciling is still legible on
all four sides, including the type and amount of
ammunition, lot number and arsenal identification, as
well as the Ordnance bomb insignia on each end panel.
While this crate is not
dated, the lot number on the crate - "1786", the "M-1"
designation, and the Frankford Arsenal identification
does help to determine that this crate was issued from
the arsenal prior to October of 1941. According to
the
History of Modern
U.S.
Military Small Arms Ammunition,
Vol. II, by Hackley, Woodin and Scranton:
"In 1940 the standard ball cartridge was the M2,
which had been standardized for ground use by the
Ordnance Committee on November 9, 1939 (approved January
12, 1940). At the same time the M1 Ball cartridge was
reclassified as Limited Standard, except for use in
aircraft machine guns by the U.S. Navy where it was
still standard." The last loaded at Frankford was Lot
2161 (accepted 24 October, 1941). The lot consisted of
601,500 rounds. The M1 Ball was declared obsolete on 17
August 1944.”
The bottom panel is intact and solid. The wide board
making up the top panel of the front has an age check in
the wood, but it is stable and solid and not at risk of
separating further. The top appears to be a replacement
and from the look of the wood, may have been added
contemporary to the crate’s use, perhaps by a soldier
using it as a shipping crate as was often done with cast
off ammo crates. Five of the six anchor bolts for
sealing the top are present. A very nice feature, the
metal liner is still present and intact and is in
remarkable condition with much of the original finish
present and only minor spots of corrosion and a few very
small, minor pin holes.
This is one of those unusual
Ordnance Department items that surfaces once in a while
and will be an interesting piece to display with your M1
Rifle, with the added value of dating from the early
days of World War Two.
$100
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