# New challenge!!!! shell casing type???



## stevers (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok folks, I have a challenge for you. What is this shell casing? A Friend of mine gave them to me. He got them (about 150) from his grandfather. 
Measurements are as fallows;
total length........2.470
base diamiter........0.472
bullet hole OD......0.342
The bullet end is chamfered inward, it is only 0.264 ID
The bullet end also has a strange ridge just down from the tip. I hope you can see it in the photo.

Here are two shell casings laying on their sides. 






Here is one of them showing the primer end.





Here is another one showing the primer. The shells are the some dimensions.





Alright,,,,,,,,,,I know you can do this. "What are they?"


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## ilikewood (Apr 4, 2007)

Kind of looks like 30-06 blanks (no bullet....just bang).  I don't know the measurements of a 308 vs a 30-06, but it just looks longer than a 308.  I could be wrong, but I think the wide part on the bullet end retained a plug that is crimped in to provide the pressure for semi or full auto firing (provides recoil).

Crimped in primer is kind of a military trademark.


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## LostintheWoods (Apr 4, 2007)

Steve, I'm not 100% positive, but I'm relatively sure that what you have, especially considering that they came from your friend's grandfather(which would confirm the age factor) is a 6.5-06. It was originally a factory-loaded round known as the .256 Newton, but as with most cartridges that don't sell 50 billion or so every weekend, it fell into disfavor with the factories, and was discontinued. A lot of shooters liked it, however, and necked down .30-06 cases to 6.5mm(.264") to make the 6.5-06. As I said, though, I'm not 100% positive. If you need verification, call Sierra Bullets Ballistic Lab at (800)223-8799, and they I am SURE can help you. By the way, the primers look as though they are crimped in, something that only happens on military cartridges, so these may have been loaded for a participant in the National Match, which used to be held at Camp Perry, Ohio.


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## stevers (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, this is what I did. First off, I think I figured out why the bullet end is crimped inward. I believe if you note the red paint inside the rim (below photo), it will be determined that this round was a blank or dummy round. Thats why the edge is crimped in so far. To hold in the wad or blank plug. And possibly why the shells weren't reused. The crimp is so severe that it makes the shell useless.



<br />

I also ground the top lip off of one of the shells and took a measurement of the ID of the bullet end. It is 0.314. Still slightly larger than a 30-06 or 308. By about 0.010. 

All this is to find out if they can be used for pens. Thought maybe they could make a unique or unusual pen. Something the old timers would like. (no offense- I'm 47)

And Shannon, excellent info. Thanks.


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## pssherman (Apr 4, 2007)

I think these shells were used in the M1 Garand. The rounds are the military version of the 30-06 (slightly thicker walls). The red paint might be a sealer. The pattern of the crimped ends is similar to demilitarized shells that I have received. Note what appears to be an indented ring a short distance from the end of the neck. This would be due to the proper seating of the bullet. When a round is fired in a rifle, the crimps/necks expand inside the chamber and are smoothed out. These shells can be used to make pens, do a search on cartridge or casing pens to learn more.

Paul in AR


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## ilikewood (Apr 4, 2007)

Actually Steve, I was 99% sure it was a blank.  I used to be a gun dealer and has seen a bunch of weird rounds....but you never know 100% for sure unless you have them in your hand.  []


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## myname1960 (Apr 4, 2007)

I am not sure  if this is what your FA 60 Match casing is from but i found a link that talks about national competetion shooting matches for the military at Camp Perry as LostintheWoods mentioned above.

On page 6 it says that ammo used for the matches has the headstamp MATCH on it. Although i didnt find the FA 60 MATCH it talks about using the 30-06 and the M-1 Garand weapons and mentions a few others.

Kinda interesting reading if you want to take a peek at what it says. Its in the form of a pdf file.

http://www.shootersjournal.com/Features/2007/AShortHistoryofNationalMatchAmmo.pdf

As a side note i seen an ad on Ebay from someone selling 30-06 cartridge casings that had the FA MATCH Casing as (FA 58,59,60) They did look newer then the one you have.


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## hanau (Apr 4, 2007)

30-06 blank


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## tas2181 (Apr 4, 2007)

As stated earlier 30-06 blanks- would quess you friends grandfather was a member of the VFW. I believe these were reloaded brass issued for ceremonial purposes.
Green sealant on the primer and red sealant for the wad.


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## Tanner (Apr 4, 2007)

I shot competitively for the military with a match grade M14 (.308).  We always got our Match grade rounds from Lake City.  They were stamped LC Match and the year they were produced.  The FA 60 Match looks to come from the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, PA.  They closed that down in the late 70's.  This one is from 1960.  The RA 57 cartridge is from the Remington Arms Co. in Bridgeport, CT.  Both cartridges are from WW II.

The crimp might mean it was a tracer round or maybe it was a military relaod.  Oops, it looks like Tom already confirmed it was a reload.


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## alamocdc (Apr 4, 2007)

Military Honor Guard would also use this type of blank reload during funerals of decorated military members.


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## Nolan (Apr 4, 2007)

Dont know squat about this but sure is a good read and nice to see the wealth of knowledge in this group![]
Nolan


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## Fishshooter (Apr 4, 2007)

I was in the USAF Honor Guard..  I have lots of blank casings that were used in funerals and ceremonies.. They all have the red ring inside and I also have some that still have the red plug in the end that were not fired.  They were all used in M1 Garand's.


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## stevers (Apr 4, 2007)

Excellent explanations folks. The celebratory rounds seems to make the most sense. The green sealer on the primers and the red in the tip make sense now. After I took the picture of the tip, I could see the crimping very clearly. My eyes are not what they used to be. I may see if I can find a nib to fit the bullet end. If so I may have just what I need for the fella at the VFW. He and I talked about making pens for the wives and/or kids of veterans they have ceremonies for. We talked about them being made from the shells used for the 21 gun salute. These would be perfect. These guys are all WWII and even WWI vets. Time to do some research.


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## LostintheWoods (Apr 5, 2007)

FYI, "FA" stands for Frankford Arsenal, which is one of the ammo producers for the military. Lake City (LC) is another.


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