XxWINxX94
Member
A long time ago I inherited a large, diverse gun collection along with all kinds of ammunition and accessories to go with it. Most of the collection has been gone through already, but I still have some things that even I, in my now more than a decade of experience as a shooter, collector, and soon-to-be reloader, have been unable to identify.
I'm looking for any ideas about what the cartridges pictured below could be. They are clearly handloads (and a bit crude looking ones, at that) formed from some old W-W Super .348 Winchester cases. The projectiles are .50 caliber and look professionally cast, specifically measuring at most .512" or .511". The case length has some variation as it wasn't trimmed evenly, and is about 1.660". The overall length of the cartridge is 2.185". The primers are hand-marked red, but I'm unsure if this is for personal purposes or if that is a commonly-used technique in the reloading world.
I do have some context clues as to what these could be for, as we cataloged most (but not all) of the guns in the collection before selling some. These particular cartridges were in an old W-W cartridge box labeled .50-70 Winchester, and some Googling has shown that caliber can be formed from 348 cases. One of the two rifles I think these were intended for use in was a ~1990s era reproduction Winchester Model 1885, however our records indicate that rifle was chambered for .50-90 Sharps (which could be incorrect as we didn't know much about guns when the cataloguing occurred, though this particular gun had a box and I assume the correct caliber would be listed on it). The other rifle was a reproduction Sharps-style carbine, though unfortunately we don't have any information in regards to caliber for that one.
My reloading manual is newer and doesn't have the dimensions of any of the cartridges I suspect these to be. I did some Googling and found mixed results, but have been told that reloading information from the internet without a source can be dubious.
So, does anyone have any inclination as to what these could be? I ultimately want to sell them if they are anything of value. I do know that .348 Win cases are quite valuable, but I feel that these might be pretty exhausted already given how they've been expanded to seat a .50 caliber projectile. I don't have a bullet puller at this time to check the type and amount of powder, though when I shake a cartridge it does sound like a more fine-grain smokeless powder as opposed to a coarser black powder. I don't have much reloading equipment at this time, so other information I can provide will be very limited.
Thanks
I'm looking for any ideas about what the cartridges pictured below could be. They are clearly handloads (and a bit crude looking ones, at that) formed from some old W-W Super .348 Winchester cases. The projectiles are .50 caliber and look professionally cast, specifically measuring at most .512" or .511". The case length has some variation as it wasn't trimmed evenly, and is about 1.660". The overall length of the cartridge is 2.185". The primers are hand-marked red, but I'm unsure if this is for personal purposes or if that is a commonly-used technique in the reloading world.
I do have some context clues as to what these could be for, as we cataloged most (but not all) of the guns in the collection before selling some. These particular cartridges were in an old W-W cartridge box labeled .50-70 Winchester, and some Googling has shown that caliber can be formed from 348 cases. One of the two rifles I think these were intended for use in was a ~1990s era reproduction Winchester Model 1885, however our records indicate that rifle was chambered for .50-90 Sharps (which could be incorrect as we didn't know much about guns when the cataloguing occurred, though this particular gun had a box and I assume the correct caliber would be listed on it). The other rifle was a reproduction Sharps-style carbine, though unfortunately we don't have any information in regards to caliber for that one.
My reloading manual is newer and doesn't have the dimensions of any of the cartridges I suspect these to be. I did some Googling and found mixed results, but have been told that reloading information from the internet without a source can be dubious.
So, does anyone have any inclination as to what these could be? I ultimately want to sell them if they are anything of value. I do know that .348 Win cases are quite valuable, but I feel that these might be pretty exhausted already given how they've been expanded to seat a .50 caliber projectile. I don't have a bullet puller at this time to check the type and amount of powder, though when I shake a cartridge it does sound like a more fine-grain smokeless powder as opposed to a coarser black powder. I don't have much reloading equipment at this time, so other information I can provide will be very limited.
Thanks
