Yes, it's a stupid movie thread, but...

[AZRedhawk44]

I was watching The Quick and the Dead today.

Got to the point where DiCaprio was loading his sixguns prior to going Swede-hunting for the first round of the Quickdraw contest.

Headstamp on the brass was clearly legible... said " R - P  .45 Colt."

Sounds rather modern.

Did Remington even make cartridge ammunition back in the 1870's?  They had the Army .44 revolver, for which they started making cartridge conversions around the late 1860's... but would those have been in .45 Colt?

Remington picked up the "P" in the headstamp from their acquisition of the Peters cartridge company in the 1930's, right?

What would an actual Remington .45 Colt headstamp look like prior to 1900?  Did Remington even make anything in that cartridge?

[Manedwolf]

The only period action films I have seen in recent years that even tried to get the firearms right were the Mummy series.

[Gewehr98]

Manedwolf, you never watched Quigley Down Under?

They went to great lengths to make his Sharps the real deal, right down to his reloading instructions for the brass.

[K Frame]

Apparently some 1875 revolvers were made in .45 Long Colt.


Remington didn't enter the ammunition business until around 1912, when Remington and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. merged into a single business entity.


"What would an actual Remington .45 Colt headstamp look like prior to 1900?"

Like nothing. Didn't exist.

[AZRedhawk44]

Are there any ammunition companies left alive today that use the same headstamp as was used in the old west?  Did ammunition in the 1870's even have a headstamp at all?  What would a period-correct cartridge look like?

[charby]

Are there any ammunition companies left alive today that use the same headstamp as was used in the old west?  Did ammunition in the 1870's even have a headstamp at all?  What would a period-correct cartridge look like?

I have some old rimfire ammo from the late 1860s and they have a stamp of U on them. I figure its Union Metallic Cartridge company. If I can remember I'll take a picture of them. I also have some 45-70 cartridges from late 1800's and I can't remember the stamp on them.

A little google fu and I found a site that sells old cartridges http://www.oldammo.com/index.htm

[K Frame]

"Are there any ammunition companies left alive today that use the same headstamp as was used in the old west?  Did ammunition in the 1870's even have a headstamp at all?  What would a period-correct cartridge look like?"

To your first question, believe it or not, yes.

The H on Winchester rimfire ammunition has been in use since the 1880s, IIRC. It's for Benjamin Tyler Henry.

And yes, ammunition in the 1870s could have a head stamp. Not nearly as common as today, though.

I'll try to remember to dig up and photograph the headstamps on some of the older cartridges in my collection.

[charby]

"Are there any ammunition companies left alive today that use the same headstamp as was used in the old west?  Did ammunition in the 1870's even have a headstamp at all?  What would a period-correct cartridge look like?"

To your first question, believe it or not, yes.

The H on Winchester rimfire ammunition has been in use since the 1880s, IIRC. It's for Benjamin Tyler Henry.

And yes, ammunition in the 1870s could have a head stamp. Not nearly as common as today, though.

I'll try to remember to dig up and photograph the headstamps on some of the older cartridges in my collection.

So that is what the H stood for. I have a bottle neck rimfire cartridge and I always wondered what the heck the H was for.

[K Frame]

It was Winchester's way of thanking Henry for the work he did in making the company a success.