Age of 30-30 Headstamp (Mexican Revolution?)

[ving-thorr]

I was wondering if anyone could give me a rough guess of the age of a 30-30 shell I found. The reason I'm so interested in one of the most common cartridges you'll ever find brass laying around for is that I found this shell on a former battleground of the Mexican Revolution and it would be neat to find out that it's from that era.

W.R.A.CO.
30 W.C.F.

I haven't found any yet, but a buddy has found 7x57mm shells several times. Another fellow just found a live artillery round after the washes quit flowing!!! I wish I knew what it was but the state bomb squad guys took off with it.

the engagements in question, the Battle of Naco and the Siege of Naco:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Naco


Thanks,
Jesse

[Blaine]

Our Own Forumite John Kort wrote this up awhile back.
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/3030history.htm

*SNIP*
Early W.R.A. CO. .30 W.C.F. cartridge ("protected primer" small primer in a cup)



Since both illustrated rounds contain a 160 gr. bullet, they would have been made between the period of 1895-1903. By 1904, only the 170 gr. bullet was offered in the soft point version by both companies. The 160 gr. bulleted loading did continue on but only in a FMJ version.

Cartridges loaded with 170 gr. bullets look the same externally as as ones containing the 160's. U.M.C. changed to the large primer pocket in 1910. In 1920, Winchester dropped the #5 protected primer and changed to their #24NF (non fulminate) large rifle primer for factory loadings.

[ving-thorr]

great! Thank you! That's the same headstamp. After reading that article Winchester used that headstamp up until 1946. So there's no knowing if it is from the Revolution, however it is correct for that period.

[Blaine]

great! Thank you! That's the same headstamp. After reading that article Winchester used that headstamp up until 1946. So there's no knowing if it is from the Revolution, however it is correct for that period.

Check the primer size....Didn't it say Winchester went from small to large in 1920?

[ving-thorr]

great! Thank you! That's the same headstamp. After reading that article Winchester used that headstamp up until 1946. So there's no knowing if it is from the Revolution, however it is correct for that period.

Check the primer size....Didn't it say Winchester went from small to large in 1920?

by gum you're right, guess I should have read a little closer. On closer inspection the primer does look like the one above, the case has been fired so I can't make out the "W" in the middle of the small primer, but it does look like a small primer with a protective ring around it, so it is pre-1920. Pretty cool. I suppose continental Europeans must find shell casings fired in anger with great regularity. Quite a bit rarer here in the US though, as were limited to casings from the Civil War or Indian Wars, or if you're right smack on the border, the Border War 1910-1919 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_War_(1910–1918)