So, I'm moving some of my bulk ammo around, getting out of metal ammo cans (which I hate) and into Cabela's dry storage boxes. (For my money they are easier to store, move, stack, etc, and when on-sale, they cost about the same.) In doing so, I moved a little history around, too.
First, I moved some early '80's Belgian 7.62x51 from the big-assed metal can it came in to dry boxes. Here's the container.
Writing on the front tells us this should be 1200 rounds of Lot 01 from 1981, produced by our good friends at Fabrique Nationale Herstal, Herstal, Belgium. When this stuff rolled off the line in Herstal, Reagan was in office, the Soviets were the ones fighting in Afghanistan, and Warsaw Pact tanks were still waiting to race through the Fulda Gap...pretty cool.
Open Sesame!
Unfortunately, 1980's air didn't come rushing out, as the importer had to remove 200 rounds to make the case light enough to ship. So here's what 1000 rounds looks like, in 50-round boxes:
Perforated boxes, so I'm leaving those intact.
Notice how each row has one box with a little silk string tied around it to act as a "grab handle" to get the row started.
The ammo is now tucked away in a dry box for "some day."
BUT, WAIT...THERE's MORE!
When I was moving stuff around, I also had to move a bunch of 7.92x57 around, too. I started with this, 300-round cardboard carrier of 8mm ammo.
This tells us to Open here, at the "buckle" or "strap"
This tells us what's waiting for us inside:
If you're German's a bit rusty, here's what it says.
Patr. s. S. tells us it's a heavy, spire-tipped bullet.
P/315. L.21.36 means it is the 21st Lot produced in 1936 at Markisches Walzwerk GmbH, Strausberg Bez. Potsdam, Germany.
Nz.Gew.BL.P.(2-2-0,45) specifies the weight and type of flaked Nitrocellulose rifle powder
Rdf.90.L.36 means it was shipped from Rheindorf Arsenal in the 90th shipped Lot of 1936
Zdh.:S.K.D.1664.L.36 tells us about the primer.
The over-stamped iL means the ammo is im Ladestreifen, or in stripper clips.
If I were to crack this baby open, which I didn't, it would look like this:
Twenty boxes of 15 rounds. I had a second one of these, but the "sleeve" didn't make it through the mail.
Open one of the boxes, and here's what's hiding in there:
Beautiful, shiny ammo. Looks like it was produced yesterday.
Here's the headstamp:
The S* is the designator for brass cartridge case.
Now, when this stuff rolled off the line in Potsdam, Hitler was in power, the shooting war hadn't even started yet, the Anschluss hadn't happened, Kristallnacht hadn't happened, and Neville Chamberlain was still the Prime Minister of England. I'm not sure where it spent the years from 1936-1945, but I'm betting in 1945 when the Germans were desperate for ammo, they would have loved to have it back. And now, here's this ammo, produced for the Thousand-Year Reich, and somehow after all this time it's sitting in my basement, waiting for me to shoot it.
I don't know, I just think that's cool.
First, I moved some early '80's Belgian 7.62x51 from the big-assed metal can it came in to dry boxes. Here's the container.
Writing on the front tells us this should be 1200 rounds of Lot 01 from 1981, produced by our good friends at Fabrique Nationale Herstal, Herstal, Belgium. When this stuff rolled off the line in Herstal, Reagan was in office, the Soviets were the ones fighting in Afghanistan, and Warsaw Pact tanks were still waiting to race through the Fulda Gap...pretty cool.
Open Sesame!
Unfortunately, 1980's air didn't come rushing out, as the importer had to remove 200 rounds to make the case light enough to ship. So here's what 1000 rounds looks like, in 50-round boxes:
Perforated boxes, so I'm leaving those intact.
Notice how each row has one box with a little silk string tied around it to act as a "grab handle" to get the row started.
The ammo is now tucked away in a dry box for "some day."
BUT, WAIT...THERE's MORE!
When I was moving stuff around, I also had to move a bunch of 7.92x57 around, too. I started with this, 300-round cardboard carrier of 8mm ammo.
This tells us to Open here, at the "buckle" or "strap"
This tells us what's waiting for us inside:
If you're German's a bit rusty, here's what it says.
Patr. s. S. tells us it's a heavy, spire-tipped bullet.
P/315. L.21.36 means it is the 21st Lot produced in 1936 at Markisches Walzwerk GmbH, Strausberg Bez. Potsdam, Germany.
Nz.Gew.BL.P.(2-2-0,45) specifies the weight and type of flaked Nitrocellulose rifle powder
Rdf.90.L.36 means it was shipped from Rheindorf Arsenal in the 90th shipped Lot of 1936
Zdh.:S.K.D.1664.L.36 tells us about the primer.
The over-stamped iL means the ammo is im Ladestreifen, or in stripper clips.
If I were to crack this baby open, which I didn't, it would look like this:
Twenty boxes of 15 rounds. I had a second one of these, but the "sleeve" didn't make it through the mail.
Open one of the boxes, and here's what's hiding in there:
Beautiful, shiny ammo. Looks like it was produced yesterday.
Here's the headstamp:
The S* is the designator for brass cartridge case.
Now, when this stuff rolled off the line in Potsdam, Hitler was in power, the shooting war hadn't even started yet, the Anschluss hadn't happened, Kristallnacht hadn't happened, and Neville Chamberlain was still the Prime Minister of England. I'm not sure where it spent the years from 1936-1945, but I'm betting in 1945 when the Germans were desperate for ammo, they would have loved to have it back. And now, here's this ammo, produced for the Thousand-Year Reich, and somehow after all this time it's sitting in my basement, waiting for me to shoot it.
I don't know, I just think that's cool.
