M2 Ammo Box Cal. 50" Year of make

Dear Collectors.

I could read in the web that the M2 Ammo Boxes Cal. 50" were made from 21st September 1942 till about 1960 but I would be pleased to learn from You the exact year of make of this particular ammo box, if WWII or later.

Thank you in advance.

Here are the pictures

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/y4g0-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/0gh8-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/u6bo-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/guej-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/okqg-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/5efc-1.jpg

Modern Steel Equipment Co., Geneva, Ill., had four contracts for ammunition boxes (1 specified "AMMUNITION BOXES" 1 specified "AMMUNITION BOXES CAL50" and 2 specified "AMM BOXES CAL50 M2") that ran from October 1942 to December 1945 for a total of $4.8 million. Obviously they made allot of ammunition boxes, including (probably) your example.

I don't have the resources at hand to research the ordnance plant with intials "TW" and the years of operation, which may yield another clue as to the approximate year your ammunition box was manufactured. Information on the lot number and ammunition type may also provide year of manufacture. If you have any of the cartridges from the box they will of course have the year of manufacture in the headstamp.

Thank you for your answer, RT Ellis.
Unfortunatly I have no ammo or empty brass coming from that ammo box ...

TW Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Minnesota ( run By Federal Cartridge Co.) produced ammo ( .30, .50, 7,62 N, etc. from 1942 to 1980s?) Site only recently decontaminated ( primer residues, sulphuric acid, etc).
One would have to go by Lot numbers to ascertain date of filling of Box.
The Factory made ammo WW II, Korea, Vietnam. Tried out SCAMP system of cartridge Manufacture in 1970s-80s ( 7,62 Nato).

Doc AV

DocAV:

Twin Cities Arsenal lot # 19362 was the first lot of non corrosive 3006 ball ammo, and was manufactured in December 1950. Since your ammo is 1000+ lots earlier, I think you can be fairly sure your can dates to the WW2 timeframe. I doubt there was very much TW ammo manufactured after WW2, and before Korea.

You can watch for specific boxes (or cans) of Twin Cities ammo, and it's corresponding headstamp, and narrow your timeframe further.

HTH

I have a similar can given to me. It is in mint condition no rust and still has the "Grenade Pin" closure on the latch. Stenciled in yellow paint is " 105 CAL. 50 - API M8 LINKED - LOT TW-L- 19389. I believe it is WWII because of the "Flaming Bomb" embossed on it. Then again they could still be using the Molds up into the 60s. I have 2 similar styled .30 Cal cans that were once filled with Blanks . These were Canadian .30 cal blanks on links. These were the cool blanks as the longer crimped Blanks screwed up the feed ramp on the Garand.

Why can it only accept 100 rounds as the later model M2A1 ammo boxes instead of 105 rounds as first models of M2 ammo boxes ?

Maybe the reason only 100 rnds in oppose to 105 is probably logistics . Maybe the bean counters found it easier to round off to an even number.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kosmolinekid

Maybe the reason only 100 rnds in oppose to 105 is probably logistics . Maybe the bean counters found it easier to round off to an even number.

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My thoughts were that this might be meaningful to assign a year of make : it might be made after WWII and it coul'd be a transiction M2 model between the older models for 105 .50" rounds and the later models M2A1 for 100 .50" rounds only ... but maybe I am wrong. Just an idea.

After looking at your picture and looking at my own Can I think I know why now . On your stenciling I see the legend " API M-8 in Cartons " . I think the key word here is " Cartons " in oppose to " Linked " on mine . Cartons / Boxes will have even amounts of Cartridges . I don't know how .50 cal is boxed 5 or 10 rounds maybe I know it can't be 20 ! Bizo after reading a few of your posts I think your closet and mine must look the same !

Thanks for the additional info, kosmolinekid.

I like to collect US firearms and USGI militaria staff !

You can have a look :)

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/ysbf-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/gmd1-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/zsaj-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/70kx-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/l3ve-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../11/sfu0-1.jpg

A little bit of everything piled in there.

Unfortunatly I would need a much larger closet, but metal safe boxes for rifles and handguns take a lot of the empty space in the room.

You need to get some good old Foot Lockers for some of your non Fire Arm items. I dug out an old Foot Locker from my Re-enacting days and found a Treasure Trove . I had things I forgot I had . Soon as I figure out how to post pictures I'll do so . I am Technologically challenged . I had found 4 Airborne Liners 2 were WWII for sure. Mint un-issued Kidney Gas Mask bag, Haversack, E-Tool Cover ( T-Handle ) and assorted Ammo Pouches. I also have some M-36 Suspenders and Musette Bags, Waterproof Gas Mask Bags ( Rubberized Invasion ) etc. I have complete Airborne Uniforms ( Repro M-42 and original M-43 ) for the 82nd Airborne impressions. I also had at one time a complete British Para but sold sold the original Dennison Smock and Jump Helmet. I have the the Battle dress and Web Gear still. That's not counting Fire arms related items ! I bought this all for cheap before WWII was a big thing . I remember when our WWII group couldn't field 10 Paratroopers at an event now look ! Everybody and his brother is 506th 101st now. The ironic thing is the 101st did not even fight the whole war ! They only made the appearance on D-Day and after. We did not even have a 101st unit because of that. We Re-enacted Sicily through the end of the war. I did don the 101st for Normandy event as a few others did as " Mis-Dropped " Paras. Sorry went off on a tangent again ! ....

I can tell you that your ammo can wasn't made in the 40's because the lid is removeable, and it does not have the lining they used in the 40's which was similar to lenoleum. But I will tell you that the ammo cans are still being produced by Browning, in fact I was in Iraq in 2005-2006 and we had a M2 at our OP(observation post) and we had upwards of 20 brand new M2 .50 ammo cans. I would guess that from the lot number yours was probably produce in 1963, as the last two numbers usually depict year of manufacture. But Browning could probably give you better info. :madsmile:

Thank you, waynepmyers.

I also got this M2 ammo box as well.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1403/p8hs.jpg

imageshack.us is not working properly today ... :banghead:

Here is same picture hosted at tinypic

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../2v7xmo5-1.jpg

for what it's worth - all my side opening boxes (10) say 105 rounds in links
all my end opening boxes (8) say 100 rounds in links
The 50 cal cartons held 10 rounds.