Very early Model 1903 cartridges

[RCS]

Some years ago, I found a loaded 30-06 cartridge with a 1905 headstamp. After doing some research, I found a posting by the late Ray Meketa in 2012. He stated that after the adoption of the 30-06 cartridge, there was still large stocks of 30-03 cartridges. It was decided to have these 30-03 cartridges resized, shortened and reloaded as the Model 1906 cartridge. Most of these 30-03 cartridges converted to 30-06 have the 04 and 05 headstamps.

From information available, I believe the earliest original 30-06 headstamp is F A 9 06

my photos show the 30-06 conversion next to the longer original 30-03 cartridge. While early dated blanks are still around, these converted 30-06 loaded cartridges are not common to find

Information

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[Rick the Librarian]

I remember a few years back, when you could pick up baggies of old cartridges at gun shows for a few dollars. Going through them provided a good evening's entertainment.

[ismith]

A buddy of mine got into metal detecting years ago and found a pocketful of old spent M1906 blanks with '04 and '05 dates not far from FT Harrison here in Montana. They weren't gold nuggets but he knew I would like them and I believe I have them stashed somewhere in my reloading pile.

[browningautorifle]

a pocketful of old spent M1906 blanks with '04 and '05 dates

I found a couple of clips up in Ft Lewis in a field firing area that had been all torn up. The troops brought me an M1 clip with eight AP cartridges from the Korean war era that came apart in hand. The M1909 clips were good because they were brass and the blanks were unfired but had been in the water table since they had dropped. One clip had a ding in it that precluded them being loaded so discarded. I think they had early '30's dates. I did find a pile of fired .30 cal cases marked for the U.S.C.Co. and one live cartridge which I still have. Dated 1918...the cases lay where they had been fired way back then.

[RCS]

I have some early 30-06 blanks which some were made from 30-03 cartridge cases that were shortened. The paper bullet did not last long as a blank.

Also shown are some factory hunting cartridges in 30-03 and Winchester chambered their Model 1895 in 30- 03 until 1912

[Chuckindenver]

2 years ago, i bagged up 75 pounds of collector cartridges in small grab bags as sold them for 15.00 each, had a large pile of them, they lasted about 30 mins at the Dakota arms collector show lol. a few 30-03s were in those bags.. one old guy in coveralls, got most of them, he was like a kid that scored in a candy store.