LC ammo in cardbord boxes..

[gunguy07]

I picked up 27 boxes of LC 71 .30 Carbine last month on GunBroker for a little over $30/box. Perhaps resale of CMP ammo. Since CMP was out, I'm happy.

[Mikey51]

Good ammo score Bob. What is the marking on the back of that, what looks like to be, a Hardback 30 you have there ?. Thanks. Mike.

[Tom in N.J.]

DCM price on .30 Carbine was .04 @ round...1200 round case (two cans, bandoleers and stripper clips) $48.00 plus Railway Express collect charges. (The big green truck with the red diamonds)

[USGI]

Good ammo score Bob. What is the marking on the back of that, what looks like to be, a Hardback 30 you have there ?. Thanks. Mike.

Hi Mike, I got the (2) mags from the same guy that had the ammo. The 15 rounder is marked BW, and I gave $10 for it. I couldn't believe the Hardback was still there, probably 3 hours into the show - $20 price tag on it. It's marked SEY - a little bit of discoloration, but not bad. He had 6 boxes of the ammo on the table and I bought all of it. He wanted to know if I was interested in more. Yes! - so he made a quick trip home and brought me back 10 more boxes. - Bob

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Bob,

You scored on the ammo and the mags. Good going.

[Mikey51]

Good buying Bob. I have a few boxes of 42-43 Lake City. Those genuine hardbacks are hard to find. If I see a 30 for sale, where the indents follow the curve of the mag, I tell the wife I'll be home when I have located it and had a look at it. She understands. Hard to find. Some of us here on the forum have a few, but are reluctant to post pics of the stampings/markings in case we help the dishonest folk. I think the few that I have come across will be from the Korean/Vietnam conflicts. I am still trying to establish why they are so rare. I think Bill R will know much, much more than me on that subject. Mike.

[dnikkor]

Bill emailed me once that all the hardbacks and the split backs marked SEY, A.I. and the really rare A1/M2 (got one!) were made in 1945-46. The "J" split backs were made in the mid-60s if memory serves me right. They made a lot more split backs than the more expensive to manufacture hardbacks. Supposedly the guys who used carbines for a living would always grab the hardbacks over the split backs when resupplied.

I think they are "rare" because they obviously don't make true USGI "banana clips" anymore and so many were lost in action, worn out & tossed away. Plus they hold 30-rounds.