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Military Surplus Ammo

TheBrassMan
Here is a good one for the experts.
I have 2 boxes here of Caliber .45 Ball M1911.
One box is printed "Olin Corporation".
The other is printed "Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation".
Head stamp on the "Olin Corporation" is WCC 76.
Headstamp on the other is WCC 77.
My big question is are the Headstamps correct for the box that contains them?
I do not want to list them if they are not correct.
Just discovered them in one of my storage containers.

Thanks.
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • ammo guy
    WCC generally stands for Winchester Cartridge Company, it can also stand for Western Cartridge Company, this is a older designation, Olin corp is the parent company that owns "Winchester". I would assume the the ammo and boxes are correct.
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  • Cheechako
    WCC means Western Cartridge Company. Winchester cartridges would be headstamped WRA.

    Starting in 1945, boxes were marked Division Olin Industries.

    Starting in 1954, boxes were marked Division Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp.

    WCC 76 and WCC 77 cartridges may or may not be appropriate for those boxes. Sometimes, old boxes were used to save costs. It would take a lot more information to pin them down. Got photos?
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  • perry shooter
    Should have a LOT NUMBER on the Box Can you give us that number
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  • TheBrassMan
    "Olin Corporation": LOT WCC-2-32
    "Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation": LOT WCC 6734
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  • machine gun moran
    'Olin Corporation' and 'Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation', are one and the same. I worked for Olin in ball powder manufacture, and those are two commonly-encountered company representations.
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  • Cheechako
    F.W. Olin was the president of Western Cartridge Company as organized in 1898. So, the name Olin has been associated with WCC for the past 116 years. Olin acquired Winchester in 1926. Olin Industries was organized in 1944. Olin Industries merged with Mathieson Chemical Corp. in 1954. The corporate name changed to Olin Corporation in 1969.

    Cartridge collectors have always been able to date Western and Winchester boxes of ammo by the label information and by the cartridge headstamp.

    There is a very similar line of succession for Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Remington, and Peters Cartridge Co.

    I'm giving away a few of the secret tricks that cartridge collectors use when identifying their prized possessions. And you probably thought we just smart.[:)][8D]
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  • Cheechako
    I came across a box of Olin Mathieson Chem Corp 45 ammunition, Lot WCC 6543. Cartridges are headstamped WCC 61. This is consistent with the dates discussed above and tends to indicate that your '76 and '77 cartridges are not original to those boxes.

    Ray
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  • TheBrassMan
    quote:Originally posted by Cheechako
    I came across a box of Olin Mathieson Chem Corp 45 ammunition, Lot WCC 6543. Cartridges are headstamped WCC 61. This is consistent with the dates discussed above and tends to indicate that your '76 and '77 cartridges are not original to those boxes.

    Ray

    That is what I assumed. I wanted to be sure before I listed them and got
    slammed by emails after listing them.
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