.45 BALL Spam Can

[GregV]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the info!

[Southron]

Well, I visited the Frankfort Arsenal back in the 1970's when the government closed it down. I was surprised to find barrels full of:

Aluminum .45 Auto cartridge cases with a "FA 41" headstamp. Although the cases were punched for a primer, the flash hole was not yet punched.

I really wonder why the cases were not finished and why the arsenal kept them around for over 30 years.

[S.A. Boggs]

Don't shoot this ammo unless you have several extractors as steel is hard on them. I broke many extractors along time ago. The ammo is O.K. in sub guns.
Sam

[dave]

I have many boxes of that ammo, shoot it a lot. Take the gun apart and clean, its very easy to do, unlike a rifle!

[Hecklerusp45]

I have seen USGI ammo in cans like that (with mixed headstamps as well). That often happens because the ammo was sent overseas, opened, then repacked.

[Garden Valley]

Just an added note. Were this very early ammo the lot number would likely be ECS 4?. However, the EC-S- number tells you it is steel case ammo. That's what the letter "S" in the lot number means. It is merely coincidental that the early headstamp ammo has "ECS" and that would lead one to believe that the EC-S in the lot number also means Evansville Chrysler Sunbeam, but it does not.

[Tuna]

Spam cans were only done in the states and none were done overseas at all. In the very beginning of EC it was ES for Evansville Sunbeam. Chrysler came on board and took over management and production so it became ECS. Later this became just EC. Sunbeam made the cases and EC loaded them. Production was all brass at first but was switched over to steel at the request of the military as there was a perceived shortage of brass coming which never did happen. This was to be emergency use ammo and the same with the steel cased 30 carbine which was never issued for combat.

Evansville was the company that developed the spam can and was put in charge of all repacking. This is why you can find ammo from all of the companies brass cased ammo in spam cans marked repacked. There was so much ammo available in the pipeline that it was decided to spam can it for storage and later use so it was sent to EC for packaging.

[Hecklerusp45]

With all due respect Tuna, I have owned spam cans with Greek markings on them. Upon opening the cans I found them to contain USGI 45 ammo with mixed headstamps.

[Tuna]

Sorry Hecklerusp45. I was referring to WW2 and post Korean war time frame. You right about the 60's and 70's time frame in Greece.