Pictured below is a 10 gauge U.M.C Co. 2 7/8" brass case loaded with a pointed lead slug. The whole thing weighs a little over 3 ounces.

Is that a factory load or some ones hand load? Any idea about value?

Thanks for your comments and help.

Jolly

The case and headstamp are identical to a couple of "punkin ball" loaded Remington 10s that came along with my great grandfather's Rem 1889, which also has tiny rifle (aftermarket, I think) sights and 2 7/8 chambers marked "MAGNUM" as well as one chokeless barrel for ball and the other marked "Not for Ball" and very full choked.

I don't have an early enough ammo catalog to show the very earliest factory loaded slugs, but I'd GUESS that this is one of them. It reminds me of some early Continental slugs and would date before the "Foster" slug became our "standard."

I wouldn't want to get in front of that thing!

Don't know about the slug, but I have a Remington 10ga SxS and the left barrel takes a rifle barrel liner. The top rib has two tapped holes near the muzzle and another two about 8" in front of the breech. The liner is stamped " 10ga- 2 1/2" 40cal ". Wish I had the original sights.

The 'UMC' headstamp is pre-1912ish. The nickeled primer would be post 1926-ish, after the development of non-corrosive priming. I doubt it is factory loaded. Value is hard to determine for cartridges, but, someone may be interested in it for its uniqueness.

UMC never sold loaded brass shotgun shells, just NPEs.

Thanks Chief (USN-CPO) Roundsworth, and others, for those details. Makes good sense.
I suspect more of a conversation piece than anything else. Sure wouldn't recommend shooting it.
Jolly

Researcher, correct me on this if I am wrong. Were not many of the NPE cases purchased by small loading companies who then loaded them for sale. In one sense this could be referred to as "Factory Loaded", just not by UMC themselves.

It could likewise of course have been loaded by an individual handloader. Whoever loaded it had a neat tool to roll that crimp into the slugs groove. I would venture it was not just a run of the mill home loader, but a rather advanced one if it was not done by one of the loading companies.

I just happen to have one of those neat hand tools in my collection. It is for a 10 gauge as well.

Romac;
Certainly a neat tool. Does it have a maker's name on it? Over the years I have seen several copies of old Ideal catalogs & don't recall seeing one of these in them. That of course doesn't mean they never made one, I just might not have seen the right catalog.

No name, just a patent date of February 5, 1884.



Still works pretty good too!

I certainly can't say they didn't, but all of the small loading outfits I've seen examples of their wares or have a catalog from only show shells loaded in paper NPEs. From the 1886-7 Chamberlin Cartridge Co. catalog --

ROMAC, you guys show the neat old tools you have is causing me to eat my heart out. I didn't know such things existed.

very cool tool...

Researcher;
Your're right, these companies loaded predominately the paper hulls. I just thought that "Perhaps" they would on order load some all brass, but had no positive info to say so. That's why I called on you for correction, thanks for your input. I do not want to spread false info.

Cool gun...You think it original ?

From the second 1901 Remington Arms Co. catalog --



It is shown in all the Remington Arms Co. catalogs I have from the October 1894 through the second 1902 catalog. Semmer states it was introduced by E. Remington & Sons with their Model 1882 top-lever hammer gun. With the earlier Whitmore "lifter action" hammer guns E. Remington & Sons manufactured combination guns and double rifles in the Models 1873, 1875 and 1876.

I saw the load in person yesterday. Really neat!!!!