old rifle cases

[jimzz977]

I found these at old mining ghost town and a old school in historic mesilla does anyone have information on them and are they collect able

 

[luvsdux]

Actually, they're old cartridge cases, not rifle cases. The one with the head stamp that can be easily read translates to - 44 Winchester Center fire / Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The others are hard to tell from the pictures. As to collectible, there are plenty of firearms enthusiasts that collect old cartridge cases and if you often hunt areas where they are found you might want to start a collection of your own.
luvsdux

 

[jimzz977]

So they are old ?? I started to collect them now

 

[luvsdux]

Yes, old enough to be of interest. During your detecting you may find cartridges from the second half of the 1800s to modern.
luvsdux

 

[jimzz977]

Its nice find old stuff just wondering who was the shooter and what they shooting at

 

[Dave Rishar]

https://www.uaf.edu/museum/collections/archaeo/projects/Adkins2011CartridgeCase.pdf

From that .pdf: "Winchester began with the "W.R.A.Co" headstamp and used it until 1928 when the first cases are noted with the "W.R.A." headstamp (Shuey 2000:162). The transition lasted about 10 years
or until all the old stock was used, more popular calibers being replaced first."

The .44 WCF was introduced in 1873, so that cartridge case can be reliably dated to 1873-1938...kind of a large span unfortunately, but that's the best that can be done under the circumstances. The history of the site that it came from may suggest a smaller range of dates. Of course, this doesn't necessarily tell us when the cartridge case ended up on the ground. I routinely shoot ammunition today that was made in the seventies, and ammunition from forties and fifties is still being sold today for shooting purposes. (In some of the more uncommon and obsolete calibers, it's basically a requirement unless you want to manufacture your own.)

I can't see enough detail on the other headstamps to make any guesses about them. However, the condition of the cases can possibly tell us some things. As I'm unfamiliar with the soil and precipitation in your area, I can't really help with that.

 

[jimzz977]

Thanks I gound them at old mining ghost called chance city new mexico is was used in the 1800s to late1800s . The cases with no markings they look like from a Spencer rifle

 

[Dave Rishar]

No headstamps can indicate very early cases, as not all manufacturers bothered with them at first. This is not a guarantee though.

It appears from the pictures that some of the cases look quite a bit nastier than the others. If all of them received the same amount of cleaning and were found in the same general area, it's safe to assume that the additional degradation would suggest a longer stay in the ground and thus, probably a significantly older age. A lot of corrosion (particularly at the case neck and inside the case itself) can also indicate the use of black powder and/or the harsher priming compounds originally used, but again, not always.