308 ammo value?

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Bill DeShivs

New member
A friend has:
hey buddy i have a question about some ammo I have . this is how the boxes are marked


20
WESTERN
308 WINCHESTER
MATCH
197 GR. O.P.E. BOATTAIL
HAND LOADED CARTRIDGES

WINCHESTER -WESTERN DIVISION
OLIN MATHISON CHEMICAL CORPORATION
EAST ALTON ILLINOIS , U.S.A.

THE BACK HAS THIS ON IT

Loaded with smokeless powder,O.P.E. boat
tail bulletts,and special non-corrosive
primers for finest match accuracy.Adapt-
edto Winchester Model 70, and other
arms chambered for this cartridge.

bulletts are marked as follows WCCO9 COULD BE A 6 but the letters are all the other way so its prolly 9any ideas as to what i have and its value?

Thank you- I would like to help him out.
 
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jman841

New member
not sure exactly but i believe the WCC is winchester cartridge company and 09 is usually the year of manufacture.

197 grain is kind of a heavy loading for .308 but it is a match round as stated.

Sorry i could not be of more help
 
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briandg

New member
That is western match grade ammo, I don't think it is military, I can't remember exactly what it is related to. But, I don't think you have any collector value. It's just an old box of ammo.

Is this maybe DCM match ammo?
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
I don't know any more than I have posted, sorry.
Does anybody know what he should ask, per box?
I don't know how much he has.
 
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Head-Space

Moderator
Reloaded ammo is not stuff that people buy, unless you know exactly what it is, which is not listed on the box. 197 gr. bullets are pretty heavy.

.308 Win. runs 165 - 172 gr. bullets. Heavy stuff is probably loaded for some sort of bench shooting. But it's reloads, and not factory ammo. Useful for the person who loaded it. Pretty iffy for anyone else.

Also, from the description it sounds ancient. Winchester/Western has been out of production for decades. Anyone listing "smokeless / non-corrosive" would be working in the dark ages of corrosive primers and black powder.

But someone might be interested in the old boxes!
 
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briandg

New member
Are these black and white boxes, or are there graphics? Can you supply a picture?

WCC is the Western Cartridge Company, as was marked on the box. The 09-06 I am not going to guess at.

The things must be at least 30-40 years old, I can't remember seeing notices about smokeless/non corrosive on boxes of ammunition like this made in the last 30 years or more.

The OPE is Open Point Expanding, an archaic term for hollow point. This is just a heavy match hollow point. Referring to the Model 70 is odd to me.

My question is, was this commercial ammo provided for a match program, or for retail sale?

Again, I see these as having no significant value other than as a collector item. At that, I don't suspect that they are terribly valuable. I am going to pyt a date of maybe the mid 60's on it, based on just a few hunches. It is certainly not older than the early 50s

Try this place for research, or send them a query on it.

http://cartridgecollectors.org/
 
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bigbird34

New member
308

The reloaded cartridges have no collector or special value to them,as they are reloads ......The others ???? 308 came out in 1952 ...so the date may be 1960 ??? If the box is in good condition,to excellent condition,it's worth about $20.00 to $25.00 ,if the box is beaten up,then the cartridges may be worth a buck a piece,or less again depending on condition etc....headstamp collecting is very popular and so is this particular headstamp ...

My 2 cents,Jim
 
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redeye69

New member
Hi there everyone my name is Freddie but i go by redeye69 here now and redeye an a few of the knife forums i am on Bill was kind enuff to post this ? for me as i have the ammo in question .i will see if i can post a pic asap heres a little more history on he ammo my dad and grand dad were both members fo the Fl. Natl Guard rifle and pistol team and both shot competivlty for the state of florida in the 50s thru the 70s man could they shoot thats where i got my training with firearms when i was a kid i can remember going to the range and shooting with my dad at 1000 yds with an M-1 garand and 03 Springfields too. we also shot the 1911s itr was so funny to my dad when his buddies would show uo at the range and a 10 year old kids was punching paper at 1000 yards and they could not even hit the target lol this ammo has been in my possesion since at least 5 years ago and i know daddy had it for a long time before i got it. i do believe these are not reloads and were used for match shooting in the 60s and 70s . hope this helps i will post a pica soon thanx all for your help. redeye69
 
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briandg

New member
so can you provide picutres? for collectors value, the age, rarity, and aesthetics are what count, and if that is as interesting as it sounds, (the promo spot for the 70, specifically) there will be at least a modest demand.

They aren't just another box of old ammunition and worthless. People do collect and display old ammo and ammo boxes, and the reference to the 70 would be a bonus.
 
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redeye69

New member
heres an attempt at a photo

CIMG4529.jpg

CIMG4530.jpg
 
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redeye69

New member
well how bout that? it worked and on the first try too. pretty much the condition of all boxes i have these are in excellent shape except for some storage marks and a little dirty and of course I guess my dad was gonna have a yard sale back before he passed away and wrote a price of $6.00 on each box sorry but they would have to bring more than that for me to let them go lol i have i think 15 boxes fo these so if anyone has an idea of what they would be worth please let me know thanx a ton and i think i am gonna like it here. I will post s few of my bangy toys later .
 
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briandg

New member
That is more what I expected when I first read the thread. It looks as if it was provided institutionally, like through the DCM or NRA for organized matches. I'm sorry, but I'm guessing no significant value.

I was really hoping to see commercial graphics.

Go ahead and send the photos to the cartridge collector association, they may still be able to answer some questions.

Cancel your trip to Antiques Roadshow.
 
H

Head-Space

Moderator
When I hear "hand loaded" marked on a box, I think "reload." This is some sort of match ammo, not reloads. Looking at the markings on the box clears that up. It looks like probably govt. contract ammo, from the graphic style and box markings. Stamped markings inside the end flap would be production or lot numbers, maybe an inspection or loader ID number.

If the head stamp reads W C C 6 0, it's Winchester / Western Cartridge Co. 1960.

I'm guessing the "6.00" in marker pen is a price.
 
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redeye69

New member
yes the 6.00 is a price my dad put on these a long time ago for a yard sale I am glad he never sold em though these are from 1960 huh? how bout that so am I . thanx for the input so far and any more is much welcome
 
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44 AMP

Staff
The brass is 1960 marked. Special "hand loaded" by Winchester, I can buy that, but loaded in 1975 in 1960 brass? Have to wonder about that.

As far as the price, if you're collecting rare ammo, I guess. If you're looking for something to shoot, even match grade, I'd pass at that price.
 
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redeye69

New member
hey sodbuster thanx for that link wow i never thought they would go for that much ,of course we dont know if hhe has sold any at that price either right?lol my boxes are not as clean as his but the same numbers inside the box he says there were two cases in that shipment i wonder if these are part of those two cases ,who knows but it sounds cool i do remember my dad and his dad going to both Fort Benning and Camp Perry to shoot years ago so it may have been for a special match or something . maybe we will find out some day
 
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