Help dating old UMC cartridge box

Wobble

New member
I recently acquired an old UMC .44-40 cartridge box (see attached photos). Can anyone help date it?

I know UMC started offering this cartridge shortly after Winchester came out with the Model 1873. But I suspect this one is newer because of the references to Marlin, Savage, Remington, and Stevens on the bottom.

UMCbox1.jpg

UMCbox4.jpg

UMCbox3.jpg

UMCbox2.jpg
 

Wobble

New member
If you will post these photos and question to the International Ammunition Assoc. forum they are quite knowledgable.

Thanks. That's just what I have done. If I get an answer, I'll post it back here just to complete the thread for future readers.
 

Savvy_Jack

New member
Any chance you still have this box? On the bottom, left side and upside down, it looks like there is an ink stamp code.
 
This was posted over a decade ago, and the OP hasn't been on in a decade, so no real sense in reviving it, but it is interesting, so there we are.

The box is definitely pre-1912, which is when Remington Arms purchased UMC.

The mention of Savage rifles is somewhat odd... I THINK that the Model 1892 was designed in .44-40, but it was never marketed and only a few examples were manufactured by Colt, but that would date the box to post 1892, with Savage as a manufacturer being established in 1894-95.

My guess, given that central-fire is hypenated, is that this box was first decade of the 20th century.
 

Savvy_Jack

New member
The box is definitely pre-1912, which is when Remington Arms purchased UMC.

The mention of Savage rifles is somewhat odd... I THINK that the Model 1892 was designed in .44-40, but it was never marketed and only a few examples were manufactured by Colt, but that would date the box to post 1892, with Savage as a manufacturer being established in 1894-95.

My guess, given that central-fire is hypenated, is that this box was first decade of the 20th century.

Since you mentioned it.......

Yes, I am gathering date information for here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...cnEM1lv6tCWBJsCOB8vLIDOIg/edit#gid=1860800684
 
Nice work pulling that information together!

Your spreadsheet matches up pretty good with my estimate. That color box label matches with what you have listed as being 1895 or later.

Is there any way that a viewer can expand the pictures?

The work you've done with .44-40 helps me nail down the dates for some boxes I have for other cartridges, including several red boxes of Winchester .44 Special
 
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