I had a friend of mine who asked me if I could find a home for some old ammmunition that he had. I told him sure and he gave me a bunch of mixed pistol ammo along with an odd rifle round, one that he thought was a 25 Jap. Here's a picture, with a 22.250 for comparison. The bullet measures right at .259"-.260"



Also can anyone guess at the approximate age of these paper hulled .410 rounds of 7 1/2 shot?

I'd guess the rifle round is a 6.5 Jap and the $2.70 price tag on the 410 shells put them in the late 50s or early to mid 60s

Did he mention finding it on "the Grassy Knoll?"

Thanks, the Remington box is marked $2.35

If he found it on a grassy knoll it would be a 6.5 Carcano, not a 6.5 Jap. Pedro

I tnink Pedro is right it looks like a Carcano to me.

quote:

Originally posted by brytstar:
I tnink Pedro is right it looks like a Carcano to me.

Never saw a Carcano cartridge with that sharp a bullet. Also ,every Carcano military bullet I ever micked was .266 not .268 or those smaller dimensions.The ass end of the case is definitly not Carcano. There is no radial depression and the crimp is totally wrong.

Hint ! the Arasaka 6.5 Jap, is semi rimless. Got a Micrometer?? About .447 dia. head .475dia. rim. roger

This is a semi-rimmed cartridge with the rim measuring .473". The case length measures 1.994" base to case mouth.

The round was rolled up in a piece of paper that said;

"Hugh, this cartridge is a ______ Jap 25 caliber rifle and M.G. cartridge from the battle of Teunener (sp) River, guadalcanal. Brought back to the states by Lt. Charles A Bassett U.S.N.R. Pilot on a PBY at that time. 1942-43"

The spelling of "Teuneru River" is approximate because the handwriting of the letter writer is hard to read. It should be Tenaru River

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
This is a semi-rimmed cartridge with the rim measuring .473". The case length measures 1.994" base to case mouth.

The round was rolled up in a piece of paper that said;

"Hugh, this cartridge is a ______ Jap 25 caliber rifle and M.G. cartridge from the battle of Teunener (sp) River, guadalcanal. Brought back to the states by Lt. Charles A Bassett U.S.N.R. Pilot on a PBY at that time. 1942-43"

The spelling of "Teuneru River" is approximate because the handwriting of the letter writer is hard to read. It should be Tenaru River

Due to the semi-rim configuration and the long bullet, I'd guess 6.5X50mm Arisaka, but if the case is 50mm long, that would clinch it for sure.... The Carcano is a true rimless case, very similar to the 6.5X54mm Mannlicher Schoenauer, having a smaller head diameter than the rim size of that one you've got.

It is a 6.5 Japanese. The stab primer crimp is a big hint. Is that a pink lacquer seal around the neck?
Your caliper will tell you.
(Harbor Fright has digital calipers for less than $10.00.)
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
This is a semi-rimmed cartridge with the rim measuring .473". The case length measures 1.994" base to case mouth.

The case length of 1.994" is almost exactly 50 mm, so it must be a 6.5 Ariska cartridge. The bullet is sealed by what looks like pink laquer.

I'd mount that paper and cartridge under glass for display.
Might be nice to try to locate the man, or his family to see if they'd like to have it.

That's history! maybe even send it to the Firearm Museum at NRA.

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
I'd mount that paper and cartridge under glass for display.
Might be nice to try to locate the man, or his family to see if they'd like to have it.

That's history! maybe even send it to the Firearm Museum at NRA.George

roger

It is likely a 6.5 Arisaka round, but not the one for the M38 rifle. There were TWO 6.5 Arisaka rounds, IIRC.

The semi-rimless round had a semi-rim diameter of about .446"-447", I believe. This is the one commonly available today for 6.5 Arisaka rifles, made by Norma, Hornady, and others.

The OTHER 6.5 Arisaka round was fully rimmed, with a rim diameter of aprox. .476". It was intended for machine gun use. Sorry I don't recall which of the Japanese 6.5 machine guns it was intended to be used in. They had 3 primary 6.5m/m infantry machine guns from 1914-1945, two LMGs and an HMG., adoption dates of 1914, 1926, and 1934, I seem to recall.

This one sound like maybe a 6.5 MG round?