? Metal Detector Find - Mystery Rimfire Cartridge

[bergman]

I was out with a detector on public, non-regulated land (legal to detect) and came across this little find.

I was hoping some cartridge collector and other people in the know here could help me out.

It was found an area hear an old railway siding/town that dates to at least the 1880's. Only marking is a capital 'U' headstamp on the back.

Here's the details:

Length= ~14mm (9/16”)
Width= ~7-8mm (5/16”)
Rimfire
Stamped with a capital ‘U’
Located in historical area dating to 1880’s

Measurements are approximate - I don't have a good caliper to check them.

[rugerfan]

I would say it is a .32 short rimfire. Possibly union cartridge company but I’m not read up on the headstamps they used.

[HVA7mm]

Maybe one of these?

[Red Bullets]

Neat find. I'm guessing a 32 too. Your measurements add up. Union Metallic Cartridge Co. made short, long and long rifle 32. They also made an extra short and extra long 32 shells too. Made by Smith and Wesson in 1860.


( pic is from: By Hmaag - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=63766730 )

So someone was shooting where you found the shell maybe as early as the 1860's. Game hunting or a skirmish?

[Ishpah]

That's intriguing, 1860 to 1919, probably later as there would have been ammo in stock probably 10 or so years after discontinuation.

[bat119]

In the 60's we had a Stevens favorite in .32 rimfire I have the box and a few rounds left Mine have a D stamp made by CIL. I remember shooting it was like throwing a stone the shells were probably 30 years old then.

[wwbirds]

I recall many years ago using dog popper rounds in training pistols that had a u on the casing head

[bat119]

The U headstamp is the Union Metallic Cartridge Company they've been around since the 1860's now just UMC

[KegRiver]

Looks to me like a 32 short, but without a closer look a can't be sure.

32s were made in short and long I have a couple of longs but no shorts. I have seen a short at gun shows, in fact one vendor had several the the Grimshaw show this past weekend.

He also had several other rim-fire cartridges I had never heard of.
my collection is more about cartridges I have used or those that were used by people I grew up with.

I do have a few obsolete cartridges in my collection such as the 32 long, they were added more because they were found in this area then due to an interest in old cartridges. Although I do have a minor interest in charge/caliber named cartridges such as the 25-35 and the 32-55