Chapter XVI

AMMUNITION

When S&W introduced the first successful cartridge revolver, they also had to offer ammunition for it. These earliest S&W branded ammunition containers will bring high values from serious early model collectors.

Very early S&W ammunition box. ArmsBid.com photo.

For the first few decades of cartridge ammunition production by various firms, terminology and cartridge names were still evolving. Early ammunition is sought by collectors to match the era of their guns. Especially popular are “picture boxes” featuring pictures of early S&W models on the box lids, regardless of the actual ammunition manufacturer.

During the Bangor Punta years from (1973 - 1981), S&W offered an extensive handgun ammunition line, including .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .32 S&W (very scarce) .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .380 ACP, 9mm Parabellum, .44 Magnum and .45 ACP, often with several loadings in each caliber, plus indoor and outdoor blanks. Shotgun shells included .410 bore (very scarce) and 20-, 16-, and 12-ga. Rifle ammunition was offered in .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .30-30 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and .30-06. S&W acquired Alcan of Alton, Ill., in 1972. Initally the company made handgun ammunition under both the S&W and the Alcan name. Early boxes were marked “Smith & Wesson – Fiocchi Inc. Alton Ill.” The head stamp was “S&W-F”; later the “-F” was dropped. The S&W line of reloading components included bullets and Alcan-made primers.

Of special interest to collectors are unusual loads such as the .38 Special Chiefs Special load, shotgun slugs, and the nylon-jacketed Nyclad line of ammunition. Currently, S&W brand ammunition can often be picked up at the same price as comparable current production commercial ammunition, but collector interest is increasing somewhat and may affect pricing in the future.

An older type of ammunition of special interest to S&W collectors used the S&W patented self-lubricating bullet. This projectile was designed to pump lubrication onto the bearing surface of the bullet when the cartridge was fired.

Examples of early “picture box” ammo boxes. Jamie Supica photos.

S&W brand ammunition packs, not to scale. Jamie Supica photos.