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Cloth .30 Army Bandoleers - 1903-1910


RustyCanteen
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HI all !

 

Very nice interesting post and job for this éssential parts of US équipments and hard to find .

 

 

Have nice day

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  • 1 year later...
US Victory Museum

Ooops! A correction to my previous post with the blue print.

 

The drawing is a Model 1909 bandoleer (1917 re-drawing) for Cartridge .30 Model of 1906.

 

 

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Excellent addition to the thread.

 

I had some more things to post here and never updated the thread. The artist's impression of the first .30-M1903 bandoleer should have a different font, but I did not get a chance to update that image.

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What is the value of these have chance at Remington UMC 1918 dated and in very nice condition?

 

That is a tough one, I do not have an answer for you. I guess it could make a difference if it was empty or still sealed?

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Nope it is empty only the bandoleer and marked rifle velocity at 53 ft. 1966 ft.

 

I used to see them empty with asking prices around $20-35 depending on condition, less if in rougher condition. Maybe try searching ebay ended auctions to get a more updated price range.

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  • 9 months later...

I acquired 6 of these bandoleers with ammo dated 1938-1940, not sure on the exact headstand date unless I look again. All of the ammo is on brass stripper clips. A couple questions:

1. We're the stripper clips of ammo situated in the pockets with the bullet points in the same direction?

2. Were the bandoleers issued with cardboard inserts and used at all times,  or was the cardboard use an optional feature?

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21 hours ago, kfields said:

I acquired 6 of these bandoleers with ammo dated 1938-1940, not sure on the exact headstand date unless I look again. All of the ammo is on brass stripper clips. A couple questions:

1. We're the stripper clips of ammo situated in the pockets with the bullet points in the same direction?

2. Were the bandoleers issued with cardboard inserts and used at all times,  or was the cardboard use an optional feature?



Hi,

 

 

As far as I know all military contract and arsenal produced .30-06 that came packed in the 1909 banodleers came with the inserts. And to answer your first question, the design of the tapered inserts necessitated that both stripper clips be inserted in the same direction (from the top, point down).

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  • 2 years later...
On 4/28/2014 at 9:30 PM, RustyCanteen said:

This thread is focused on the 1903 pattern bandoleer as used for .30 rifle cartridges from 1903-1918. Due to the relation of the 1909 bandoleer it is included, but the focus is not on the 1909 or latter bandoleers. They are included strictly for discussion purposes.

 

Prior to 1903 the US Army did not issue small arms ammunition in bandoleers. Ammunition came from Frankford Arsenal (and contracted commercial firms) in 20 round pasteboard boxes, which were then packed in wooden crates lined with zinc to seal against humidity and water damage. In practice a soldier would open a 20 round box and then load his looped Mills cartridge belt, opening more boxes until his belt was full (if ordered to carry a full load). In 1903 the new Springfield magazine rifle (M1903) was adopted and this coincided with new developments in modernizing the US Army. One such development was an experimental cloth bandoleer to carry the new rifle's clipped ammunition. In addition to making resupply and reserve ammunition easier to carry this was likely spurred at least in part by the difficulty in packing clipped ammunition in the pasteboard boxes than an attempt to match the equipment of other nations.

 

Bandoleers would be opened under order of the commanding officer, the ammunition would then be used to fill a cartridge belt. If additional reserve/emergency supplies of ammunition were needed two bandoleers would be issued per soldier. The ammunition in the bandoleers was to be expended before that carried in the cartridge belt.

 

Two 1909 pattern bandoleers being worn in conjunction with a cartridge belt and pack:

1909.jpg

I understand this is an old thread but I have a question. It looks like this photo is out of a field manual or a book. What field manual or book is it from if this is the case? 

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