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Query RE service period of .50 ammunition can


El Bibliotecario

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El Bibliotecario

I am curious as to the approximate service period of ammunition cans as pictured in the attachment. It is of stamped construction, side-opening, and stamped on the end 'ACME' with the letters US on either side of the ordnance corps insignia. I do not see this as some rare collectable item, in that I imagine they were made by the millions--just curious.

If any ammunition can gurus read this, I would also be curious to know when this pattern was replaced by the can with an end-opening removable lid attached by a piano hinge and fastened by a tension clamp on the lid end opposite the hinge.

I am speculating the two patterns of cans coexisted for a time, but most older cans were expended in Korea and/or for MAP programs.

TIA

ammunition box.JPG

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You are correct in that they overlapped considerably.  I was stationed in B-52Gs in the early '70s, which were armed with four .50 M3s in the tail, each gun had 600 rounds of ammo.  After a complete "fire-out" which was done often at the end of a month-long alert period, the entire 2400 rounds had to be replaced.  Cal. .50 linked came in that size cans, each holding 105 rounds with links.  Of the roughly 24 cans, we would get several of the older style "side opening" cans along with the newer end opening type.

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Neither my typing nor my math worked:  the above post--I can't figure out how to edit--should read 105 rounds in links per can.  Then it is roughly 24 cans for the full load.  My apologies.

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