What is the age of this 30-06 ammo box ?

[Matt 1941]

I bought this box thinking it was WWII. Is that correct? 

[Gear Fanatic]

Yep that is 100% ww2, good find, lot number on the bottom is a little lower than typical ones.

nice find!

[Matt 1941]

3 hours ago, Gear Fanatic said:

Yep that is 100% ww2, good find, lot number on the bottom is a little lower than typical ones.

nice find!

Thanks !!

[Rhscott]

Well each plant got batches of lot numbers so comparing a Lake City lot number with a Twin Cities lot number is not a real comparison of low vs high.

[robinb]

Post WW2 by the ammunition identification code number. Definitely not WW2.

[Matt 1941]

10 minutes ago, robinb said:

Post WW2 by the ammunition identification code number. Definitely not WW2.

Well I guess I’ll be asking to cancel my order then :/ 

[robinb]

If you want a WW2 box, then yes, cancel your order. That's not it.

[Gear Fanatic]

Oh, I just want to apologize for misleading you. That was a blunder on my part, sorry. 
I saw the Taega name in common on the other crates, thinking it was the same manufacture.

I just wanted to apologize for making that mistake.

[RWW]

TAEGA is not the name of a manufacturer, it is the ammunition identification code robinb was talking about. The markings used by the system made it easier for soldiers to quickly identify and procure the right items. Rather than having to match every word on a crate to make sure they had the right ammunition, all they had to do was look for a 5 letter and/or digit code to identify the right item. The 1st T stands for small-arms ammunition.

 

Bandoleers (1948–1958)
Note: The ammunition now only came in 8-round en-bloc clips because the M1 Garand was the standard service rifle.

 

TAEGA = 384 cartridges .30-06 Ball M2, 8-round en-bloc clips in bandoleers (6 clips / 48 rounds), 4 bandoleers per metal M20 ammo can (192 rounds), 2 × M20 ammo cans per wooden M22 crate. Gross Weight: 38 lbs. Volume: 0.76 cubic feet.

[ccyooper]

The box is most likely 1953.  Lot 39359 is LC 53.  Since that’s at the end of the war it could even be much later even with the close lot number. 

[509 PIB]

I picked this up recently, and while surfing for info, I noticed most WWII crates were painted. I was on an ammo forum and was told the same thing—this is a post-WWII. They specifically referenced the FA 4044 lot number. I can't find that lot number. Can anyone tell me if that's from the Korean War? I love it and got a great price at an auction.

[Matt_X]

From what I've read, painting was the practice but no paint with black lettering was also acceptable.  There's crating information in some of the ammunition technical manuals - that will be one of the easier to find primary sources.

The Ammunition Identification Code (AIC) beginning with T1 was used from about 1943 to 48 when it was chaned to TA.

As far as the Lot number, yes that can help identify the year of manufacture.   I would use that rather than whether or not the box was painted.  As the photo that Quest Master shared from his book shows, just because the ammunition was made at Frankford Arsenal, it could have been packed up elsewhere.  Let me find the link. here you go. New reference book: U.S. Military Small-Arms Ammunition Lot Numbers 1928-1945 - ORDNANCE - U.S. Militaria Forum  He also shows many boxes, chests, cans and crates on his website.

 

Scroll through this thread to the bottom.  That seems to confirm this lot was post war WW2.

 

 

[Quest Master]

12 hours ago, Matt_X said:

From what I've read, painting was the practice but no paint with black lettering was also acceptable.  There's crating information in some of the ammunition technical manuals - that will be one of the easier to find primary sources.

The Ammunition Identification Code (AIC) beginning with T1 was used from about 1943 to 48 when it was chaned to TA.

As far as the Lot number, yes that can help identify the year of manufacture.   I would use that rather than whether or not the box was painted.  As the photo that Quest Master shared from his book shows, just because the ammunition was made at Frankford Arsenal, it could have been packed up elsewhere.  Let me find the link. here you go. New reference book: U.S. Military Small-Arms Ammunition Lot Numbers 1928-1945 - ORDNANCE - U.S. Militaria Forum  He also shows many boxes, chests, cans and crates on his website.

 

Scroll through this thread to the bottom.  That seems to confirm this lot was post war WW2.

 

 

Matt, thank you for quoting my book! It is now published and available on Amazon.

[Quest Master]

On 12/3/2025 at 9:22 PM, 509 PIB said:

I picked this up recently, and while surfing for info, I noticed most WWII crates were painted. I was on an ammo forum and was told the same thing—this is a post-WWII. They specifically referenced the FA 4044 lot number. I can't find that lot number. Can anyone tell me if that's from the Korean War? I love it and got a great price at an auction.

I am the author of "U.S. Military Small-Arms Ammunition Lot Numbers 1928-1945", for your crate, Frankford Arsenal Lot 4044, is immediately after the known lot numbers of 3992 to 4024 for 1945. This crate was either made in late 1945 or immediately afterwards, and prior to 1948 when the AIC changed from T1EHP to four characters. 

[509 PIB]

Thank you for your expertise, QM. And thanks, Matt; very interesting stuff.

[collector]

This is a typical WW2 painted one. I don't have the wing nuts.