Brass Shot Shell Question

[Jack71]

Not a shotgun question, but a Remington shotgun shell question: I have several old 2-1/2" all-brass 12 gauge shot shells marked "REM-UMC" and "BEST." They use a large pistol primer.
Can anyone tell during what period of time these were made?

[dieNusse1]

It's my understanding that brass shells were used in late 19th and early 20th century for hand loading of black powder loads. They are still being made with some using 209 primers. As far as I know they were not produced as factory loads. However (there's always a however) Remington had a DU commemorative box produced in the 80's or 90's and I assume there were other short production runs over the years such as the buckshot loads that were produced for the military during the Viet Nam era.

As far as reloading I've used them for BP and they'll last forever given proper care. Attempts have been made to load smokeless but I don't think there has been much success. I think the issue is the configuration of the base and the exit location of the primer hole.

[Virginian]

I have both a '70s era and a 90s era box of brass shotshells loaded by Remington. A friend bought and shot 2 boxes of the 60s stuff to use the hulls for black powder reloading. They has shotshell primers in them and the inside looked like a squared off AA hull.

[Researcher]

Both Remington and Winchester loaded brass 00-Buck shotgun shells for the military from WW-II into the Viet Nam era.

Winchesters left, Remington Right

Military 00 Buck Winchesters left, Remington right.JPG (230.27 KiB) Viewed 6435 times

Rem-UMC BEST

REM-UMC BEST No. 12.JPG (278.97 KiB) Viewed 6433 times

Brass shotgun cases from the 1870s to 1910 would be headstamped UMC --

1885-86

1885-86 UMC catalog pages 12 & 13.jpeg (868.31 KiB) Viewed 6435 times

UMC No. 10A

UMC No. 10 A.JPG (241.61 KiB) Viewed 6435 times

Anything with a Rem-UMC headstamp would be from 1911 or later

[Researcher]

Even though in the massive restructuring after The Great War, Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Inc. was dissolved in 1920 and a new company Remington Arms Co., Inc. formed, Remington continued to use the Rem-UMC headstamp on their ammunition for decades. The last catalog I have that shows brass shells is the 1923 --

Catalogue No. 107, 1923, page 163

1923 Empty Brass Shells.jpeg (489.95 KiB) Viewed 6430 times

[Jack71]

Thanks for the replies! As usual, Researcher has answers and documentation to back them up.