Strange Ammo: What did I find

[44caliberkid]

  Came across 9 or 10 of these recently.  Appears to be center fire but with an internal primer.  Approximately 38 caliber bullet, case is slightly bottle necked, very light weight.  I'll post some pics, anybody know what it is?

[St. George]

They're for a cap gun - the little rounds that fit into the loops on the belt that always got lost.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[44caliberkid]

Thanks, I thought they were awful light for real ammo.  Might be of interest to a toy collector.

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[St. George]

Like I said - they're usually lost - so someone with a nice cap gun and holster with empty loops would like them, I'm sure.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[GunClick Rick]

Like me,how do i get "em"?

[River City John]

Just looking at the size and shape, and basd on dim memory. . .

they look like the cartridges that came with a special derringer mounted in a belt buckle, that when you puffed your gut out while wearing it, the derringer flipped out and fired, or you could dismount it and hand fire it. Single shot. I believe made by either IDEAL or MATTEL, and meant to use the round "Greenie Stick'em Caps" you'd stick on the round recess of the bottom of the cartridge.

I believe came out around the same time as the TV westerns like "Yancy Derringer" or "Bat Masterson" in the late 50's.


Man, if only I had some of the toy guns, rigs, etc. I had as a kid in mint condition still in the box.
I even had an entire Cavalry uniform with plastron front just like the kid wore in "Rin-Tin-Tin". "Yo-o-o Rinnie!"

[W.T.]

River City John, weren't the same "Greenie Stickum Caps" also used with Mattel's "Fanner 50" (?) sixguns and their lever rifle?  I think I remember that the buckle derringer was part of that set.

[Capt. John Fitzgerald]

River City,
You stated;

"they look like the cartridges that came with a special derringer mounted in a belt buckle, that when you puffed your gut out while wearing it, the derringer flipped out and fired..."

Great idea when we were kids, but the shape most of us are in these days the damn thing would go off every time we inhaled!

[St. George]

Nichols and Hubley were also big producers of cap guns during the era of the TV Western.

I seem to remember that the 'Greenie' was used with a fairly robust two-piece 'bullet'.

The cap was stuck onto the base of a steel 'bullet' that featured a tube running through the center - effectively making it hollow - and was sort of 'wadcutter' shaped.

Thus 'primed - it was placed into the brass 'case' - creating the hammer and anvil needed.

When the hammer struck - it fired much like any real round - and the fire and smoke shot through the hollow - giving flash and report.

These are just the decorative ones for the loops.

When you'd run out of the 'Greenies' - you could take your roll of 'Kilgore' caps and a paper punch and create your own round caps, if you were half-way careful.

A light touch of spit wiped across the base of the 'bullet' would hold the cap in place until you were ready to fire.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

The Mattel's were flat based. The Shootin' Shell's had a spring inside and plastic "bullets" that would lock into the case when pushed in. Once the hammer struck, the spring would propel the bullet down the barrel. I have the derringer set up mentioned on my loading room wall. Had one when I was a kid, this one cost me WAY more than it did my parent 's when they bought me the original one I had( $90 )
 Those shells you've got are for another brand of cap gun, unless somebody dished the bottoms in. The shells for the Mattel Winchester were solid bottomed too. Looked like the real thing, just lighter, and you could cycle them through the action................Buck

[St. George]

I know that the 'Shootin' Shells' were for the 'Detective Special', too - and I think they were for the Rolling Block 'Scout' Carbine, as well.

There was even a cap gun that looked like a little flintlock 'derringer'.

You loaded a red plastic projectile from the muzzle and a cap at the 'lock' - that used the explosive power of the cap to propel the round.

'That' was cool...

Especially when you loaded a few caps.

Wonder why it was discontinued as soon as it was...

Cap guns sure came a long way from the days when they were made of cast iron - but back when they were, there were variations on those little 'Fourth of July' pistols - to include a double-action, folding trigger pinfire that looked like a LeFaucheaux and fired pinfire blanks.

An interesting collecting field - for the older cowboy who remembers them.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

I remember a pair my two cousions my age had, top break S&W #3 tyoe, used those die cast shell that had the plastic bullet that came out when you put the cap in the back and fired it.  When you opened the latch all the shells ejected.

[44caliberkid]

Well, they're on eBay now, I had 9 of them.  Just search under my screen name, 44caliberkid.

[rickk]

I hope you got a lot for them. I ran across an antique cap gun web site last night... those are worth several bucks a piece.

[Skullyville Tom]

Just looking at the size and shape, and basd on dim memory. . .

they look like the cartridges that came with a special derringer mounted in a belt buckle, that when you puffed your gut out while wearing it, the derringer flipped out and fired, or you could dismount it and hand fire it. Single shot. I believe made by either IDEAL

I had one of those, it just used standard caps, didn't have any kind of cartridge, some other brand might have though.