Chuck,

That’s a heck of a list, as Isaac Milbank was busy for the 18 years of patent work, stated here in you’re list.(1862-1880) Between his cartridge priming designs and improvements, and his Breech loading designs, involving his cartridges and their improvements. The one looks similar to a trap door Springfield rifle, with the top hinged breach bolt.

Anthony

Anthony said
Very interesting Chuck! Pretty sure you might want to change where Isaac Milbank was from, for you’re records, as I’m pretty sure he was from, Greenfield Hill, in the county of Fairfield, and the State of Connecticut. I’m seeing a different patent number, and dates also.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/d2/dd/6c/1a36be8da1cd44/US123352.pdf

I’m thinking Bryan will want to add that to his site.

Anthony

  

Yeah it looks like they got the last couple of numbers backwards. And he was from CT not GA. But the date is right. 

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/1b/ec/75/f922401f31f8e9/US103641.pdf

LOL. Yeah Chuck, don’t bite the hand that feeds you!

Here are some early cartridges and primers.

Left to right.

Martin primed 44 cal Colt/Remington conversion pistols, Colt 1860 Army and Remington 1858 New Model Army

Martin primed 44 cal S&W American

Benet primed 44 cal Colt/Remington conversion pistols, Colt 1860 Army and Remington 1858 New Model Army

WRACo 44 cal S&W American

WRACo 44 cal Colt 1871/72 Open Tops and Richard/Mason Conversions

Rem UMC 44 cal S&W American

Remington UMC 44 cal S&W Russian

UMC 44 cal Merwin & Hulbert

Martin primed Colt Thuer 44 cal and 36 cal, Colt Thuer conversions.  There is a 31 cal too but is harder to find.  These loaded from the front of the cylinder.

Anthony said
Chuck,

That’s a nice grouping. I notice the two Rem-UMC cartridges have nickle primers. #6,7

What era are those two from? Are those original primers, or reloads?

 

Thanks,

Anthony

  

I’m not sure?  In the early teens the tin primers were being used.

Here are 2 pictures of the Volcanic rounds next to a 50-110.

Maverick said

Chuck said

Here are 2 pictures of the Volcanic rounds next to a 50-110.

  

Your Volcanic rounds look a little dry. You might want to re-lube them before taking your volcanic out to the range.

  

I wish I owned a Volcanic rifle. 

With the Winchester model 1873 being based on a larger caliber, and in a center fire configuration, compared to the historical, Henry Rifle and the Winchester model 1866, both using the .44 Henry Flat cartridge, more velocity was being asked for in a lever action rifle. Oliver Winchester was pursuing the first center fire cartridge with more velocity, and he had the right cartridge in the .44 C.F.,(.44wcf-.44-40) Cartridge. With well documented problems, with the early priming system, in the Milbank Primer, causing Winchester great delays in early produced rifles with poor results in the early ammunition, until several well documented patents, and different primers were tried, in this new c.f. cartridge, which was finally changed and adapted, as has been established previously in these posts, to in the 2nd year of mfg. of the model 1873 rifle.

Below is an example of an early .44 wcf and an early Milbank primed, .44 wcf cartridge. The Milbank, paper patched cartridge below, is the only known cartridge, of such documented examples to have survived. One of two known, as the other cartridge, is also well documented, and not paper patched and has been labeled an experimental cartridge. This remaining cartridge was pr-owned by more than one well known, world wide cartridge collector, as the paper on the cartridge has been documented to have been written by Winchester employee, Paul Foster, as this came out of his personal collection. Other well known collectors like, Bill Wooden, Jim Tillinghast, Berk Lewis,and Phil Medicus.

In Giles & Shuey cartridge book, on page 66, they explain the rarity and the seldom seen Milbank Primed cartridges. Like was said, a few examples we’re found at the battle of “Little Big Horn”.

More to come

Anthony

I agree with you Chuck!

Oliver Winchester had too much on the line, and being the business man gambler that he was, he knew that he had to get the right cartridge developed with a trustworthy primer.

I remember that Dan Shuey, said that he held both of the only known, Milbank Primed Cartridges. Interesting, as The above cartridge has all of those prominent Cartridge collectors, verifying it, and the on top of that, Dan Shuey!

Anthony