Western Cartridge Company - Aussie Metal Detecting & Fishing

This page contains Western Cartridge Company shotgun shell headstamp photos and production date ranges. The date ranges below are not exact but an estimation of production dates based on available information. If you are aware of evidence that proves a date range on a brand of shell is incorrect then please email me with a photo of said evidence so I can change the date.

The Western Cartridge Company was formed by Franklin Olin in 1898 to manufacture powder and shotgun shells. In 1931 they purchased the Winchester Repeating Arms company.

Click on a link below to jump to that type of shell or scroll down to browse.

Headstamps
Western Field
Western New Chief
Western Peerless
Western Record
Western Super-X
Western Xpert
Western 410
W.C.Co. Field
W.C.Co. Velox

Gauge	Comments	Date Range
No 10	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height is low with no design around the outside. The beginning date range for this line of shells is very weak. It is taken strictly from the earliest ad that I have available to me. I have a strong feeling that the beginning date range is earlier, but I cannot prove it yet. 1927 or 1932 is the year that "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1914-1927/32
No 12	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height - medium with diamond design around the top. 1927 or 1932 is the year that "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. The December 24, 1936, Wholesale Catalog states that the "Field" line of shells is no longer being manufactured and is subject to available stock on hand. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32-1936
No 12	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height is unsure with evidence of the diamond design around the outside. The beginning date range for this line of shells is very weak. It is taken strictly from the earliest ad that I have available to me. I have a strong feeling that the beginning date range is earlier, but I cannot prove it yet. 1927 or 1932 is the year that "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1914-1927/32
No 16	Head and primer cup appear to be the same metal with the primer being a silvery metal. Brass height - high with a diamond pattern going around the outside. 1927 or 1932 is the year that "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. The December 24, 1936, Wholesale Catalog states that the "Field" line of shells is no longer being manufactured and is subject to available stock on hand. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32-1936
No 20	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal with the head strongly magnetic (re-enforced). Brass height - high with a diamond design around the top. The beginning date range for this line of shells is very weak. It is taken strictly from the earliest ad that I have available to me. I have a strong feeling that the beginning date range is earlier, but I cannot prove it yet. 1927 or 1932 is the year that "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1914-1927/32

Western New Chief	Gauge	Comment	Date Range
	No 12	WCCO headstamp no longer used by 1915. 1898 date may be too early. Photo courtesy of Clint Knight.	1898 - 1914
	No 16	Head and primer appear to be different metal with no primer cup (non magnetic). Due to damage, there is no more information for this headstamp. It appears Western headstamp was used from 1915 approx. The December 1936 Wholesale Price list states the New Chief line of shells has been discontinued and availability is limited to stock on hand. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1915 - 1936

Western Peerless	Gauge	Comment	Date Range
	No 12	Head, primer and primer cup appear to be the same metal (non magnetic). Brass height is high with no design around the outside. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1898 - 1915

Gauge	Comments	Date Range
No 12	Head, primer and primer cup appear to be same metal but the side of the head is not magnetic. The entire headstamp is magnetic though. Very high brass 1.07 inches with diamond design around the top. The beginning date range comes from a 1904 "Iron Age" journal/magazine. It mentions the new Western Cartridge Company line of shotshells, the "Record". "Made in USA" was added 1927 or 1932. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1904 - 1927/32
No 12	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height is very high with the diamond design around the top. "Made in USA" was added 1927 or 1932. The 1942 Wholesale Price List offers the "Record" line of shells, but he 1944 supplement (shells for civilian use) to the 1942 price list does not list them. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1944
No 20	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height is high with evidence of 'something' around the outside. There is too much damage to determine the design, but I think it is the "diamond" design. The beginning date range comes from a 1904 "Iron Age" journal/magazine. It mentions the new Western Cartridge Company line of shotshells, the "Record". "Made in USA" was added 1927 or 1932. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1904 - 1927/32

Gauge	Comment	Date Range
No 12	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height is very high with one line going around down low and a diamond or 'X' pattern between two lines at the top. Although 1921 is the earliest date that I can find for the Super-X line of shells, I believe that 1927/32 is closer to accurate for this example because it has "Made in USA" on it. This line of shells was still being listed in catalogs after the shells changed over from paper hulls to plastic ones in 1964. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964
No 16	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height is high with three lines going around the outside. Although 1921 is the earliest date that I can find for the Super-X line of shells, I believe that 1927/32 is closer to accurate for this example because it has "Made in USA" on it. This line of shells was still being listed in catalogs after the shells changed over from paper hulls to plastic ones in 1964. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964
No 20	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height - medium/high with three lines around the bottom and one around the top. Although 1921 is the earliest date that I can find for the Super-X line of shells, I believe that 1927/32 is closer to accurate for this example because it has "Made in USA" on it. This line of shells was still being listed in catalogs after the shells changed over from paper hulls to plastic ones in 1964. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964
410	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height is high with two lines around the outside. Although 1921 is the earliest date that I can find for the Super-X line of shells, I believe that 1927/32 is closer to accurate for this example because it has "Made in USA" on it. This line of shells was still being listed in catalogs after the shells changed over from paper hulls to plastic ones in 1964. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964

Gauge	Comments	Date Range
No 12	Head, primer and primer cup appear to be same metal (magnetic). Medium brass with two lines going around the outside. There are square dots going around the outside between the lines. 1927/32 is as accurate of a beginning date that I have at this point. I cannot 100% nail down when "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. 1964 is when the hulls changed over from paper hulls to plastic hulls. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964
No 12	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). No information is available for the height or outside design due to extensive damage. Numerous outdoor and shooting magazines talk about the new "Western Xpert" shells. That is where the beginning date comes from. The ending date is when "Made in USA" was added to the headstamp. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1924 - 1927/32
No 16	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (non magnetic) with tank track design around the outside. 1927/32 is as accurate of a beginning date that I have at this point. I cannot 100% nail down when "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. 1964 is when the hulls changed over from paper hulls to plastic hulls. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964
No 16	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height is unknown due to damage but there is the "tank track" design around the outside. Numerous outdoor and shooting magazines talk about the new "Western Xpert" shells. That is where the beginning date comes from. The ending date is when "Made in USA" was added to the headstamp. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1924 - 1927/32
No 20	Head, primer cup and primer appear to be the same metal (magnetic). Brass height - medium with two lines going around the outside. There are square dots going around the outside between the lines. 1927/32 is as accurate of a beginning date that I have at this point. I cannot 100% nail down when "Made in USA" was put on the headstamp. 1964 is when the hulls changed over from paper hulls to plastic hulls. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1927/32 - 1964

Western 410	Gauge	Comment	Date Range
	410	Head, primer and primer cup appear to be the same metal (non-magnetic). Brass height, high with three lines low and one line high around the outside.	1927/32 - 1964

W.C.Co. Field	Gauge	Comments	Date Range
	No 12	Head and primer appear to be the same metal with no primer cup (non-magnetic). Brass height is low with no design on the outside. I am sure that this is the first headstamp used and the company was founded in 1898. 1915 is the earliest catalog that I have access to and Western had changed to the standard "Western" headstamp. This means that technically the date range would be 1898-1914, but I cannot narrow it further. 1914 is the earliest date that I can verify for the Field line of shells. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1898 - 1914

W.C.Co. Velox	Gauge	Comments	Date Range
	No 12	Head and primer appear to be the same metal with no primer cup (non-magnetic). Brass height low with no design on the outside. Note the 'O' in CO. It is not closed and looks like a C on it's side. I am sure that this is the first headstamp used and the company was founded in 1898. 1915 is the earliest catalog that I have access to and Western had changed to the standard "Western" headstamp. This means that technically the date range would be 1898-1914, but I cannot narrow it further. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1898 - 1914
	No 12	Head and primer appear to be the same metal with no primer cup (non-magnetic). Brass height is medium with no design around the outside. I am sure that this is the first headstamp used and the company was founded in 1898. 1915 is the earliest catalog that I have access to and Western had changed to the standard "Western" headstamp. This means that technically the date range would be 1898-1914, but I cannot narrow it further. Photo courtesy of Doug 'Turtlefoot' Budd.	1898 - 1914

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