Western Cartridge Company

Last updated
Western Cartridge Company
Type Private
Industry Arms industry
Founded1898 (1898)
Founder Franklin W. Olin
Headquarters
East Alton, Illinois
,
U.S.
Products Small arms and ammunition
Parent Olin Corporation
Website www.olin.com

The Western Cartridge Company is an American manufacturer of small arms and ammunition that is based in East Alton, Illinois. Founded in 1898, it was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation, formed in 1944, of which Western became a subsidiary. [1] Western acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company after Winchester went into receivership in 1931. [2]

Contents

History

Franklin W. Olin received an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1886. After working at powder mills in the eastern United States, he was one of several investors establishing the Equitable Powder Company in 1892 at East Alton, Illinois. Production of blasting powder for southern Illinois coal mining began in 1893. [3]

Olin formed the Western Cartridge Company in 1898 to manufacture sporting rifle powder and shotgun shells for settlers of the Great Plains. The shotgun shells used primers manufactured by larger eastern ammunition firms. [3] When the firms with primer manufacturing facilities raised primer prices in 1900 to reduce competition from independent shotgun shell assembly plants, the Western Cartridge Company formed the Union Cap and Chemical Company (UCC) as a joint venture with Austin Cartridge Company of Ohio. UCC manufactured primers, blasting caps, and .22 and .32 caliber rimfire cartridges at East Alton. Similar manufacturing procedures for these products included fabrication of sheet metal cups and filling portions of those cups with primary explosive.

Rimfire cartridges bore a UCC headstamp, and product packaging included a Maltese cross trademark. The purchase of Alliance Cartridge Company in 1907 allowed UCC's merger into the Western Cartridge Company. [4] [5] The early Maltese Cross trademark from the earlier Union Cap & Chemical Company was changed in 1909–1910 to a diamond with the Western name inside. This logo carried on into the 1930s. The well known Super-X branding arrived in the mid-1920s on shotgun shells and in 1930–1931 on .22 rim fire. This branding referenced the "X" ring on a target and was used only on high velocity cartridges. [6] [7]

Expansion

Western calendar, 1927 Western calendar 1927.jpg
Western calendar, 1927
World War II era advertisement explaining ammunition shortages and the company's contribution to the war effort Western Cartridge Corporation advertisement.jpg
World War II era advertisement explaining ammunition shortages and the company's contribution to the war effort

John Olin, the son of founder Franklin W. Olin, improved shotgun cartridge designs in the 1920s by using harder shot and progressive burning powder. [8] Western produced 3 billion rounds of ammunition in World War II, and the Winchester subsidiary developed the U.S. M1 carbine and produced the carbine and the M1 rifle during the war. Western ranked 35th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. [9] Cartridges made by Western are stamped WCC. Western Cartridge Company produced the now collectible "Western Xpert" brand of shotgun shells in both 12 and 16 gauge sizes.

Labor relations

The company faced union activity and strikes in 1941 and 1942, at a time when it held $8.5 million in defense contracts. [10] [11] [12]

Civil rights activist Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. noted in 1944 that the company did not hire African-American workers. [13] Franklin Roosevelt's Committee on Fair Employment Practice had held hearings and tried to have the company hire black workers in 1943, but the community, owners and white employees refused. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartridge (firearms)</span> Ammunition consisting of a casing, projectile, propellant, and primer

A cartridge, also known as a round, is a type of pre-assembled firearm ammunition packaging a projectile, a propellant substance and an ignition device (primer) within a metallic, paper, or plastic case that is precisely made to fit within the barrel chamber of a breechloading gun, for convenient transportation and handling during shooting. Although in popular usage the term "bullet" is often used to refer to a complete cartridge, the correct usage only refers to the projectile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1 carbine</span> Auto-loading carbine

The M1 carbine is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was issued in the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by paramilitary and police forces around the world after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table of handgun and rifle cartridges</span> Small arms cartridge data

This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load.

Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Model 1873 was particularly successful, being marketed by the manufacturer as "The Gun That Won the West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centerfire ammunition</span> Type of ammunition common in higher-caliber firearms

A centerfire cartridge is a firearm metallic cartridge whose primer is located at the center of the base of its casing. Unlike rimfire cartridges, the centerfire primer is typically a separate component seated into a recessed cavity in the case head and is replaceable by reloading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rimfire ammunition</span> Type of ammunition common in low-caliber firearms

Rimfire ammunition is a type of firearm metallic cartridge whose primer is located within a hollow circumferential rim protruding from the base of its casing. When fired, the gun's firing pin will strike and crush the rim against the edge of the barrel breech, sparking the primer compound within the rim, and in turn ignite the propellant within the case. Invented in 1845, by Louis-Nicolas Flobert, the first rimfire metallic cartridge was the .22 BB Cap cartridge, which consisted of a percussion cap with a bullet attached to the top. While many other different cartridge priming methods have been tried since the mid-19th century onwards, such as pinfire, only small caliber rimfire and centerfire cartridges have survived to the present day with regular usage. The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge, introduced in 1887, is by far the most common ammunition in the world today in terms of units sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30 Carbine</span> Light rifle cartridge for M1 Carbine

The .30 Carbine (7.62×33mm) is a rimless carbine/rifle cartridge used in the M1 carbine introduced in the 1940s. It is a light rifle round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch (458 mm) barrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire</span> Rimfire cartridge

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, also called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, .22 WMRF, .22 MRF, or .22 Mag, is a rimfire cartridge. Originally loaded with a bullet weight of 40 grains (2.6 g) delivering velocities in the 2,000 feet per second (610 m/s) range from a rifle barrel, .22 WMR is now loaded with bullet weights ranging from 50 grains (3.2 g) at 1,530 feet per second (470 m/s) to 30 grains (1.9 g) at 2,200 feet per second (670 m/s).

The U.S. Repeating Arms Company (USRAC) was an American manufacturer of firearms. It was established in 1981 and operated as an independent company until 1989, when it went bankrupt and was taken over by Fabrique Nationale Herstal. The company traced its origins to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, which was famous for making Winchester rifles.

The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership in 1931 and was bought by the Western Cartridge Company, a forerunner of the Olin Corporation. The Winchester brand name is still owned by the Olin Corporation, which makes ammunition under that name. The Winchester name is also used under license for firearms produced by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group – FN Herstal of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Ogden, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headstamp</span> Markings on the bottom of a cartridge case

A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. If it is a civilian case it often also tells the caliber: if it is military, the year of manufacture is often added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin W. Olin</span> American baseball player and civil engineer (1860–1951)

Franklin Walter Olin was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and professional baseball player. He was the founder of Olin Corporation and Franklin W. Olin Foundation. Olin was born in Woodford, Vermont, and his father built mills and waterwheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&R Firearms</span> Firearms brand

H&R 1871, LLC, or more commonly known as Harrington & Richardson, is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olin Corporation</span> American chemical manufacturing company

Olin Corporation is an American manufacturer of ammunition, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide. The company traces its roots to two companies, both founded in 1892: Franklin W. Olin's Equitable Powder Company and the Mathieson Alkali Works. Accidents at Olin chemical plants have exposed employees and nearby residents to health hazards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Marshall Williams</span> American murderer and firearms designer

David Marshall Williams was an American firearms designer and convicted murderer who invented the floating chamber and the short-stroke piston. Both designs used the high-pressure gas generated in or near the breech of the firearm to operate the action of semi-automatic firearms like the M1 Carbine.

In firearms and artillery, the primer is the chemical and/or device responsible for initiating the propellant combustion that will propel the projectiles out of the gun barrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Cartridge Company</span> American cartridge ammunition manufacturer

The United States Cartridge Company was an early manufacturer of cartridge ammunition for small arms. The company was founded in 1869 by American Civil War general Benjamin Butler. Company startup was during the most rapid evolution of cartridge design to date. Lowell, Massachusetts emerged as one of the most successful cartridge producers in the United States while Butler served as a congressman from Massachusetts from 1867 to 1879 and as governor from 1883 to 1884. After supplying 65 percent of American small arms ammunition production for World War I, the company was acquired by the owner of Winchester Repeating Arms; and the Lowell factory closed as manufacturing shifted to New Haven, Connecticut.

Ball propellant is a form of nitrocellulose used in small arms cartridges. Ball propellant can be manufactured more rapidly with greater safety and less expense than extruded propellants.

Austin Cartridge Company was an Austin Powder Company subsidiary manufacturing cartridge ammunition for small arms. The company made shotgun shells and rimfire cartridges from 1895 until purchased by Western Cartridge Company in 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Marks Powder</span>

St. Marks Powder is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems manufacturing ball propellant in Crawfordville, Florida. The company is a member of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI).

References

  1. ↑ "ARMS MERGER VOTED; Western Cartridge to Be Absorbed by Olin Corporation". New York Times. 12 December 1944. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  2. ↑ "PLANS TO ACQUIRE WINCHESTER ARMS; Western Cartridge Company in Deal With Committee Acting for Creditors". New York Times. 19 October 1931. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  3. 1 2 Dunn, Tony. ".22 Boxes of the U.S.A." (PDF). Roger E. Huegel. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Those elusive Maltese cross boxes". The Cartridge Collector's Exchange. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 1925 Western Cartridge Company Ammunition Handbook, (R)W.C. Co. 1925
  6. ↑ © 2011-2019 @ 22box-id.com. Roger Heugel
  7. ↑ 1925 Western Cartridge Company Ammunition Handbook. (C) W.C. Co. 1925
  8. ↑ McIntosh, Michael (1999). A. H. Fox: The Finest Gun in the World (2 ed.). Down East Enterprise Inc. p. 408. ISBN   0-924357-24-X.
  9. ↑ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
  10. ↑ "STRIKERS RETURN TODAY AT ALTON CARTRIDGE PLANT". Chicago Daily Tribune. 12 September 1942. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  11. ↑ "Green orders end to powder strike". The Evening Independent. 11 September 1942. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  12. ↑ Associated Press (3 July 1941). "Defense Officials Prepare to Halt Ammunition Strike". The Evening Independent. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  13. ↑ Mitchell, Clarence Maurice; Denton L. Watson; Elizabeth Miles Nuxoll (2005). The Papers of Clarence Mitchell, Jr: 1942-1943. Vol. I. Ohio University Press. p. 186. ISBN   0-8214-1603-0.
  14. ↑ Kersten, Andrew Edmund (2000). Race, jobs, and the war: the FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-46. University of Illinois Press. p. 210. ISBN   0-252-02563-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.