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This sale is for an original late WWI-Interwar-early WWII, M1917A1 machine gun belted wooden .30 caliber ammunition box.
FROM IMA's site: When the .30 Cal. M1917 Browning machine gun was developed for the U.S. military during World War I, the ammunition was packed in wooden boxes suitable for direct feeding of the gun. Wooden packing crates were used for bulk shipping of ammunition. The design was simple and robust, and these boxes continued to be used during WWII as well.Key construction for the wood .30 caliber ammo boxes consisted of oak or ash wood material, dovetail or finger joints, a leather or webbing strap on top fitted into a rectangular groove with a centered circular pick-up area, open-lid feed, spring-loaded lid latch to gun-side panel, and far-end hinge. A slot in the gun-side panel made a firm attachment to the gun. The bottom panel and gun-side panel of the box were shortened, to avoid contact with the mount.If painted at all, flat olive drab paint was used for the box. The bottom of the interior of the box was stenciled with the orientation of the ammunition contents.
This M1917A1 wood ammunition boxes is totally original with working closure clasp and no cracks or breaks. It does not have the angled bottom of the early production models from WWI, and has the fully circular cutout for the handle on top. It also features a web canvas carry strap, only used on the later WWI, Inter-War Period and WWII produced examples. The hardware is forged iron, compared to the earlier folded sheet steel components. The joints are also dovetailed instead of the earlier finger joints.The box retains much of the original green paint, which appears original, but could also be a period repaint. The inside of the box retains its OD Green paint and with the correct image of 3 rounds stenciled into the bottom to ensure proper loading. Condition is good, but it does show service and storage wear- see images. This is a beautiful example of an early ammunition box for the famed Browning M1917 Machine Gun and comes ready for your display.
Dimensions: 12 1/2” x 4 1/2” x 7 3/4”Depth: 6 3/4”
