Green plastic .38 cases and rubber bullets

[Deaf Smith]

At an estate sale I picked up a Lee priming tool with screwing shell holder, a M1 Garand takedown tool, old aluminum case lube pad, RCBS hex wrenches, a Powley computer with instructions, and a bunch of green plastic .38 cases with rubber bullets that had fin like back ends.

Paid $18 bucks for the lot.

No markings on the cases except a 13 or 2 ore 17 on the case heads. The cases take a regular small pistol primer (most of them had been fired.)

Never have seen anything like these cases nor the rubber bullets. Does anyone know who made them?

Deaf

 

[jamesinalaska]

Was there an "x" on the headstamp ("x" meaning experimental)?

I ask because I've read about R&D efforts to create case-less and plastic-cased cartridges.

Then again, the plastic cases may be some way to help police agencies identify the cartridges they place into their revolvers, so an officer wouldn't confuse it (a low power, rubber bulleted cartridge) for a more lethal one.

 

[Kp321]

Speer used to make red plastic cases with black plastic bullets for practice but I have never seen any green ones.

 

[Steve C]

I'd suspect your cases and rubber bullets are practice components similar to the Speer product which was primer only propelled bullets to be shot in doors at targets placed on a cardboard box of appropriate size that had several news papers hung spaced suspended on dowel rods to capture the bullet. They would penetrate the paper target and into the box where it would be trapped. You wouldn't want to shoot rubber bullets at a hard surface as they'd bounce back at you.

 

[JRH6856]

When Speer first made their .38 practice ammo, the cases were a bluish green. They changed to red later. The bullets didn't have fins though. These sound like the same thing made by someone else. It they are, they are powered by a primer only, no powder.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Yes I think it was like the Spear training ammo.

I'll photo and post it tomorrow.

Deaf