I have some shells I got at a gun show many years ago. I thought they looked interesting but had no idea what they were for, still don't. The headstamp says REM-UMC 38 SPL with white paint over it. The guy I got them from said they were some kind of delayed ignition cartridge to help train you not to flinch. Most definitely not true.
The projectile is aluminum and has a small bump on the tip that looks like a firing pin. Like an idiot I put one in my Dan Wesson .357 and pulled the trigger. There was a slight delay and a "poof", the aluminum bullet lodged in the forcing cone and there was red flames coming out of the cylinder, like phosphorous or something. No damage was done to the revolver but I had to take it apart to get the projectile out. As you can see in the photo, this was never meant for a firearm. I'm thinking artillery or some such thing. The little brass parts were in the shell. The brass and aluminum parts are all precision machined.
Neatly printed on the side of the case is "BER-LOT 1 DEC. 59 ORDCO B-4635-3" I searched the net exhaustively and the only reference I could find regarding ORDCO 1959 was some company that made parts for the Apollo space program.
This has been a mystery to me for years. They seem to be some sort of specialized cartridge not meant for a firearm. Does anyone here have any idea what the purpose of these might have been?
The projectile is aluminum and has a small bump on the tip that looks like a firing pin. Like an idiot I put one in my Dan Wesson .357 and pulled the trigger. There was a slight delay and a "poof", the aluminum bullet lodged in the forcing cone and there was red flames coming out of the cylinder, like phosphorous or something. No damage was done to the revolver but I had to take it apart to get the projectile out. As you can see in the photo, this was never meant for a firearm. I'm thinking artillery or some such thing. The little brass parts were in the shell. The brass and aluminum parts are all precision machined.
Neatly printed on the side of the case is "BER-LOT 1 DEC. 59 ORDCO B-4635-3" I searched the net exhaustively and the only reference I could find regarding ORDCO 1959 was some company that made parts for the Apollo space program.
This has been a mystery to me for years. They seem to be some sort of specialized cartridge not meant for a firearm. Does anyone here have any idea what the purpose of these might have been?