I just saw a box of Exploser (sp?) ammo distributed by Bingham LTD … .44 mag.
I also found an earlier thread on explosive ammo dating Bingham in the '80’s.
I can’t find Exploser on the internet. It’s a yellow box stating the ammo was made for
military and law enforcement use.
Any info on it??
No pics… I don’t own it. I know the shop owner probably wants some $$ for it!
I have several different boxes from this company. Unfortunately, I cannot describe the cartridges as I have none of them. They are totally illegal in my state. For what would appear to have been loaded ammunition from the label, I have a yellow box, probably like the one you describe, end-labeled simply “9mm Luger Cal.” on three lines, printed on a white stock on label. The black box, with gold print, has a small label that says merely “9MM LUGER” on one line. I also have a green box that seems to have been for projectiles only, labeled similarly to the others as “EXPLODER BULLETS .355 115 Grain FOR RELOADERS.”
According to all the box labels, the company is Bingham Ltd., P. O. Box 47026, Atlanta, Georgia 30362. None of the boxes show the company name as “Squires Bingham,” a name I believe is owned by a Philippine ammunition maker. The book "Handbuch der Pistolen- und Revolver- Patronen (Manual of Pistola nd Revolver Cartridges,), newest combined Volumes I,II,III edition, on page 642, indicates the founder of the Bingham Ltd., 1775-C Wilwat Narcross, Georgia (probably the factory address rather than the P.O. Box as previously given) was Sidney Brigadier, “… who occupied himself with the production of this kind of ammunition; he manufactured it above all by modifying already fabricated rounds. He employed for this purposed to a large extent the “Super Vel” ammunition.”
I have another box that was for similar ammunition, I believe, from the comany of "EXAMMO, Division of Precision Products of Washington, Inc., Spokane, Washington. I believe it is older than the Bingham production. It is also for 9mm Luger ammunition (10 cartridges). I doubt the two firms are related.
One thing I do know about the cartridges. They were made in various calibers, as I know I have boxes from “Exploder” brand in calibers other than 9mm Para. Also, they never had their own headstamp, or at least I am not aware of one. They were loaded in available commercial brass, so headstamps could vary from box to box and caliber to caliber.
Most of these types of loads are based on jacketed, hollow-point bullets, with the hollow cavities filled in with expolosive, impact detonated material. They are often sealed in red lacquer, especially if other types (Incendiary, etc) are made, but I suppose not always. I have seen them in collections with yellow tips at least - I mean these types - I do not know if they were Exploder brand and they may not have been exploder cartridges, but rather some other pyrotechical loading.
Sorry I could not help more - a big disadvantage in helping collectors and LE identify this stuff when you can’t have the cartridges.
John Moss
Thanks. The cartridges I saw were a greenish or bluish tip. Yes, the yellow box is quite plain. But huge letters of warning about keeping from children.
I didn’t get a chance to look at the headstamp. I know they were in a foam cartridge holder. Quite interesting.
Mixed boxes…note the dozen 45 ACP rounds “bonded” with the dried “goo” from the foam box insert whereas the rounds have to be “ripped” out of the foam
(a mess and does not clean easily)
Smattering of yellow tip exploders (likely all the same manf)
Red tipped exploders (likely various manf’s)
Those charcoal-color foam inserts deteriote rapidly in ammunition patches, and often create a mess, along with much of the material stuck to the brass cases. A real pain everyone knows where.
John Moss
I picked up an original Exammo brochure back a few months ago and have finally scanned it. It has 4 or 5 black & white pages inside, below the front & back color pages are shown. It’s nice in that it shows what an original box looks like, along with the bullet construction. On the brochure I notice that it references “Precision Products of Washington” (the parent-company name for Exammo) and after searching for this, I found an article from the July/August 1980 American Handgunner magazine, and an article from a Spokane newspaper called “The Spokesman Review” - dated April 4th, 1981. The Spokesman article discusses the exploder bullets Reagan was shot with days earlier, and interviews the owner of Exammo, Greg Lloyd. I have been told that Lloyd was in the employ of Howard Angel at Velet / Velex before striking out on his own in '79 / '80 to launch Exammo. The man shown shooting the ballistics gel on the front brochure image below is likely Lloyd himself.
