So I came across some 45-70 cases that appeared to be aluminum, which I thought was strange. I’d never seen an aluminum case in this caliber so I grabbed them. Primers were still intact too, they were apparently never fired but are empty with no projectile.
They are definitely non-ferrous, a super strong magnet has no effect whatsoever on them. The headstamp is in 3 sections - F @ 12o’clock, 92 @ 4 and 1 at 8 o’clock. Primer is rounded type.
Researching these in History of Modern Military Small Arms Ammo book, they appear to be an experimental cartridge made in early 1892 by Frankfort arsenal. The book says something like 250 were made, so it would seem that survivors would be quite scarce. Has anyone seen one of these before? Could they be some of these experimental cartridges??
Thanks!