Grammatical correction but what the heck:) That's what happens trying to write with only one cup of coffee down.

HATCHER'S NOTEBOOK

FA IS FRANKFORD ARSENAL AND THE NUMBER IS THE YEAR MANUFACTURED.

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Thanks, Cherokee! Just yesterday I picked these up:

I'd not seen the IM headstamp before, I'm pretty sure it's an older headstamp. All the current stuff I've seen is stamped INDUMIL. Anyway, your link cleared it up for me, it's indeed Industria Militar. What's got me curious is what appears to be year stamps - 07 and 11, but the stuff I've seen from that time period is clearly stamped INDUMIL.

use a year stamp on their 30 carbine ammo?

Here's another range pick up that's got me curious:

Apparently our local "CSI" guys were up running some function tests on confiscated weapons. Why they left the brass is anyone's guess. Anyway, the one above was apparently fired through a sawed off M1, at least according to the description by the care taker at the range. It might have been a folding stocked carbine sans the folding stock, I suppose. Anyway, it's the first one I've heard about in a long time 'round here. They used to be fairly common in the cavalry.