A military small & medium caliber ammunition collection

About the Collection

The cartridge collection consists of military rifle, heavy machine gun, and small- to medium-caliber cannon ammunition. The primary focus is on ammunition up to 35mm caliber made during World War 2 or later, although some specimens do fall outside of these general guidelines.

Within this very broad field, there is a special emphasis on 7.62x51mm NATO, .50 BMG, 30x173mm GAU-8, and experimental ammunition.

Featured Ammunition Exhibit

Dim Tracers

Dim Tracers cartridge exhibit.

Dim tracers, sometimes called starlight tracers or infrared tracers, emit mostly infrared wavelengths and show little to no visible light when they burn.

Dim tracers help conceal a gunner's location by rendering the tracer stream invisible to the naked eye. Dim tracers also address the problem of night vision devices being overwhelmed by the brightness of traditional tracer rounds.

View the Dim Tracers exhibit

Recent Additions

Last Update: 11 April 2022

27.5 x 160mm, New Unprimed Empty

27.5 x 160mm, United States, New Unprimed Empty, Headstamp: [none]
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20 x 102mm, Dummy, M51A1B1

20 x 102mm, United States, Dummy, M51A1B1, Headstamp: [none]
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20 x 102mm, Dummy, XM254

20 x 102mm, United States, Dummy, XM254, Headstamp: [none]
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30 x 100mm B WECOM, New Unprimed Empty, XM193B1E1 30MM-XM193B1E1

30 x 100mm B WECOM, United States, New Unprimed Empty, XM193B1E1, Headstamp: 30MM-XM193B1E1
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.50 BMG, New Unprimed Empty GGG 83 ,50

.50 BMG, Lithuania, New Unprimed Empty, Headstamp: GGG 83 ,50
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35 x 228mm Oerlikon, Dummy

35 x 228mm Oerlikon, West Germany, Dummy, Headstamp: [none]
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23 x 152mm B, Dummy

23 x 152mm B, Soviet Union, Dummy, Headstamp: [none]
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News and Events

Join a Club!

If you're serious about cartridge collecting, consider joining a collector's organization like The International Ammunition Association (IAA) or The European Cartridge Collectors Association (ECRA). The benefits are well worth the modest cost of joining!

Site Updates

We're continuing to work through our backlog of photography. More interesting cartridges should be added in the spring of 2022. Stay tuned!

The St. Louis International Cartridge Show (SLICS)

A shot of the St. Louis International Cartridge Show in 2016.

The 2022 St. Louis International Cartridge Show (SLICS) will take place April 13-16, 2022 at the Marriott Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. This is largest cartridge show in the world and it is well worth attending. For more information visit the SLICS Website.

European Cartridge Research Association (ECRA) International Meeting

The 2022 ECRA International Meeting will hopefully be held the Netherlands, dates to be determined. Contact the European Cartridge Research Association for more information.