Unknown Ammunition Box...

[Strummer]

Any ideas what this is?

It was my late Dad's toolbox, for all my 51 years...

 

[Birdseye]

Looks like an ammo chest for the US M1 rifle. .30-06

 

[TonyE]

Ammo Chest

US belt box for the .30 Browning, I think.

Regards
TonyE

 

[gijunkman]

Those boxes are for the US .30 cal Browning M1917/1919 machineguns. I have one with a 1944 shipping lable from Rockisland Arsenal. I sold a couple of them on 1919a4.com a few years ago for around $50.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
HTH

 

[phoenix]

I think I'm right in saying that these boxes are often mistaken for belted ammo boxes.They are in fact quite rare.They are for the B.A.R. Browning automatic rifle, and were used in horse drawn units and later in motorised vehicles.They were used to carry the 20rnd B.A.R. magazines.I missed buying one at Chatham militaria fair, because at the time I did not know what it was!It appears in the Collector Grade publication Rock in a Hard Place. Peter.

 

[Taber10]

These two ammo chests appear quite similar in the "closed" version. IF it has dividers inside, or some "rivet holes" where dividers were previously mounted, then it is for the BAR magazines. However, apparently a very similar version was available for BMG belted ammo, lacking internal dividers, according to some recent posts on another board. I'm no expert, but have examples of both in my small collection....