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Welcome to the second oldest geocache in Riverside Missouri
Approval has been granted by the property owner
Your typical ammo cache. Leave or pick up swag as you like.We are on the way to becoming the Coin, Pathtag and TB trade center for the area. Drop off or trade your extras here. If you pick up a TB leave one ;-) give others a chance also. The US seems to be way behind other countries in TB's in caches. This cache hopes to start a reversal of that trend.....
AMMO CAN OR AMMO BOX?
Although often called "ammo cans", military nomenclature refers to "Box, Metal, M19A1" not a ".30 Cal. ammo can." An ammunition can, to the military, is usually a factory-sealed, air tight, metal container that is opened at the point of use, then disposed of like a coffee can. The ammunition box, in contrast, has a hinged, removable lid with a rubber gasket and can be resealed. Used boxes can be recovered, where practical, and reused.
Ammunition packaging has the primary purpose of delivering the ammunition in shooting condition when and where needed. Since the route from the manufacturing plant/arsenal to the front line can be tortured and hazardous, with long periods of storage, most small arms ammunition is packed in watertight metal boxes of convenient size for carrying by the soldier. Prior to WWII, ammunition was carried in the field in wooden boxes. These were neither dust proof nor moisture proof. Ammunition shipments were usually packaged in airtight cans or in wooden crates with metal inserts. When they arrived at the battle area they were removed and transferred to wooden boxes. This was inconvenient and there was a need for containers that could be more easily handled, provided better protection for the ammunition and be immediately ready for use. Early pre war metal boxes like the M17 Ammo Box had no rubber seal. Later metal ammunition boxes developed for WWII were dust and moisture proof. By the early 1950's, new models of ammunition boxes were developed to replace all of the types used during WWII. The older type boxes had several flaws. The post war models would be simple in design and more rugged. The lids were flat and no longer captured water and dirt. Spot welding replaced rivets. To make them easier to stack, they had flat sides and a shallow rectangular slot in the bottom to accept the handle of another box. The basic design of many post war ammunition boxes has been unchanged for well over half a century.
The .30 Cal M19 Ammo Box was introduced in 1946, replacing the M1 and M1A1 ammunition boxes. The M19 Ammo Box was developed to deliver belts of 250 .30-06 cartridges for the .30 Cal. Browning machine gun. It was manufactured for only a few years. The M19A1 Ammo Box replaced the M19 and has been produced in large quantities since around 1954. The M19A1 Ammo Box started out as a .30 caliber box but after 1957 it was also adapted for use with 7.62 mm NATO ammunition. In recent years the M19A1 Ammo Box has been used almost exclusively for 7.62 mm NATO ammunition. The M19A1 has a removable lid with a rubber gasket and has a larger lid latch. It has two small dimples on either side skirt at the opener end of the lid to hold the lid partly open. This allows the ammunition to be ready for use in a machine gun. The side skirt keeps out rain and dust. It carries ammunition in cartons, bandoleers, link belts and ammunition in bulk among other combinations. There are a few variations to be found on the M19A1 Ammo Boxes and the markings may vary, however, most makers placed the welded seam of the box on the opener end and embossed their initials, model number and two digit date of manufacture on the hinge end. The most common maker of small arms ammunition boxes in recent years has been S.C.F. Markings are placed on ammo boxes to describe the ammunition caliber, quantity, type of packaging, manufacture date or lot number, packaged date, and manufacturer/arsenal. The original markings could be painted out and new markings applied when the box is refilled. With the development of battle packs, which are carried in larger boxes, the use of the M19A1 Ammo Box for machine gun ammunition has diminished somewhat but they are still being made and used. It measures 3-13/16 " x 7-1/4" x 11".
The boxes sized for .30 Cal and .50 Cal ammunition are the most common, but there are actually a large number of sizes and shapes of ammo boxes to accommodate the vast variety of military cartridges and munitions. Some boxes are special purpose containers made for one item exclusively, such as an artillery shell. Others are more general purpose and can be packed with inner cartons, bandoleers, linked belts, dividers, or loose cartridges of many types or calibers.
Ammo Boxes are common place on the battlefield, especially in the vicinity of machine guns. As surplus, and because of their durable construction, they have found their way by the millions into many garages and basements as general storage devices (tool boxes, tackle boxes, keepsake containers, etc.). More importantly, however, they make excellent Geocaches! "Ammo Box" hides are one of the most, if not the most, preferred hides for geocachers.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
N fvzcyr C&T