It's an 8-gauge Winchester Western Red Paper Shot shell. http://www.neaca.com/MoreWinchesterItems.html

WHOOO HOOOO!

OK.
It's a Western, for a Winchester 8 gauge.

Except when it isn't.

No red paper... slight, but key, difference in the casing.

Ya didn't think it was going to be *that* easy, didja?

Headstamps tell only part of the story - for a caliber that has many different projectile types, a manufacturer may have only one headstamp - but different colors of paint/ink on the bullets that distinguish between types.

The ones you found (which are the ones most people will find first, like I did) are close - but not quite right. This cartridge has a specific purpose, that is out there on the 'net, and if you keep looking and find the description, you'll recognize it.

BUT BUT BUT
This is the closest I've ever come!

*pout*

Mebbe I should revert back to the gentile version of Al's answer, dang it!

IIRC it is(was?) used to break the slag out of blast furnaces in the steel industry. I guess that reading the Gun digest and Shooters Bible ever since I was a kid may have paid off.

And you're on the right track, AFSis - keep plugging!

What about an 8-gauge tracer round?

on a not entirely unrelated tanget.

John, do you know a (local to us) source for 8mm Mauser rounds? JC's 'elephant gun' (c 1918 Egyptain Hakim) dings them on the eject so the rounds can't be reloaded and his former source here in town is now out of business (Rusty's).

BTW, want that I should post a picture of the Marine!Goth's mini armory? we are up to five rifles and two shotguns. That boy spends more on long guns.......

The Castle's Hakim was a bit hard on casings when ejecting, too.

The gas tap is adjustable. It's probably set wide open, which makes ejection very... erm, robust.

Crank it down until it almost won't cycle the rifle, then open it a quarter turn from that, and you should do less damage.

I'll send you links to ammo sources.

Since my last guess was wrong, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and not knowing crap about older propeller driven plane's I'm forced to ask is it a starting "buckshot" for a prop driven aircraft?

could be the cure for a little bit too much of the "Old No. 7"...

I'm with Pat, other than my recollection is that they are for use in cement kilns. I have an equivalent Remington round that has a cylindrical, wad cutter slug rather than a pointed one. http://www.winchester.com/industrial/
(Hey, what happened to the URL insert function?)

I'm with Pat, other than my recollection is that they are for use in cement kilns. I have an equivalent Remington round that has a cylindrical, wad cutter slug rather than a pointed one. http://www.winchester.com/industrial/
(Hey, what happened to the URL insert function?)

Double posted too - bad Geoff

(Hey, what happened to the URL insert function?)

It broke during the attempted upgrade. My blog mechanic is on leave... hopefully we'll have everything tidied up next week.

Geoff,
I think you're probably right about it being for cement , not slag. It's been a long time since I read about it.

My uncle worked in a papermill for years, and they used those (or something very similar) to break up chunks of lime (I think) on a machine used to sift the powder down into the vats. Its been years since I saw one of the rounds, and since I have seen the uncle come to think of it. I would guess they have quite a few other uses in heavy industrial plants of different types.

My uncle said some of the guys that worked there would also remove the mounting and set it on a truck and shoot deer with it occasionally as the paper mill was quite deep in a rural area of Louisiana.

Supercaffinated is correct.
The round can also be used as a cement breaker.
Have also heard of them used to break cast iron.

Kiln Gun load. As in a Portland Cement plant.