M1 Standard Ammunition Box

The M1 Standard Ammunition Box was a hinged metal box designed to carry machinegun ammunition. It had a gasket around the lid to keep out moisture and rain and a folding metal handle to aid in carrying it. It was supposed to replace the M1917 hinged wooden ammunition boxes used to carry belted or linked .30-caliber machinegun ammunition. Originally planned to be disposable, they were recycled for reloading.

Initially known as the .30M Ammunition Box, the metal container opened from the side, had a flat bottom, a foam-rubber gasket, had a catch opposite from the box's hinge for attaching the can to the machinegun's tripod, and had a pair of concentric oval ribs on the long sides to reinforce them. Inside the rings was embossed two lines of text: "CAL .30M" / "AMMUNITION BOX"; with the ".30M" standing for .30-caliber Machinegun ammunition. The initials "U.S." and the US Army Ordnance Corps' "Flaming Bomb" symbol were embossed on the hinge side. It was 10-3/16" Long x 3-3/4" Wide x 7-7/32" High, had an empty weight of 3.5 lbs. and carried 250 belted or linked rounds of ammunition. It was used from 1942 to 1945 and was phased out of the inventory in the 1950s.

The later M1A1 Standard Ammunition Box had a more durable rubber gasket, was a little taller (11" Long x 3-13/16" Wide x 7-19/32" High), and could carry more ammunition inside (250 belted rounds or 275 linked rounds). The M1A1 model can be distinguished from the earlier M1 by the different embossed text, which reads "CAL .30 M1" / "AMMUNITION BOX" in the oval; the "M" now stood for Model. Later cans were embossed with "CAL .30 M1A1" / "M.M.G. BOX". There were also some minor improvements. For ease in loading, a cartridge shape was embossed in each end of the lid to show which way the belt it contained faced. The tripod catch side was redesigned to be slightly angled at the bottom and top rather than flat to fit flush alongside the tripod mount. It was in production from June, 1945 to the 1950s and was phased out by the 1960s.

Originally the ammo boxes were shipped individually. Later they were shipped in bulk plywood crates with four ammo boxes to the crate. A loaded crate had a volume of 1 cubic feet and weighed 72 lbs. on average.