1918 date .45 pouch and mags question

[Steve Flanagan]

Picked up an estate this weekend and in the estate was this 1918 dated mag pouch with two mags, one marked L and one marked R on the lips at base. In one of the mags were several rounds of red tipped ammo, headstamp is F A 4 what are these slow moving tracers?

[Steve Flanagan]

Pouch

Heres the pouch and mags

[Johnny Peppers]

The rounds are steel case tracer made at Frankford Arsenal in 1944. Magazines are WWII vintage.

[Steve Flanagan]

Ammo

Thank you sir! Are they marked (L) LEFT AND (R) RIGHT or just a coincidence?

[Johnny Peppers]

Thank you sir! Are they marked (L) LEFT AND (R) RIGHT or just a coincidence?

The L and R identifies the contractor that made the magazine. The L is for the M.S. Little Co., and the R is for Risdon Tool & Machine Co. Both companies also made magazines in WWI, but the WWI magazines are two tone from the tempering process.
The two other contractor made magazines in WWII are the Scovill Mfg. Co. and General Shaver, which would have an S and a G on top of the toe.
Colt made their own magazines, but beginning in 1943 Little, Risdon, and Scovill also made magazines for Colt. In addition to the letter on top of the toe of the base, it will also have C-L, C-R, or C-S on the bottom of the toe.

[Steve Flanagan]

Mags

Thanks, you can imagine me pulling one out and seeing R and saying to myself "yep and the other will be L" and sure enough,,,,,