Dave, how many cartridges are we talking? And where on the case are they 
crimped? It is doubtful they would have been blanks in that range of 
calibers. What I'm first thinking is that they were used by kids as 
toys? But that is just a guess based on the little bit of info you gave 
us. If it is hundreds of cartridges then that is not likely.
Can you tell what the tool used to crimp the cartridges was? Are we 
talking a pair of pliers or some other tool? Is the end completely flat 
or just bent over? Etc.? Can you give us more details to work with or 
post some photos we can go look at perhaps?

Cordially:

Richard W. Galloway
Anthropology Graduate Student-UAA
Archaeological Technician-USFWS
Anchorage AK


On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 10:52 AM , David Legare wrote:

> I have a large number of cartridges at a historic mine site in 
> southern New Mexico.  The primary occupation of the site is from 
> around 1903 to 1911.  These cartridges are of a very wide variety of 
> calibers.  they were all identifiable  30-30, 30-06, 44-70, 45, etc. 
> The question concerns their treatment.  Virtually every one of them 
> was found crimped in almost exactly the same place on the cartidge. 
> Anyone have any idea what this behavior is?