In general, and in the U.S., cartridge ammunition was "coming in" during
the middle part of the 19th century; some cartridge arms were available
(e.g. cavalry carbines) during the Civil War, but they were not the
dominant form of ammunition until a few years following 1865.  I believe
that .22 caliber cartridges were known from the beginning of cartridge
ammunition, but became very popular as ammunition for civilian hunting
rifles in the first quarter of this century.

David Babson.



At 12:32 PM 2/23/00 +0800, you wrote:
>Dear list members
>I am trying to sort out stratigraphy of a late prehistoric period rock
>shelter site in s-w Australia, where occupation by various people seems to
>have continued into the 19th and 20th C. Some of the uppermost hearth
>layers in the floor deposit contain modern artefacts, mostly 0.22" rifle
>shells, which may be mixed in from above, or else indicate a young age for
>the hearths. Can anyone tell me when this calibre began to be manufactured
>and whether it became widespread quickly? If it was not popular until the
>last few decades I might suspect mixing, as the hearth layers also contain
>stone artefacts. Some shells have the manufacturer's imprint, "ICI", which
>may be an additional clue. Any published reference would also be much
>appreciated.
>Cheers
>Joe Dortch
>