Ballistics4

[John Ritchson]

Greetings:

The following is my [Final] conclusion based upon an exaustive evaluation of the cartridges alledgedly recovered from the 6th Floor of the Texas Schoolbook

Depository.

>>The Cartridges<<

Some time ago, reseacher Walt Cakebread sent me a photo-reproduction

of Exhibit CE-738 taken at Dallas Police Headquarters around 10:00-

10:30pm, on November 22nd, 1963. Among the items inventoried, alledgedly

connected to LHO, are two spent brass cartridges identified as Winchester/Western

Cartridge Corporation 6.5x52mm Mannlicher Carcano cartridges,and one live round identified as an unfired WCC 6.5x52mm Mannlicher Carcano cartridge. It is these two items that are the focus of my evaluation.

Measurements are made by Starrett precision instruments, and a Dietzgen

precision protractor, and will be in the English system.

The unfired cartridge designated as Item-6 of Exhibit CE-738 and

identified as a WCC 6.5mm MC Cartridge appears not to be as represented.

I say appears, due to the fact that in the blow-up I'm working from, it

is impossible to read the make of the cartridge. However, the primer is

clearly visible and is markedly similar to the odd-sized Berdan primer

that is chacteristic of Italian GI Ammunition and is different in size

than the American primers that would be used in WCC Ammo. Also in evid-

ence, is a banded neck-crimp just above the shoulder, that locks

the neck into the bullet's cannelure which would not be present in

Winchester/Western Ammunition.

Conclusion: The unfired cartridge represented as Item-6 of Exhibit

CE-738 more closly resembles an L.B.C. 936, 6.5x52mm MC Italian GI

cartridge, then it does an American made WCC 6.5x52mm MC Cartridge.

[Note:]

Virtually all American bullets are jacketed with Gilder's Metal which

is an alloy of copper and zinc, with a distinct brassy appearence. The

color photos of the unfired cartridge shows a bullet that is distinctly

silver in color consistant with the cupra-nickle alloy used by European

bullet makers, but not their American counterparts.

The MC Cartridge possesses a shoulder width of .160" and a shoulder

bevel of 25 degrees. This is an extremely critical point as measurement

of the spent cases show a shoulder width of .186" and a shoulder bevel

of 24 degrees, for a difference of .026" in shoulder width and 1 degree

of angle in the bevel.

Conclusion: The two spent cases much more closely resemble a 6.5x54mm

Mannlicher-Schoenauer (MS) Cartridge then they do a 6.5x52mm MC cartridge,

while one spent cartridge case, due to the presence of counter-bored

neck steps would be of European design and make.

The distinction made in the above conclusion, if it holds up, is an

important one as the Austrian designed MS rifle is prized for its

smooth action, magazine efficency, chambering charactoristics and accuracy

as opposed to the dismal performance of the MC rifle.

[Note:]

Many a custom Mauser is chambered for this cartridge which makes for an

excellent medium range deer rifle as well as a sniper rifle.

Finally, I wish to point out that Western Cartridge Corporation manufactored

6.5x52mm Carcano cartridges under a military procurement

contract from the US Marine Corps so that all such munitions produced

would have possessed lot and batch numbers head-stamped on the cartridge bases

as per military protocol. The only cartridges produced by Western in

the 6.5mm caliber that would have possessed the factory logo "Western" with

the caliber, "6.5mm" stamped on the cartridge base would be pre-WWII

6.5x54mm Mannlicher Schoenauer factory loaded hunting ammunition with

soft round-nosed semi-jacketed bullets.

So what we are dealing with here people, is 2 spent cartridges which

cannot be chambered in any Carcano rifle, and a live round that

would not have been made in America.

Simply put, this represents another rather large hole in the Warren Commission

Report and not only tends to exonerate Lee Oswald as The Lone Assassin but

provides prima-facie proof of evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.

Respectfully: