Originally Posted By: Researcher
I would guess that they were cartridges reloaded by a commercial loader back in the day.

In the early years, especially out here in the west, the ammunition companies shipped NPEs and local concerns loaded the shells. The largest and most often noted was Selby and California Powder Works (CPW)in California. We had Honeyman Hardware in Portland, Oregon; Miller Bros. in Tacoma, Washington; Piper & Taft and Hardy Hall in Seattle, Washington; and Ware Bros. here in Spokane, Washington --



I always wondered how difficult it was to get factory loaded cartridge ammunition in the remote areas of the west and especially in the old west. I can't find a definitive source only bits and pieces. Heck, the last time I was in South Dakota in 2009, I had trouble finding 16 gauge shells.