Description
Federal Laboratories 37mm Long-Range Practice Projectile Cartridge
Item Overview
This Federal Laboratories long-range practice cartridge belongs to the company’s 1½-inch riot-gas gun family, commonly described as a 37mm launcher system. Its gray projectile, marked practice designation, and large “L R” base letters identify its training role. Offered as an inert collectible, it preserves the instructional side of historic American police ammunition.
Identification and Features
The visible wording identifies the maker and long-range practice type. Its gray finish agrees with Federal’s documented color code for practice devices.
- Body wording: “PRACTICE” and “PROJECTILE LONG RANGE”
- Manufacturer marking: “Federal Laboratories, Inc., Saltsburg, Pa.”
- Base marking: Large “L R” letters indicating long range
- Projectile profile: Rounded nose with a gray finish
- Cartridge case: Short, rimmed aluminum case with the projectile seated in its mouth
Function
The original cartridge was made for projectile-placement training with the Federal riot-gas gun. A dedicated practice type let instructors teach placement with the same launcher family used for service ammunition. Its long-range designation identified the training variant.
Documented End-Item Application
The parent weapon is the Federal 1½-inch riot-gas gun. That nominal bore is approximately 38mm, although the equipment is widely grouped under the familiar 37mm riot-gun designation. Federal’s own manual describes a gun designed for its ammunition family and assigns gray to practice devices.
Product History
Federal Laboratories’ training literature dates the company’s organization to 1923, when it began developing gas equipment for law enforcement. The Senator John Heinz History Center preserves a Federal gas-billy dated 1925 and marked Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm’s later equipment line included dedicated practice materials alongside its service ammunition. The Saltsburg address on this cartridge connects it to the company’s Pennsylvania manufacturing history.
Parent-Equipment History
Federal’s riot-gas gun was a specialized police launcher whose layout the company compared to a single-barrel shotgun. It formed part of a larger equipment line that included ammunition, accessories, and training materials. A Federal Model 201-Z dated to the 1960s survives in the San Mateo County History Museum collection, documenting the company’s purpose-built launcher family.
Weapon-System Background
The riot-gun system paired a large-bore launcher with ammunition for different roles. Period police references describe chemical-agent and smoke projectiles, including burning and bursting types and designs with or without stabilizing fins. Federal’s practice devices supported training within this broader system. Color coding and printed designations helped identify each ammunition category.
History of Use
Federal’s manual treated training as a distinct subject, with sections on classroom instruction, practice equipment, and training areas. The wider launcher family also served correctional agencies: Canadian correctional equipment records dated May 1993 list Federal service projectiles for a 37mm riot-gas gun. This practice cartridge illustrates the preparation and instruction that accompanied such equipment.
Condition
Offered as an inert collectible with the gray projectile, aluminum case, and identifying markings described above. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
The marked practice role makes this cartridge useful in displays about police training and specialized ammunition. Its rounded projectile and rimmed case also make a clear visual companion to period Federal catalogs and historical riot-gun equipment.
- Federal Laboratories ammunition collections
- 37mm riot-gun history displays
- Police and correctional training exhibits
- Inert practice-cartridge reference collections
Approx length 8.5", Approx width 1.5", Approx height 1.5", Approx weight 0.6lbs.
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