Dwyer cartridge box

[Gen Lew Wallace]

Gentlemen, I have recently received the above mentioned item and I put it on my Mernickle rig and it matches up beautifully.  I dumped 50 rounds of 45 Colt in it and it holds it just right.  I could not be more pleased. 

That being said; I have looked around and really don't see much information about this item.  I assume it was named after an Army man of some sort?  May I also assume it was in use during the Indian Wars?  I know this probably won't take long for some of you to answer and I thank you for the information in advance.

[St. George]

It's spelled 'Dyer', after Chief of Ordnance General Alexander B. Dyer, who submitted several versions for proposed use - in 1870, 1872 and 1874.

Built primarily for carbine ammunition, there was a later variant for revolver cartridges.

Scouts Out!

[Fingers McGee]

I use a Dyer box to hold my 44-40 carbine rounds on my BP pistol belt during SASS main matches; and use it to carry my 45-70 rounds for plainsman matches.  Have a black one (Federal) and a brown (Confederate) one that go with the two basic pstol belt rigs I use.  Got them both years ago from El Paso Saddlery.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Having been beat by 5.5 seconds last year at winter range in the Bucky O'Neil match using a McKeever to Judah Macabee using a dwyer, think I will buy one this year.  Quite sure pulling 10 rounds on the clock from loops cost me.  Heck I could have had one less miss and the time would not have mattered.

[Trailrider]

There were several variations of the Dyer Carbine cartridge pouch, but the primary one issued was the M1874. There were several versions, the early version simply had a slit that buttoned over a ball finial. Later version had a brass escutcheon plate with a keyhole that fastens over a finial. The more common version being the Rock Island Arsenal manufacture, with an oval escutcheon held to the flap with four rivets. The Benicia Arsenal version had a "catseye" version held on with two rivets.

These pouches are lined front and back with sheep's wool, and there is a very shallow pouch sewn to the front wall to hold tools, especially the carbine tool, although the space is so tight as to make it almost unusable.

Historically, the Dyer pouches were pretty universally disliked by the troops, as they concentrated the weight of about thirty .45-70 (or .45-55...the case and the bullet were the same in the 1870's). Troops preferred the "Fairweather Christian" or prairie belts, which distributed the weight of the ammo.

Personally, I use my Dyer pouch to hold 6-8 12 ga. shotshells for CAS matches, or a few .44-40/.44 Extra-Long Russian rounds, if the stge calls for it.  Properly made, these pouches are hand stitched inside out and then "popped" rightside out, a bit of a pain to make, and somewhat time-consuming, which accounts for the price I have to charge!

[Gen Lew Wallace]

Thank you gentlemen.  I knew there would be a wealth of knowledge regarding this object.