Amm 0.303 British Headstamps

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Headstamps of the .303 British CalibreService Ammunition Round

Much of the information in this page has been taken from the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum website, a directlink for which is provided at left. It has been presented a little differently and incorporates additional information on

.303 rounds that my company APEX Enterprises manufactured during the 1970s. As well as information brought tolight by others.

Each type of round is listed in the key below and is identified by an alphanumeric code that hopefully is alsodescriptive of the round concerned.

KEY DESCRIPTION

AP Armour Piercing

APNC Armour Piercing, Nitro Cellulose

APMKVII.P Armour Piercing Mk VII.PAPMKVII.W Armour Piercing Mk VII.W

APMKVII.W.Z Armour Piercing Mk VII.W.Z

B Ball

BBPMK2 Ball, Black powder Mk 2

BCMK2 Ball, Cordite Mk 2

BCMK4 Ball, Cordite Mk 4BCMK5 Ball, Cordite Mk 5



B7756MNC Nitro Cellulose 7.7 x 56 M917 Ball (interchangeable with .303)

B7756R 7.7 x 56R ball (interchangeable with .303 after 1973)

BNC Ball, Nitro CelluloseBNCMK7Z Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z

BLK Blank

BBLK Bulleted Blank

BBLKMK6 Bulleted Blank Mk 6

BLKBPMK3 Blank, Black powder Mk 3

BSRP Ball, Short Range PracticeCRGBHMK1 Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1

CRGBHMK1Z Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z

D Drill

D7756R Drill 7.7 x 56R interchangeable with .303

DMK3 Drill Mk 3

DMK6 Drill Mk 6DMK6D D Mk 6, Dummy

DPMK6 Drill Premark 6

DUMK5 Dummy- U Mk 5

EAPA Experimental Armour Piercing Ammunition

EPSAMK2 Explosive PSA Mk 2 (VII.AA)HE High ExplosiveGLB Grenade Launching Blank

I Incendiary

IAPT7756R Incendiary Armour Piercing- Thermite filling

IAPP7756R Incendiary Armour Piercing- Phosphorus filling

IBIKMK1 Incendiary, BIK (VII.K) Mk 1

IBMK6 Incendiary, B Mk 6IBMK6Z Incendiary, B Mk 6Z

IBMK7 Incendiary, B Mk 7

IBMK7Z Incendiary, B Mk 7Z

IP Incendiary (phosphorus)

LTBLK Line Throwing Blank

MK7NC Nitro Cellulose Mk 7TR Tracer

TR7756R 7.7 x 56R Tracer

TRGMK2 Tracer- G Mk 2



dstamps of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/303headstamps.html

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The 'Z' suffix Refers to graphite glazed nitro-cellulose propellant

A (Armscore)Pretoria West Metal Pressings Pty. SA... B7756R. The photo of the 7.7 R1M3Zcase head was sent by Michael Douglas.

A or AIArtillerie Inrichtingen, Hembrug, Netherlands. Became Nederland Wapen &Munitiefabrik'de Kruithoorn' NV,'s Hertogenbosch Later became Eurometaal.

BNC, BLK, BBLK, LTBLK, TR.

AEArsenal do Ejercito, Lisbon, Portugal... B7756MNC.

AOCBombrini, Parodi et Delfino, Rome, Italy. Used on military .303 carts supplied toEgypt in the period 1948 - 1954... BNC, MK7NC, TR.

APXAtelier de Construction de Puteaux, France.Manufactured during 1918... BNC,APNC,TR.

The 1931 round may not be crimped at all,yet the 1918 round has a very heavy crimp.

A - VEAtelier de Construction de Valence, France... B.

A.VISAtelier de Fabrication de Vincinnes, France... B.

B,J,M or NBirmingham Metal and Munitions Co Ltd. Birmingham, UK. Company formed in 1897, a wholly owned subsidiary ofNobels explosive company who also owned a further Ammunition plant, fully acquired in 1907, at Waltham Abbey,Essex. BM&M had ceased Ammunition manufacture by 1920. The company was taken over in 1918 by ExplosivesTrades Ltd which became Nobel Industries, which was in turn was to become part of the new giant Imperial ChemicalIndustries Ltd when it was formed in 1926.

The headstamp code B denoting the manufacturer should not be confused with B as in BVIIZ which indicatesincendiary Ammunition.Types produced between 1897 & 1919... APMKVII.P, APMKVII.W, APMKVII.W.Z, BBPMK2, BCMK2, BCMK4,BCMK5, BCMK6, BCMK7, BNCMK7Z, BSRP, BLKBPMK3, BBLKMK6, CRGBHMK1, D, DMK3, DMK6, DMK6D,

DPMK6, EPSAMK2, EAPA, IBIKMK1.

BE or BE??Royal Ordnance Factory, Blackpole, Worcester, UK. This factory was part of the 1939 - 1945 war emergency expansionplan and was situated at Blackpole on the site of the earlier Government Cartridge Factory No 3 of 1916. Initially ICILtd were to have operated this plant but they were advised in 1940 of the change in plans and the factory was run as aRoyal Ordnance Factory by the Ministry of Supply. This factory made and marked cases but filling was carried out atthe Royal Ordnance Factory Swynnerton, Staffs. cartridges produced with the BE cases from 1941 to 1945 were...BCMK7, CRGBHMK1Z, DUMK5, IBMK6Z, IBMK7Z, TRGMK2, TRGMK3, TRGMK4.

BLANCHJ Blanch & Sons of Fenchurch St, London, UK. Made dummy drill rounds with a one piece tinplate case and bullet,having a crimped on base, in 1915.

BMBritish Munitions Co Ltd, Millwall, London, UK. Believed to have manufactured... BBPMK2 from 1890.

BPDBombrini, Parodi et Delfino, Rome Italy. In addition to the .303 cartridges manufactured for Egypt this company alsomanufactured nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R cartridges, which are interchangeable with the .303 round and are


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Blank, Cordite Mk 5 (Canadian Pattern)

Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5Z (CanadianPattern)Drill, D Mk 6 and D Mk 9Drill D 1942 (Canadian Pattern)Incendiary, B Mk 7Proof, Q Mk 4Tracer G Mk 1 (Canadian Pattern)Tracer G Mk 1Z (Canadian Pattern)

The 1939 DAC Mk VII is a match grade(turquoise bands) made for the DominionRifle Association (the Canadian equivalent to NRA) clubs and was intended fortarget shooting. Further images are avialable on the supplementary page

Image courtesy

Sylvain Benoit

DAL or LACDominion Arsenal, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. Produced .303 cartridges in... BCMK7.

DCDefence Industries, Brownsburg, Quebec, Canada made .303 cartridges in... Gallery Practice Mk 1 (Black powder -Canada) Gallery Practice Mk 1 (Smokeless - Canada) Gallery Practice Mk 2 (Canada)

DCDominion Cartridge Company, military production was a simple D with a C-broad arrow for the Brownsburg plantwhich later became the Dominion Ammunition Division of Canadian Industries Ltd. They operated factories inBrownsburg, Quebec and Montreal, and the illistration is a sporting cartridge. The DOMINION headstamp was usedon commercial ammunition from 1911 untikl 1955. They also produced .303 cartridges in... Ball, Cordite Mk 2, 4, 6 and7Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7 (Canadian WW1 contract pattern) 1914-16Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z (Canadian Pattern)Drill D 1942 (Canadian Pattern)Tracer G Mk 2Z, G Mk 4Z (Canadian Pattern)

DCCDominion Cartridge Company, Montreal plant, dates and types unknown

DIDefence Industries, Verdun, Canada. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in... Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z(Canadian Pattern)Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 8Z (Canadian Pattern)Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z (Canadian Pattern)Drill D 1942 (Canadian Pattern)Tracer G Mk 2Z, G Mk 4Z, G Mk 6Z (Canadian Pattern)

DoHirtenberg Patronenfabrik factory at Dordrecht, Netherlands produced .303 ball cartridges.

DOMINIONMade by CIL (Canadian Industries Limited) in Quebec between 1911 and 1955.They later switched to the headstamp "Imperial" (listed below), image fromMichael Douglas.

DWMDeutsche Waffen Und Munitionsfabrik, Karlsruhe, Germany produced both balland blank .303 cartridges.

E or EBEley Brothers, Edmonton, London, UK. Factory in operation 1828 - 1919. DuringWW1 Eley produced in excess of 209 Million .303 Mk 7 cartridges. Eley Brothersproduced cartridges in... Armour Piercing Mk VII.WBall, Cordite Mks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7ZBall, Short Range Practice (Gaudet)Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite Mk 1Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z

Drill, Mk 3, Drill Mk 3 ExpedientExplosive Pomeroy Mk 1, PSA Mk 1, PSA (VII.A) MK 1PSA Mk 2 and PSA (VII.AA) Mk 2Incendiary BIK (VII.K) Mk 1RL Tracer Mk 1, Tracer SPK Mk VII.T and SPG (VII.G) Mk 1Z


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E (reversed) or unstampedYokosuka Naval Arsenal, Japan. Fabricated nitro-cellulose loaded Imperial Japanese Navy Year Type 92 Machine GunAmmunition, which is interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in... Armour Piercing, Ball, Incendiary- [Phosphorusfilling] & Tracer

F or AF or SAAFSmall Arms Ammunition Factory, Footscray, Melbourne, Australia. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in... Ball,Cordite Mk 7Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1ZDrill, D Mk 6

FCFederal Cartridge Co, Anoka, Minn., USA. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 jacketed soft pointsporting Ammunition with 180 gr and 150 gr bullets.

FiocchiExported MkVII type Ammunition in the 1950s from Italy.

FNFabrique National d'Armes de Guerre, Herstal, Belgium produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in... Ball, FN8/7BlankBulleted BlankCartridge Rifle Grenade, H Mk 7Z, M11 and M12

IncendiaryTracer L83Jacketed soft point sporting Ammunition

FNBFabrique Nationale Herstal, Herstal, Belgium This FNB headstamp round wasequipped with a 174 gr, Mk VII bullet.

FNMFabrica Nacional de Municoes e Armas Legeiras, Moscavide, Portugal. Known tohave produced nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R ball Ammunition which isinterchangeable with the .303 cartridges

FNTFabrica Nacional de Espana, Palencia, Spain. Made .303 cartridges in... Ball Mk7Z.

G, GB or GBFGreenwood and Batley, Leeds, UK. This company manufactured Ammunitionfrom an early stage, finally ceasing production in the late 1950s. They had afilling factory at Abbey Wood and later during the 1939-45 war a filling factoryat Farnham. The headstamp code G, denoting manufacturer, should not be confused with G as in GIV indicating atracer cartridge. During WW1 Greenwood & Batley are known to have produced in excess of 705 million .303 Mk 7cartridges. They are known to have manufactured .303 cartridges in... Ball, Black powder Mk 2Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7Ball, MatchBall, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7ZBulleted Blank Mk 6Drill, D Mk 6, D Mk 9Dummy, Drill Mk 5Proof OSP

GAGrenfell and Accles Ltd, Perry Barr, Birmingham, UK. The company was formed in the early 1890s having acquiredthe Holford Works of the National Arms and Ammunition Company and was in existence for only a short time. Knownto have manufactured Black powder Ball Mk 2 .303 cartridges from 1891 - 1896.

G18F1 or C18F1Government Cartridge Factory No 1, Blackheath, Staffs., UK. This factory was built in 1916 and was administered onbehalf of the Government by the Birmingham Metal and Munitions Co. .303 cartridge production started in early 1918and continued until late 1918 when the factory ceased production altogether. Type in production... BNCMK7Z.

G..F3 or C..F3Government Cartridge Factory No 3, Blackpole, Worcestershire, UK. This factory was built in 1916 and wasadministered on behalf of the Government by the Kings Norton Metal Co. Production of .303 cartridges did not startuntil late 1918 and the production of all Ammunition ceased in early 1919. Known to have manufactured .303cartridges in... Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z and SPG Tracer (VIII G)

GKB or K


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George Kynoch, Birmingham, UK. This company was first formed in 1862 and manufactured percussion caps. Itbecame G. Kynoch & Co Ltd in 1884 and by then was manufacturing metallic Ammunition. It became Kynoch Ltd in1897. Prior to the formation of Kynoch Ltd (see Kynoch) it produced .303 cartridges in... Ball, Black powder Mks 1 and2.

GEVELOTGevelot & Gaupillat Freres, Paris, France. produced .303 ball cartridges for export.

HornadyHornady manufactured their Custom brand of nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Ammunition in the following sporting

cartridges... 150 gr Spire Point Soft nosed and 174 gr Round Soft nosed.

HNRoyal Ordnance Factory, Hirwaun, South Wales, UK. This factory was set up as part of the 1939-45 war emergencyexpansion plan. It was involved in the production of .303 cartridges in only a very limited way and is known to havemanufactured Tracer G Mk 2 (in cases dated 1943 and 1944).

HXPGreek Powder and Cartridge Co, Athens, Greece made nitro-cellulose loaded .303cartridges in... Ball, L1A1 to British Government contract(1982-85)Ball (1969)Blank

Photo... Fred Schwaner

IMPERIALCanadian Industries Ltd, Montreal, Canada and Plattsburg, NY, USA. Producednitro-cellulose loaded .303 sporting Ammunition in 180 gr jacketed soft point.The imperial headstamp is from was used in the 1955 - 1976 era.

Photo at right synthesized from an original by Sylvain Benoit.

INTERARMCOThought to have been manufactured by Fabrique Nationale Herstal, Herstal,Belgium for Interarmco of Virginia, USA. Picture Michael Douglas.

K or KYNOCHKynoch & Co, Witton, Birmingham, UK. This firm was first formed by GeorgeKynoch at Witton in 1862 as a manufacturer of percussion caps. It was changed to a

limited company in 1884 as G. Kynoch & Co Ltd and by then was manufacturingmetallic Ammunition. A further reorganisation and expansion followed in 1889when George Kynoch was ousted from the management and this then culminated ina further change of title to Kynoch Ltd in 1897. During the period ending with the1914-18 war Kynoch, which by then was the largest of the British commercialAmmunition manufacturers, owned rolling mills at Witton, at Lodge Road,Birmingham and at Eyre Street, Birmingham. At various times it had propellantfactories at Arklow, County Durham, making cordite, at Warsboro Dale, Yorkshire,making black powder and at Kynochtown, Stanford Le Hope, Essex, making smokeless powder. In addition to theseplants the original cap production was maintained at Witton. Later, effective tracer and incendiary compositionoperations were also carried out at Witton. After the war in 1918 Kynoch Ltd, in common with most other British smallarms Ammunition manufacturers, was merged into Explosives Trades Ltd, later to become Nobel Industries. In 1926when Nobel Industries became part of the new Imperial Chemical Industries, the old Kynoch factory at Witton wasretained as the Ammunition centre as part of the Metal Group within ICI. The propellant interests being concentratedmainly at Ardeer within the Nobel Division of ICI. In 1962 the Metals Division of ICI was reorganised as a separate

company known as Imperial Metal Industries (Kynoch) Ltd. During WW1 Kynoch produced in excess of 2,373 million.303 cartridges.

The following .303 cartridges were produced by Kynoch... Armour Piercing Mks VII.S, VII.P, VII.W, W Mk 1 and WMk 1ZBall, Blackpowder Mk 2


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Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7Ball, MatchBall, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7Z and 8ZBall, Short Range PracticeBall, Nitro-cellulose Mk 8z with Aluminium CaseBlank, Ballistite L Mk 9ZBlank, Black powder Mk 2Blank, Cordite Mks 4 and 5Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5ZBulleted Blank, Black powder Mk 1Bulleted Blank, Mk 6Bulleted Blank, L Mk 7Bulleted Blank, L Mk 10Cartridge Line Thrower H Mk 2Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1ZDrill, D Mk 6, D Mk 8, D Mk 9 and D Mk 10Dummy, Drill Mk 4Greener Triplex CartridgeIncendiary Buckingham Mk VII.BIncendiary B Mk 3, B Mk 4Z*, B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z,B Mk 7 and B Mk 7ZPractice Tracer PG Mk 1Proof Q Mk 3Tracer, Self DestroyingTracer Mk VII.G, G Mk 1, G Mk 2, G Mk 2Z, G Mk 3,Tracer G Mk 3Z, G Mk 4, G Mk 5, G Mk 6, G Mk 6Z,G Mk 7, G Mk 8 and G Mk 8ZTriple Ball Experimental (1918) See... Pawnbroker special180 gr Jacketed soft point sporting AmmunitionStreamlined Pattern 1927 Match CartridgeStreamlined Pattern 1936-37 Match CartridgeStreamlined Pattern 1947 Match CartridgeBulleted blanks for Bren, Lewis and VickersFrench Drill CartridgeExperimental armour piercingExperimental semi-armour piercingExperimental armour piercing tracerExperimental armour piercing incendiary (1956)Experimental tank piercing (1940)Experimental Tracers

Experimental ObservationExperimental Bulleted Blanks

K2Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Standish, near Wigan, Lancs, UK. This factory was set up as part ofthe 1939-45 war emergency plans and produced its first complete .303 rounds in October 1940. Known to havemanufactured .303 cartridges in... Armour Piercing, W Mk 1 SpecialBall, Cordite Mk 7Shot CartridgeTracer G Mk 2, G Mk 3and G Mk 6

K4Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Yeading, Hayes, Middlesex, UK. This factory was also set up as part ofthe 1939-45 war emergency expansion plans. Cartridge cases were being produced by late 1940, but the ball bulletswere still being imported into the factory in 1941.This factory produced... Ball, Cordite Mk 7Tracer G Mk 2,G Mk 3, G Mk 4, G Mk 5 and G Mk 6

K5Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Kidderminster, Worcestershire., UK. Set up as part of the 1939-45 waremergency expansion plans. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in... Armour Piercing, W Mk 1Ball, Cordite Mk 7Incendiary B Mk 7ZTracer, G Mk 2, G Mk 3 and G Mk 6

KF or KIndian Government Ammunition Factory Kirkee (or Kirkee Arsenal), near Poona, INDIA. In 1918 this factory had thecapacity to produce about 5.4 million rounds per month.

They manufactured .303 cartridges in... Armour Piercing W Mk 1 and W Mk 1 IP

Ball, Cordite Mk 2, Mk 2 Special, Mk 6 and Mk 7Ball SB Mk 1BlankCartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 3 and H Mk 5Drill, D Mk 6 and D Mk 7Lachrymatory Cartridge


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Observation O Mk 2 and O Mk 3Tracer G Mk 1 and G Mk 2

KNKings Norton Metal Co., Birmingham, UK. This company was formed in 1890 at Kings Norton, it owned its own rollingmills and had a loading plant at Abbey wood in Kent. Cases were made in Birmingham then assembled and loaded atthe Abbey Wood Factory, next to Woolwich Arsenal.

Produced .303 cartridges up to 1919 in... Armour Piercing VII.F, VII.FZ and VII.WBall, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

Ball, MatchBall, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7ZBlank Cordite Mk 5Bulleted Blank Mk 6Dummy, Drill Mk 3, Mk 3 Expedient, Mk 5Explosive RTS (VII.R) Mk 2Incendiary BIK (VII.K) Mk 1Incendiary Buckingham (VII.B) and B Mk 3Tracer SPG Mk VIIG Mk 1 and Mk 1ZExperimental RTT Explosive CartridgeExperimental Blank Cartridges

LThere is some confusion over this headstamp code as both Lorenz Ammunition and Ordnance Co, Millwall, London,UK and Ludlow and Co, Wolverhampton, Staffs, UK are believed to have used the letter L as their code and both

manufactured .303 cartridges between 1887 and 1890. Both firms are believed to have manufactured .303 Black powderMk 2 Ball Cartridges

L-E or URemington UMC, Bridgeport, Conn., USA. {On UK Government contracts 1914 - 1915}. manufactured nitro-celluloseloaded .303 Ball, Mk 7 cartridges

MNobel Explosives Ltd., Manchester, UK. Manufactured .303 cartridges between 1914 - 1918 in... Ball, Cordite Mk 7 andExplosive, PSA Mk 2

MAXIMMaxim Arms Co.,London, UK. The cases were made by BSA for Maxim machine guns in the 1890s. Cartridges knownto have been manufactured in: Ball, Cordite Mk 2

MENMaschinenfabrik Elisenhutte, Nassau, West Germany. This producer has now becomeMetallwerk Elisenhtte GmbH Nassau. This company produced .303 ball cartridges during 1988[Harrington website].

MEXICOFabrica National de Munitions, Mexico City, Mexico produced .303 ball cartridges.

MF or AFSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 1, Footscray, Melbourne, Australia. manufactured .303 cartridges in... ArmourPiercing W Mk 1Ball, Cordite Mk 7Blank, Cordite L Mk 5

Blank, Mk 9ZCartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 4Drill, D M 7/NIncendiary B Mk 7Proof Q Mk 3 and Q Mk 4Tracer G Mk 2 {Australian Pattern}

MGSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 2, Footscray, Melbourne, Australia. 1940 - 1949. Known to have manufactured.303 cartridges in... Ball, Cordite Mk 7 and Incendiary B Mk 7.

MHSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 3, Hendon, Australia. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in... Ball, CorditeMk 7

Blank, Cordite L Mk 5Tracer G Mk 2 {Australian Pattern}Incendiary B Mk 7

MISociete Meridionale d'Industrie, Robert Paulet & Cie, formerly called Cartoucherie Leon Paulet, Marseille, France


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made 7.7 x 56R ball cartridges.

MJSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 4, Hendon, Australia produced .303 cartridges in... BCMK7.

MKEMakina ve Kimya Endustrisi, Kuruma, Turkey manufactured 7.7 x 56R ball cartridges.

MQSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 5, Rocklea, Australia... made .303 BCMK7.

MSSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 7, Salisbury, Australia... made .303 BCMK7 and TRGMK2Z {Australianpattern}.

MWSmall Arms Ammunition Factory No 6, Welchpool, Australia.

nny See PP

NORMA or normaNorma Projectilfabrik, Amotfors, Sweden produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in... BBLK, 130gr, 150gr,180gr and 215 gr jacketed soft point sporting rounds.

OFNGovernment Ordinance Factory, Lagos, Nigeria produced .303 ball cartridges.

P or PCPeters Cartridge Co., Kings Mills, Ohio, USA. Produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in... Ball, Mk 7. Britishmilitary contracts between 1914 & 1917, Ball, Mk 7Z (Canadian Pattern). On British military contracts 1940-45 180 &215 gr jacketed soft point sporting Ammunition

PMCSuggestions as to what PMC stands for are 'Precision Made Cases' or 'PrecisionMetallic Cartridge', but I now know it is 'Precision Made Cartridge' here is alink to their website. I picked up the illustration at right from www.Ammo-one.comand would comment that the head stamping is hardly what I would

call 'precision'. I think it unlikely that it is 'Poongsan Metal ManufacturingCompany' Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea Angang Ammunition Plant. As the 'M'is not shaped like an upside 'W'. Eldorado Cartridge Corporation (was Pattonand Morgan Corp., and Pan Metal Corp.) PO Box 62508, Boulder City, NV89006. The PMC head stamped Ammunition for ECC has been made in Korea,the Philippines, Mexico and the Republic of South Africa. I am also told thatPMC originally stood for "Pan Metallic Corporation" and they were initiallymade in Korea.

PMPPretoria Metal Pressings (Pty) Ltd., Pretoria, South Africa made nitro-cellulose filled .303 cartridges in... 174 gr Fulljacket boat tail bulleted Ammunition150 and 174 gr jacketed soft point sporting Ammunition.

POFPakistan Ordnance Factory, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Known to have produced .303 cartridges in... B, BLK, GLB, Proof (Mk 3).

PP or nnyPrvi Partizan, Titovo Uzice, Yugoslavia. (Yugoslav arsenal code PPU, which inCyrillic looks like 'nny'.) Their latest address is... Prvi Partizan, MilosaObrenovica 2, 31000 Uzice, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, Phone: +381 31511 382, Fax: +318 31 515 350 Email: [email protected] PrviPartizan company was founded in 1928. In those days it was operating underthe name FOMU - Arms and Ammunition Factory Uzice involved in shotgunAmmunition manufacture. The factory had developed pistol and revolverAmmunition production by the year 1938. This factory has produced .303cartridges in... Ball, Mk 7, 7Z , 8 and 8Z and various sporting loads. Since the

break up of Yugoslavia the factory is in Serbia and Ammunition is sold in boxesthat have the Wolf brand... Information from Michael Douglas who also tookthe box Photos.



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PS or SPirotechnico Militar de Seville, Spain made 7.7 x 56R cartridges which are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in...Ball and Tracer (Green tip).

RARemington Arms Co.,Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., USA. Nitro-cellulose filled .303 WW1 Contract Pattern cartridges wereproduced during the period 1914 - 1917 as. Ball, Mk 7.

RARaufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikker, Raufoss, Norway produced .303 ball cartridges c 1934

REM-UMCRemington-Union Metallic Cartridge 1911-1960, then became R-P (Remington Peters)

RGRoyal Ordnance Factory, Radway Green, Cheshire, UK. This factory was part ofthe 1939 - 45 war emergency expansion plans being situated near Crewe and isstill in operation. Production of the .303 cartridge commenced in 1940 and thelast known production of this cartridge was in 1973 with Mk 7Z Ball andDummy Drill cartridges. Initial Radway Green production used a single arrowas the headstamp code and this was replaced in 1942 by the RG code.

Armour Piercing W Mk 1, W Mk 1 Special and W Mk 1ZBall, Cordite Mk 7

Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7Z and 8ZBlank, Ballistite L Mk 9ZBlank, Cordite L Mk 5Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5ZBulleted Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 10ZCartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 2, H Mk 4 and H Mk 4ZDrill, D Mk 10Dummy Drill 1973 PatternDummy, U Mk 5Incendiary B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z, B Mk 7 and B Mk 7ZProof, Q Mk 3Tracer G Mk 2 and G Mk 8

RHRaleigh Cycle Co, Nottingham, UK. Made BCMK7... 1941 - 1945.

RLRoyal Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, Kent, UK. Woolwich Arsenal, of which the Royal Laboratory was only a part, issituated in South East London on the River Thames. The Arsenal dates from 1670 and has manufactured manydifferent items of warlike stores for the armed forces. Ammunition was made at Woolwich long before the adoption ofthe .303 cartridge in 1889. Ammunition production ceased completely at Woolwich in 1957, the last known productionof .303 Ammunition there being Mk 7 Ball in 1957. The Woolwich site apart from containing all the supportive facilitiesfor the research, design, development, inspection and testing of Ammunition also included an extensive range complexon the Plumpstead Marshes. In addition there was a filling area not far away in the vicinity of Abbey Wood.

The following .303 cartridges are known to have been produced since 1889... Armour Piercing Mks VII.S, VII.P,VII.PZ, VII.W, VII.WZ, W Mk 1,W Mk 1 Special and W MK 1ZBall, Black powder Mks 1,and 2

Ball, Cordite Mks 1, 2, 2*, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7Ball, MatchBall, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7z, 8z & 7z RC (reduced charge)Ball, Short Range Practice, Cordite Mks 1,2,3 and 4Ball, Short Range Practice (Gaudet)Blank, Black powder Mks 2 and 3Blank, Cordite, Mks 2, 3, 4, 5Blank, Cordite L Mk 5Bulleted Blank, Black powder Mk 1Bulleted Blank, Cordite Mks 1, 6Bulleted Blank, L Mk 7Bulleted Blank, L Mk 10ZCartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite Mks 1 and 2Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 2Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z

Cartridge Discharger, Black powder E Mk 1TDrill, Magazine Rifle Mk 1 and 2Drill D Mk 6, D Mk 6*, D Mk 7, D Mk 8 and D Mk 9Dummy, U Mk 5Dummy Drill Mks 3, 4, 5, 6Dummy Version of Explosive R Mk 3*


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Inspectors Dummy Mk 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5Explosive R Mk 1, R Mk 2, R Mk 3, and R Mk 3*Incendiary Buckingham (VII.B), B Mk 1, B Mk 2Z, B Mk 4,B Mk 4B Mk 5, B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z and B Mk 7Instructional Mk 6Machine Gun Blank, Cordite Mk 1Machine Gun Dummy Mks 1 and 2Observing O Mk 1Proof, Cordite Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3, Q Mk 3, Q Mk 4 and Q Mk 5Shot CartridgesRL Tracer Mk 1Tracer SPK(VII.T) and SPK(VII.TZ)Tracer SPG(VII.G) Mk 1 and SPG(VII.G) Mk1ZTracer G Mk 1, G Mk 1 Special, G Mk 2, G Mk 3 and G Mk 4Experimental steel anti fouling bulleted roundsExperimental Armour Piercing Tracer (1917-18)Experimental Armour Piercing CartridgesExperimental Bulleted BlanksExperimental Explosive, RTS and RTT CartridgesExperimental Grenade Launching CartridgesExperimental Lachrymatory Cartridge

RNRARhodesia National Rifle Association nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Mk 7z Ball manufactured by FNM of Moscavide inPortugal.

R-PRemington Arms Co, Bridgeport, Conn., USA made nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:- 180 & 215 gr jacketedsoft point sporting forms.

RR or RRCORoss Rifle Co, Montreal, Canada. Produced .303 Mk 7 ball Ammunition in cases believed to have been made by Eley.

RTSRichard Threlfall and Sons, UK... explosive anti - Zeplin cartridges.

R..WRudge Whitworth Ltd., Tyseley, UK. This company was the only new commercial Ammunition manufacturer put intobusiness by the Government as a result of demand in the 1914 - 18 war. They received their first Government contract

for the supply of Mk 7 Ball Ammunition in 1915 and continued to produce .303 cartridges from 1915 - 1918 in...BCMK7, DUMK5, I (Buckingham VII.B), I (B Mk 1),I (B Mk 2Z), TR (SPG VII.G), TR (Mk 1Z).

S&BSellier & Bellot, 180 gr full metal jacket and 150 gr soft point sporting, both typesboxer primed

Photo of headstamp... Fred Schwaner

SBRSellier & Bellot, Riga, Latvia... produced .303 ball cartridges c 1937

SFMSociete Francaise des Munitions, Issy - les - Moulineaux, France manufactured nitro-cellulose loaded .303 ballcartridges for export pre 1939.

SMISocieta Metallurgica Italiana, Campo Tizzoro, Italy made nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R Ammunition types B7756R

and TR7756R.

SRRoyal Ordnance Factory, Spennymoor, Durham, UK. This factory was part of the 1939-45 war emergency expansionplan. It began production of .303 Ammunition in 1941 initially with the headstamp code of two arrows replacing thesein 1942 with the code SR. The Spennymoor Ammunition was filled at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Aycliffe, Durham.


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Types... B, MK7, MK8Z, IBMK6, IBMK6Z, IBMK7, IBMK7Z,LTBLK (Mk5) were manufactured.

SUPER SPEEDis a Winchester trademark, no other details as far as the .303 brass pictured here.This case picked up and scanned by Michael Douglas.

TM..BPirotechnia di Bologna, Italy produced nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56RAmmunition, interchangeable with the .303 in... B and TR.

THOMAS BLAND & SONS(stamp require verifying)made .303 ball andsporting Ammunition.

U or SAMSouth African Mint, Pretoria, South Africa... U code from 1939 - 1961 and SAM1962 onwards. (When U is used with a diamond this represents the Kimberley

factory... B, BCMK7, TRGMK2, Semi AP (F Mk 1), Jacketed soft pointsporting.

USUnited States Cartridge Co, Lowell, Mass.,USA made nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Ball Mk7 cartridges during 1914 - 1917.

The finishing date has been called intoquestion... By finds made by 'Juergen' fromMagdeburg, the four headstamps illustratedat right were all found in the same cache ofAmmunition that was made between WWIand WWII.

The very poor quality crimp shown at upperright is typical of worn out machinery thathad been patched up to reach the end ofWWII.

It might be speculated that the 'missing'primer crimp is also due to faulty machineryor broken tooling.

VECartoucherie de Valence, France have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Ball cartridges

VPTValtion Patruunatehdas, Lapua, Finland produced Ilmavoimat Konekivaarin Patruuna Kal 7.70 machine guncartridges, which are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in... 'Special' B, 'Special' AP.

W or WRAWinchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn., USA. Known to havemade nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges for 1914 - 1917 military contracts


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as... B, and Mk 7.During WW2... B, Mk 7Z (Contract Pattern),Scott multiball (duplex) and 180gr jacketed soft point sporting Ammunition.


WCCWestern Cartridge Co., East Alton, Ill., USA. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in... B, Mk 7Z (WW2 Contract Pattern).

WW SUPER (W-W SUPER)Winchester Western (unsure which factory) 180 gr 'Power Point', brass trimmedto 2.208", Boxer primed, overall length 3.055", muzzle velocity 2367 fps


W-WWinchester Western Division of Olin Industries, New Haven, Conn., USA.Produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 180 gr Jacketed soft point sportingAmmunition.

y

Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, Japan. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loadedImperial Japanese Navy Year Type 92 Machine Gun Ammunition which isinterchangeable with the .303 cartridge in... AP, IP, TR, B.

ZVZbrojovka Brno, Brno, Czechoslovakia made .303 cartridges in... B, Mk 7, MK 8Z

CHINA made some 7.7mm rimmed Ammunition for use in captured Japanese machine guns from 1945 onwards. Thiscartridge is interchangeable with the .303 British cartridge.

EGYPT produced .303 ball Ammunition at the Government Arsenal Shoubra, United Arab Republic and Factory No10 at Alexandria in Egypt.

ETHIOPA manufactured .303 ball cartridges c 1959

FINLAND is known to have produced .303 inch cartridges in various loadings including:- B, AP, D, I, TR.

FRANCE manufactured several variants of the .303 cartridge, including:- B, TR, I, AP, AP with Tracer.

IRAQ is known to haveproduced .303 Ballcartridges, but details aremissing. Iraqi Stampsoften have a triangle andsymbols, the images atright were provided byLee Ratcliff. Note thepoor centring of theprimer crimping groove.

ISRAEL manufactured.303 ball cartridges at theGovernment Arsenal, TelAviv, Israel. c 1948

JAPAN is known to have manufacturednitro-cellulose loaded Imperial Japanese Army Year Type 89 Machine Gun Ammunition, which is interchangeable withthe .303 cartridge, without any headstamp codes in... APNC, TR.

JAPAN is also known to have manufactured nitro-cellulose Imperial Japanese Navy Year Type 92 Machine GunAmmunition, which is interchangeable with the .303 cartridge, at their Aichi Naval Arsenal, Toyokawa Naval Arsenaland Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in the following types... APNC, TR, B, HE (Violet Primer), IP.

SPAIN manufactured .303 Ammunition and used it on a limited scale during and after the Civil War of 1936 - 39.


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I have been stumped by the far rightheadstamp sent by Michael Douglas, which isboxer primed and had a crimped primer.

IGMAN d.d. Konjic, Donje Polje 42, 88400Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina... Producethe ammunition that has puzzled manyshooters, there are two images at right, I am

endebted to Erick Fisk for unravelling themystery and further images are avialable onthe supplementary page

If you can identify the headstamp illustrated at right, I can include the detailshere. Although not shown in this image, the case normally carries a greenannular sealer around the primer. The bullet was a hunting type, round nose180 gr. What looks like a primer crimp is eithe cosmetic or inadequately struck,as there was no effort at all in de-priming.

Various people have given help with information and images... I thank them warmly, some are mentioned in thetext, but if I have ommitted anybody I appologise, A few did not wish to be identified, so I will say a little thank you tothe anonymous contibutors as well.

Printed from Dave Cushman's website

Originated... Spring 2001, Revised... 12 July 2001, Revised... 19 June 2002, Revised... 07 March 2003, Corrected... 04 September 2003,New Domain... 12 November 2003, Upgraded... 24 December 2004, Addition... 18, 20 February 2006,Further Upgraded... 18 January 2007, Additions... 14, 16 20, & 25 April 2007, Addition... 06 May 2007, Addition... 11 August 2007,

Upgrade & Additions... 25 to 28 January 2008,


Amm 0.303 British Headstamps

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