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Introduction
The .303 British Service cartridge, commonly known as the .303 or .303
British was adopted by Britain along with the Lee - Metford Rifle in 1889. This
round, as originally adopted, consisted of a 215 grain, round nosed, cupro
nickel jacketed bullet in front of 71.5 grains of RFG2 Blackpowder. This powder
charge being pressed into a pellet with both ends slightly rounded and pierced
with a flash hole through the centre. There was a glazeboard wad on top of the
charge to protect the base of the bullet. It initially had a small boxer type
primer and was officially designated Cartridge, S.A., Ball, Magazine
Rifle, Mark 1.C. Solid Case, .303inch. This round had a muzzle
velocity of 1830 feet per second and a chamber pressure of about 19 tons per
square inch.
Cordite was used as a propellant from 1891 and the first adopted cordite
cartridge, the Cartridge S.A. Ball, Magazine Rifle
Cordite Mark 1, had a 215 grain round nosed cupro-nickel jacketed
bullet giving a muzzle velocity of about 1970 feet per second at a chamber
pressure of about 17.5 tons per square inch. Cordite consisted of 58%
Nitro-glycerine, 37% Nitro-cellulose and 5% Mineral Jelly and was normally
pressed into cord form but tubular, tape, flaked and sliced cordite were also
used. Nitro-cellulose was first used as a propellant in the .303 cartridge
during 1894 although it was not officially approved for service until 1916.
This propellant, however, was not considered to be as stable as cordite in the
tropics and cordite was, therefore, still retained as a propellant in military
cartridges for the remainder of the cartridges service life. Nitro-cellulose
propellant however was extensively used during the first and second world wars.
The last .303 ball cartridges manufactured at Radway Green in 1973 were loaded
with nitro-cellulose powder and not cordite, cordite having last been used for
the .303 cartridge in the 1960s.
The round nose bullet form of the Black Powder Mark 1 and 2 and of the
Cordite Mark 1 and 2 were felt by many servicemen to have less man stopping
effect than the old lead .45 inch Martini bullet, the predecessor in service of
the .303 cartridge. This was confirmed by experience gained in the Chitral and
Tirah expeditions of 1897/98 on the North West Frontier of India where the
round nose ball round compared poorly against the .303 inch Dum Dum rounds
specially issued in 1897. This cupro-nickle jacketed bullet, produced at the
Dum Dum ammunition factory in India, had an exposed lead nose which gave rapid
expansion on impact and therefore greater wounding effect when it hit a body.
Following experimentation to increase the effectiveness of the ball cartridge
the British Government adopted a 215 grain cupro-nickle jacketed hollow pointed
bullet in 1897 as the Cartridge S.A. Ball .303 inch Cordite Mark III.
Similar jacketed hollow point bullets were used in the Mark IV and V rounds.
These soft nosed and hollow pointed bullets were considered however to be in
contravention of the St Petersburg Declaration and the Hague Convention, in
1903 they were withdrawn from active service and were afterwards to be used
solely for target practice. The Mark VI round was introduced in 1904 with a 215
grain jacketed round nosed bullet similar to the Mark II bullet but with a
thinner jacket.
In 1910 the 174 grain pointed Mark VII bullet was adopted and the muzzle
velocity was increased to 2440 feet per second. This mark of bullet remained
the standard ball round for the remainder of the .303 cartridges service life.
In 1938 the .303 Mark VIIIZ round was approved to obtain greater effective
range from the Vickers Medium Machine Gun. This round had a nitro-cellulose
powder charge with a 175 grain boat tailed, streamline, jacketed bullet having
a muzzle velocity of 2550 feet per second. Chamber pressure however was higher
at 20 - 21 tons per square inch compared to the 19.5 tons per square inch of
the Mark VII round.
Tracer, armour piercing and incendiary cartridges were adopted by the
British Government during 1915, explosive bullets having been approved for
service in 1916. These rounds were extensively developed over the years and saw
several Mark numbers. The last tracer round introduced into British service was
the G Mark 8 round approved in 1945, the last armour piercing round was the W
Mark 1Z introduced in 1945 and the last incendiary round was the B Mark 7
introduced in 1942. Explosive bullets were not produced in the UK after about
1933 due to the relatively small amount of explosive that could be contained in
the bullet limiting their effectiveness, their role being successfully
fulfilled by the use of Mark 6 and 7 incendiary bullets which were also of a
less complicated construction.
In 1935 the .303 O Mark 1 Observing round was introduced for use in
machine guns. The bullet to this round was designed to break up with a puff of
smoke on impact with a target or the ground . It was intended as a training aid
only, for the observation of long range shooting where accuracy of fire was not
always easily defined, even if tracer ammunition was used. The later Mark 6 and
7 incendiary rounds could also be used in this role if required.
Since the introduction of the .303 cartridge in 1889 it has been
manufactured in at least 20 countries and in nearly 200 military variants as
well as in numerous experimental and sporting cartridge configurations. It may
be of some interest to learn that during the First World War more than 7,000
million Mk 7 ball cartridges were produced by British factories alone.
Although the United States of America did not officially adopt a .303
rifle, it did produce, under the Lend - Lease scheme of World War 2, nearly a
third of the wartime production of No 4 rifles used by British troops. US Lend
- Lease production for the UK was 1,196,706 No 4 rifles whereas the total
British wartime production of this rifle was 2,021,913. This of course was not
the total number of .303 rifles produced in the UK during WW2, as the SMLE
Rifle No 1 was still being manufactured, BSA alone producing nearly a quarter
of a million No 1 Mk III and III* rifles. The USA had also produced the .303
Pattern 1914, also known as the Rifle No 3 Mk 1 or 1*, for the British
Government during the First World War. The USA should therefore, along with
Australia, India and the United Kingdom, be considered as one of the major producers
of both .303 rifles and ammunition
The following pages attempt to identify the manufacturers of the .303
cartridge and whilst it is acknowledged that this may not a complete listing I
hope it will give some insight into this historically important cartridge.
Should the reader be aware of any omissions in this manufacturer's listing then
the author would be very pleased to hear from them.
E-mail: Rtebbutt@aol.com
KNOWN MANUFACTURERS OF .303 BRITISH
CARTRIDGES
HEADSTAMP CODE MANUFACTURER
A Pretoria West
Metal Pressings Pty., Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA. ( A standing for Armscore ).
Known to have produced 7.7 x 56R ball cartridges, which are interchangeable
with the .303 cartridge post 1973.
A or AI
Artillerie Inrichtingen, Hembrug, NETHERLANDS. This Military Arsenal became
Nederland Wapen & Munitiefabrik'de Kruithoorn' NV,'s Hertogenbosch and
later became Eurometaal. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303
cartridges in:
Ball
Blank
Bulleted Blank
Line throwing blank
Tracer
AE Arsenal do
Ejercito, Lisbon, PORTUGAL. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x
56 M917 ball ammunition, which is interchangeable with the .303 cartridge
AOC Bombrini,
Parodi et Delfino, Rome, ITALY. Used on military .303 (7.7 x 56R) cartridges
supplied to Egypt in the period 1948 - 1954. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded cartridges in:
Ball, Mk 7
Tracer
APX Atelier de
Construction de Puteaux, FRANCE. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded
.303 (identified on headstamp as 7.70) cartridges during 1918 in:
Armour Piercing Tracer
Ball
Also known to have produced ball rounds in the 1920s and 30s
A - VE Atelier de
Construction de Valence, FRANCE. Known to have produced .303 ball cartridges
A.VIS Atelier de
Fabrication de Vincinnes, FRANCE. Known to have produced .303 ball cartridges in
1924
B,J,M or N Birmingham
Metal and Munitions Co Ltd., Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM. This company was
formed in 1897 and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Nobels explosive company
who also owned a further ammunition plant, fully acquired in 1907, at Waltham
Abbey, Essex. Birmingham Metal and Munitions had ceased manufacture of
ammunition by 1920. The assets of the company were taken over in 1918 by
Explosives Trades Ltd which soon after was renamed Nobel Industries, this new
organisation having been founded to amalgamate most of the explosives and
ammunition interests of the many separate companies operating in Britain at
that time. Nobel Industries in turn was to become part of the new giant
Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd when it was formed in 1926.
The headstamp code B
denoting the manufacturer should not be confused with B as in BVIIZ which indicates
incendiary ammunition. The following types of .303 cartridges are known to have
been produced during the period 1897 to 1919:
Armour Piercing Mks VII.P, VII.W and VII.W.Z
Ball, Blackpowder Mk 2
Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
Ball, Short Range Practice
Blank, Blackpowder Mk 3
Bulleted Blank Mk 6
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1
Drill, D Mk 6
Dummy, Drill Mk 3, Premark 6, Mk 6
Explosive PSA Mk 2 (VII.AA)
Experimental Armour Piercing Ammunition
Incendiary, BIK (VII.K) Mk 1
BE or BE Royal
Ordnance Factory, Blackpole, Worcester, UNITED KINGDOM. This factory was part
of the 1939 - 1945 war emergency expansion plan and was situated at Blackpole
on the site of the earlier Government Cartridge Factory No 3 of 1916. Initially
ICI Ltd were to have operated this plant but they were advised in 1940 of the
change in plans and the factory was run as a Royal Ordnance Factory by the
Ministry of Supply. This factory made and marked cases but filling was carried
out at the Royal Ordnance Factory Swynnerton, Staffs. .303 cartridges known to
have been produced with the Blackpole headstamped cases from 1941 to 1945 are:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Dummy, U Mk 5
Incendiary, B Mk 6Z and B Mk 7Z
Tracer, G Mks 2, 3 and 4
BLANCH J Blanch
& Sons of Fenchurch St, London, UNITED KINGDOM. Made dummy drill rounds
with a one piece tinplate case and bullet and having a crimped on base in 1915.
BM British
Munitions Co Ltd, Millwall, London, UNITED KINGDOM. This company is believed to
have manufactured .303 Ball, Blackpowder Mk 2 cartridges from 1890
BPD Bombrini,
Parodi et Delfino, Rome ITALY. In addition to the .303 cartridges manufactured
for Egypt this company also manufactured nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R
cartridges, which are interchangeable with the .303 round and are known to have
been produced in:
Ball
Drill round
Incendiary Armour Piercing with Thermite filling
Incendiary Armour Piercing with Phosphorus filling
Tracer
C.. Pirotecnico
di Capua, ITALY. Known to have manufactured 7.7 x 56R bulleted blanks, which
are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge
CAC Colonial
Ammunition Co., Auckland, NEW ZEALAND. Known to have produced .303 cartridges
in:
Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Ball Mk 6 Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7z
Blank, Mk 6 and 6 converted
Blank, Mks 3, 5, 5z
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Commercial Blanks
Drill, D Mk 9
Dummy Mks 3, 4
Dummy, Non Regulation
Gaudet Practice
Short Range Practice ( New Zealand Pattern)
215 gr RNSP, 180 gr PSP, 180 gr HP, 174 gr PSP, 150 gr PSP, 130 gr PSP
and 150 gr HP Sporting Ammunition
Mks 4 and 5 Big Game Exploder Sporting Ammunition
H.V. Exploder Sporting Ammunition
CAC Colonial
Ammunition Co., Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. Known to have produced during 1920-21 the
.303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite, Mk 7
Dummy
CP Crompton
Parkinson Ltd, Guiseley, Yorkshire, UNITED KINGDOM, although filling took place
at Doncaster (see below). This factory was set up as part of the 1939-1945 war
emergency expansion plan. Known to have produced .303 cartridges during the
period 1940 - 1944 in:
Armour Piercing W Mk 1
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
C-P Crompton
Parkinson Ltd, Doncaster, Yorkshire, UNITED KINGDOM. This company was already
in existence but unconnected with ammunition manufacture when the 1939 - 1945
war broke out. It was selected to produce small arms ammunition as part of the
1939-1945 war emergency expansion plans. Production of ammunition ceased in
1944. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing W Mk 1 and W Mk 1 Special
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Experimental Armour Piercing (1942)
D Dominion
Cartridge Co., Brownsberg, Quebec, CANADA. Known to have produced .303 ball
cartridges.
DÎ, DF, NÎ or SÎ Indian Government Ammunition Factory, Dum
Dum, Calcutta, INDIA. This factory manufactured cartridges for use by the
British Army in India as well as the Indian Army. In 1918 this factory was
capable of producing at the rate of about 10 million rounds per month. It is
known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 2, Mk 2 Special, Mk 6 and Mk 7
Ball, Short Range Practice I.P. Mk 1*
Blank
Dummy Drill Mk 1. IP,and IP No 2 Mk 1
DA Dominion
Arsenal, Montreal, CANADA. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 6
Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Canadian Mk 1 (1955 & 1956)
DAC Dominion
Arsenal, Quebec, CANADA. Known to have manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing W Mk 1
Ball, Cordite Mks 6, 7
Ball, Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z ( Late Pattern )
Blank, Cordite Mk 5 ( Canadian Pattern )
Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5Z ( Canadian Pattern )
Drill, D Mk 6 and D Mk 9
Drill D 1942 ( Canadian Pattern )
Incendiary, B Mk 7
Proof, Q Mk 4
Tracer G Mk 1 ( Canadian Pattern )
Tracer G Mk 1Z ( Canadian Pattern )
DAL or LAC
Dominion Arsenal, Lindsay, Ontario, CANADA. Known to have produced .303
cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
DC Defence
Industries, Brownsburgh, Quebec, CANADA. Known to have produced .303 cartridges
in:
Gallery Practice Mk 1 ( Black powder - Canada )
Gallery Practice Mk 1 ( Smokeless - Canada )
Gallery Practice Mk 2 ( Canada )
DC Dominion
Cartridge Company which later became the Dominion Ammunition Division of
Canadian Industries Ltd. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 2, 4, 6 and 7
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7 ( Canadian WW1 contract pattern ) 1914-16
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z ( Canadian Pattern )
Drill D 1942 ( Canadian Pattern )
Tracer G Mk 2Z, G Mk 4Z ( Canadian Pattern )
DI Defence
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 )
Do Hirtenberg
Patronenfabrik factory at Dordrecht, NETHERLANDS. Known to have produced .303
ball cartridges .
DWM Deutsche
Waffen Und Munitionsfabrik, Karlsruhe, GERMANY. Known to have produced both
ball and blank .303 cartridges
E or EB Eley
Brothers, Edmonton, London, UNITED KINGDOM. Factory in operation 1828 - 1919.
During WW1 Eley produced in excess of 209 Million .303 Mk 7 cartridges. Eley
Brothers are known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing Mk VII.W
Ball, Cordite Mks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
Ball, Short Range Practice ( Gaudet )
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite Mk 1
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Drill, Mk 3, Drill Mk 3 Expedient
Explosive Pomeroy Mk 1, PSA Mk 1, PSA (VII.A) MK 1
PSA Mk 2 and PSA (VII.AA) Mk 2
Incendiary BIK (VII.K) Mk 1
RL Tracer Mk 1, Tracer SPK Mk VII.T and SPG (VII.G) Mk 1Z
Yokosuka Naval
Arsenal, JAPAN. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded Imperial Japanese
Navy Year Type 92 Machine Gun ammunition, which is interchangeable with the
.303 cartridge in:
Armour Piercing
Ball
Incendiary - Phosphorus filling
Tracer
F or AF or SAAF Small Arms Ammunition
Factory, Footscray, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.
Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Drill, D Mk 6
FC Federal
Cartridge Co, Anoka, Minn., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
180 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
150 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
FN Fabrique
National d'Armes de Guerre, Herstal, BELGIUM. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
Ball, FN 8/7
Blank
Bulleted Blank
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, H Mk 7Z, M11 and M12
Incendiary
Tracer L83
Jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
FNM Fabrica Nacional
de Municoes e Armas Legeiras, Moscavide, PORTUGAL. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R ball ammunition which is interchangeable with
the .303 cartridges
FNT Fabrica
Nacional de Espana, Palencia, SPAIN. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball Mk 7Z
G, GB or GBF Greenwood and Batley,
Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM. This company manufactured ammunition from an early
stage, finally ceasing production in the late 1950s. They had a filling factory
at Abbey Wood and later during the 1939-45 war a filling factory at Farnham.
The headstamp code G,
denoting manufacturer, should not be confused with G as in GIV indicating a tracer
cartridge. During WW1 Greenwood & Batley are known to have produced in
excess of 705 million .303 Mk 7 cartridges. They are known to have manufactured
.303 cartridges in:
Ball, Blackpowder Mk 2
Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Ball, Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
Bulleted Blank Mk 6
Drill, D Mk 6, D Mk 9
Dummy, Drill Mk 5
Proof OSP
GA Grenfell and
Accles Ltd, Perry Barr, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM. The company was formed in
the early 1890s having acquired the Holford Works of the National Arms and
Ammunition Company and was in existence for only a short time. Known to have
manufactured Black powder Ball Mk 2 .303 cartridges from 1891 - 1896.
G18F1 or C18F1 Government Cartridge
Factory No 1, Blackheath, Staffs., UNITED KINGDOM. This factory was built in
1916 and was administered on behalf of the Government by the Birmingham Metal
and Munitions Co. .303 cartridge production started in early 1918 and continued
until late 1918 when the factory ceased production altogether. Known to have
produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
G..F3 or C..F3
Government Cartridge Factory No 3, Blackpole, Worcestershire, UNITED KINGDOM.
This factory was built in 1916 and was administered on behalf of the Government
by the Kings Norton Metal Co. Production of .303 cartridges did not start until
late 1918 and the production of all ammunition finally ceased in early 1919.
Known to have manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
SPG Tracer (VIII G)
GKB or K George
Kynoch, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM. This company was first formed in 1862 and
manufactured percussion caps. It became G. Kynoch & Co Ltd in 1884 and by
then was manufacturing metallic ammunition. It became Kynoch Ltd in 1897. Prior
to the formation of Kynoch Ltd (see later entry) it was known to have produced
.303 cartridges in:
Ball, Blackpowder Mks 1 and 2
GEVELOT Gevelot
& Gaupillat Freres, Paris, FRANCE. Known to have produced .303 ball
cartridges for export.
Hornady Hornady
have manufactured their Custom brand of nitro-cellulose loaded .303 ammunition
in the following sporting cartridges:
150 gr Spire Point Soft nosed sporting cartridge
174 gr Round Soft nosed sporting cartridge
HN Royal Ordnance
Factory, Hirwaun, South Wales, UNITED KINGDOM. This factory was set up as part
of the 1939-45 war emergency expansion plan. It was involved in the production
of .303 cartridges in only a very limited way and is known to have manufactured
these cartridges in:
Tracer G Mk 2 (in cases dated 1943 and 1944)
HXP Greek Powder
and Cartridge Co, Athens, GREECE. Known to have manufactured nitro-cellulose
loaded .303 cartridges in:
Ball, L1A1 to British Government contract(1982-85)
Ball (1969)
Blank
IMPERIAL Canadian
Industries Ltd, Montreal, CANADA and Plattsburg, NY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
180 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
K or KYNOCH Kynoch
& Co, Witton, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM. This firm was first formed by
George Kynoch 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
manufacturing metallic ammunition. A further reorganisation and expansion
followed in 1889 when George Kynoch was ousted from the management and this
then culminated in a further change of title to Kynoch Ltd in 1897. During the
period ending with the 1914-18 war Kynoch, which by then was the largest of the
British commercial ammunition manufacturers, owned rolling mills at Witton; at
Lodge Road, Birmingham and at Eyre Street, Birmingham. At various times it had
propellant factories at Arklow, County Durham, making cordite; at Warsboro
Dale, Yorkshire, making blackpowder and at Kynochtown, Stanford Le Hope, Essex,
making smokeless powder. In addition to these plants the original cap
production was maintained at Witton. Later, effective tracer and incendiary
composition operations were also carried out at Witton. After the war in 1918
Kynoch Ltd, in common with most other British small arms ammunition
manufacturers, was merged into Explosives Trades Ltd, later to become Nobel
Industries. In 1926 when Nobel Industries became part of the new Imperial
Chemical Industries, the old Kynoch factory at Witton was retained as the
ammunition centre as part of the Metal Group within ICI. The propellant
interests being concentrated mainly 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 are known to have been produced by Kynoch:
Armour Piercing Mks VII.S, VII.P, VII.W, W Mk 1 and W Mk 1Z
Ball, Blackpowder Mk 2
Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Ball, Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7Z and 8Z
Ball, Short Range Practice
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 8z with Aluminium Case
Blank, Ballistite L Mk 9Z
Blank, Blackpowder Mk 2
Blank, Cordite Mks 4 and 5
Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5Z
Bulleted Blank, Blackpowder Mk 1
Bulleted Blank, Mk 6
Bulleted Blank, L Mk 7
Bulleted Blank, L Mk 10
Cartridge Line Thrower H Mk 2
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Drill, D Mk 6, D Mk 8, D Mk 9 and D Mk 10
Dummy, Drill Mk 4
Greener Triplex Cartridge
Incendiary Buckingham Mk VII.B
Incendiary B Mk 3, B Mk 4Z*, B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z,
B Mk 7 and B Mk 7Z
Practice Tracer PG Mk 1
Proof Q Mk 3
Tracer, Self Destroying
Tracer 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 8Z
Triple Ball Experimental (1918)
180 gr Jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
Streamlined Pattern 1927 Match Cartridge
Streamlined Pattern 1936-37 Match Cartridge
Streamlined Pattern 1947 Match Cartridge
Bulleted blanks for Bren, Lewis and Vickers
French Drill Cartridge
Experimental armour piercing
Experimental semi-armour piercing
Experimental armour piercing tracer
Experimental armour piercing incendiary (1956)
Experimental tank piercing (1940)
Experimental Tracers
Experimental Observation
Experimental Bulleted Blanks
K2 Imperial
Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Standish, near Wigan, Lancs, UNITED
KINGDOM. This factory was set up as part of the 1939-45 war emergency plans and
produced its first complete .303 rounds in October 1940. Known to have
manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing, W Mk 1 Special
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Shot Cartridge
Tracer G Mk 2, G Mk 3and G Mk 6
K4 Imperial
Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Yeading, Hayes, Middlesex, UNITED
KINGDOM. This factory was also set up as part of the 1939-45 war emergency
expansion plans. Cartridge cases were being produced by late 1940 but the ball
bullets were still being imported into the factory in 1941. Known to have
produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Tracer G Mk 2,G Mk 3, G Mk 4, G Mk 5 and G Mk 6
K5 Imperial
Chemical Industries Kynoch factory at Kidderminster, Worcestershire., UNITED
KINGDOM. Set up as part of the 1939-45 war emergency expansion plans. Known to
have produced .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing, W Mk 1
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Incendiary B Mk 7Z
Tracer, G Mk 2, G Mk 3 and G Mk 6
KF or K Indian
Government Ammunition Factory Kirkee (or Kirkee Arsenal), near Poona, INDIA. In
1918 this factory had the capacity to produce about 5.4 million rounds per
month. It is known to have 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 7
Ball SB Mk 1
Blank
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 3 and H Mk 5
Drill, D Mk 6 and D Mk 7
Lachrymatory Cartridge
Observation O Mk 2 and O Mk 3
Tracer G Mk 1 and G Mk 2
KN Kings Norton
Metal Co., Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM. This company was formed in 1890 at Kings
Norton, it owned its own rolling mills and had a loading plant at Abbey wood in
Kent. Cases were made in Birmingham then assembled and loaded at the Abbey Wood
Factory, next to Woolwich Arsenal. Known to have produced .303 cartridges up to
1919 in:
Armour Piercing VII.F, VII.FZ and VII.W
Ball, Cordite Mks 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Ball, Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z
Blank Cordite Mk 5
Bulleted Blank Mk 6
Dummy, Drill Mk 3, Mk 3 Expedient, Mk 5
Explosive RTS (VII.R) Mk 2
Incendiary BIK (VII.K) Mk 1
Incendiary Buckingham (VII.B) and B Mk 3
Tracer SPG Mk VIIG Mk 1 and Mk 1Z
Experimental RTT Explosive Cartridge
Experimental Blank Cartridges
L There is some
confusion over this headstamp code as both Lorenz Ammunition and Ordnance Co,
Millwall, London, UNITED KINGDOM and Ludlow and Co, Wolverhampton, Staffs,
UNITED KINGDOM are believed to have used a L as their code and both
manufactured .303 cartridges between 1887 and 1890. Both firms are believed to
have manufactured .303 Blackpowder Mk 2 Ball Cartridges
L-E or U
Remington UMC, Bridgeport, Conn., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. On UK Government
contracts 1914 - 1915. Known to have manufactured nitro-cellulose loaded .303
Ball, Mk 7 cartridges
M Nobel
Explosives Ltd., Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM. Known to have produced .303
cartridges 1914 - 1918 in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Explosive, PSA Mk 2
MAXIM Maxim Arms
Co.,London, UNITED KINGDOM. The cases were made by BSA for Maxim machine guns
in the 1890s. Cartridges known to have been manufactured in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 2
MEN
Maschinenfabrik Elisenhutte, Nassau, WEST GERMANY. This producer is now known
as Metallwerk Elisenhutte GmbH Nassau. Known to have produced .303 ball
cartridges during 1988.
MEXICO Fabrica
National de Munitions, Mexico City, MEXICO. Known to have produced .303 ball
cartridges
MF or AÎF Small
Arms Ammunition Factory No 1, Footscray, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. Known to have
manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing W Mk 1
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Blank, Cordite L Mk 5
Blank, Mk 9Z
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 4
Drill, D M 7/N
Incendiary B Mk 7
Proof Q Mk 3 and Q Mk 4
Tracer G Mk 2 (Australian Pattern)
MG Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 2, Footscray, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. 1940 - 1949. Known to
have manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Incendiary B Mk 7
MH Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 3, Hendon, AUSTRALIA. Known to have produced .303
cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Blank, Cordite L Mk 5
Tracer G Mk 2 (Australian Pattern)
Incendiary B Mk 7
MI Societe
Meridionale d'Industrie, Robert Paulet & Cie ( formerly called Cartoucherie
Leon Paulet), Marseille, FRANCE. Known to have produced 7.7 x 56R ball
cartridges which are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge.
MJ Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 4, Hendon, AUSTRALIA. Known to have produced .303 cartridges
in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
MKE Makina ve
Kimya Endustrisi, Kuruma, TURKEY. Known to have produced 7.7 x 56R ball
cartridges, which are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge.
MQ Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 5, Rocklea, AUSTRALIA. .303 cartridges known to have been
produced in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
MS Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 7, Salisbury, AUSTRALIA. Known to have produced .303
cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Tracer G Mk 2Z (Australian Pattern)
MW Small Arms
Ammunition Factory No 6, Welchpool, AUSTRALIA.
NORMA or norma Norma
Projectilfabrik, Amotfors, SWEDEN. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose
loaded .303 cartridges in:
Bulleted blank
130gr, 150gr, 180gr and 215 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
OFN Government
Ordinance Factory, Lagos, NIGERIA. Known to have produced .303 ball cartridges
P or PC Peters
Cartridge Co., Kings Mills, Ohio, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Known to have
produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Mk 7. British military contracts 1914 - 1917
Ball, Mk 7Z (Canadian Pattern). On British military contracts 1940-45 180
& 215 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
PMP Pretoria
Metal Pressings (Pty) Ltd., Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose filled .303 cartridges in:
174 gr Full jacket boat tail bulleted ammunition
150 and 174 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
POF Pakistan
Ordnance Factory, Rawalpindi, PAKISTAN. Known to have produced .303 cartridges
in:
Ball
Blank
Grenade Launching Blank
Proof Mk 3
PP or nny Prvi
Partizan, Titovo Uzice, YUGOSLAVIA. This factory is known to have produced .303
cartridges in:
Ball, Mk 7, 7Z , 8 and 8Z
PS or S
Pirotechnico Militar de Seville, SPAIN. Known to have produced 7.7 x 56R
cartridges which are interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in:
Ball
Tracer ( Green tip)
RA Remington Arms
Co.,Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Nitro-cellulose filled
.303 American WW1 Contract Pattern cartridges were produced during the period
1914 - 1917 as.
Ball, Mk 7
RA Raufoss
Ammunisjonsfabrikker, Raufoss, NORWAY. Known to have produced .303 ball
cartridges c 1934
RG Royal Ordnance
Factory, Radway Green, Cheshire, UNITED KINGDOM. This factory was part of the
1939- 45 war emergency expansion plans being situated near Crewe and is still
in operation. Production of the .303 cartridge commenced in 1940 and the last
known production of this cartridge was in 1973 with Mk 7Z Ball and Dummy Drill
cartridges. Initial Radway Green production used a single arrow as the
headstamp code and this was replaced in 1942 by the RG code. Known to have
produced .303 cartridges in:
Armour Piercing W Mk 1, W Mk 1 Special and W Mk 1Z
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7Z and 8Z
Blank, Ballistite L Mk 9Z
Blank, Cordite L Mk 5
Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 5Z
Bulleted Blank, Nitro-cellulose L Mk 10Z
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 2, H Mk 4 and H Mk 4Z
Drill, D Mk 10
Dummy Drill 1973 Pattern
Dummy, U Mk 5
Incendiary B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z, B Mk 7 and B Mk 7Z
Proof, Q Mk 3
Tracer G Mk 2 and G Mk 8
RH Raleigh Cycle
Co, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM. Known to have produced .303 cartridges 1941 -
1945 in:
Ball, Cordite, Mk 7
RL Royal
Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, Kent, UNITED KINGDOM. Woolwich Arsenal, of which
the Royal Laboratory was only a part, is situated in South East London on the
River Thames. The Arsenal dates from 1670 and has manufactured many different
items of warlike stores for the armed forces. Ammunition was made at Woolwich
long before the adoption of the .303 cartridge in 1889. Ammunition production
ceased completely at Woolwich in 1957, the last known production of .303
ammunition there being Mk 7 Ball in 1957.
The Woolwich site apart from containing all the supportive facilities for the
research, design, development, inspection and testing of ammunition also
included an extensive range complex on 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 1Z
Ball, Blackpowder Mks 1,and 2
Ball, Cordite Mks 1, 2, 2*, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Ball, Match
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mks 7z, 8z & 7z RC ( reduced charge )
Ball, Short Range Practice, Cordite Mks 1,2,3 and 4
Ball, Short Range Practice ( Gaudet )
Blank, Blackpowder Mks 2 and 3
Blank, Cordite, Mks 2, 3, 4, 5
Blank, Cordite L Mk 5
Bulleted Blank, Black powder Mk 1
Bulleted Blank, Cordite Mks 1, 6
Bulleted Blank, L Mk 7
Bulleted Blank, L Mk 10Z
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite Mks 1 and 2
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Cordite H Mk 2
Cartridge Rifle Grenade, Ballistite H Mk 1Z
Cartridge Discharger, Blackpowder E Mk 1T
Drill, Magazine Rifle Mk 1 and 2
Drill D Mk 6, D Mk 6*, D Mk 7, D Mk 8 and D Mk 9
Dummy, U Mk 5
Dummy Drill Mks 3, 4, 5, 6
Dummy Version of Explosive R Mk 3*
Inspectors Dummy Mk 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Explosive 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 4.
B Mk 5, B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z and B Mk 7
Instructional Mk 6
Machine Gun Blank, Cordite Mk 1
Machine Gun Dummy Mks 1 and 2
Observing O Mk 1
Proof, Cordite Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3, Q Mk 3, Q Mk 4 and Q Mk 5
Shot Cartridges
RL Tracer Mk 1
Tracer SPK(VII.T) and SPK(VII.TZ)
Tracer SPG(VII.G) Mk 1 and SPG(VII.G) Mk1Z
Tracer G Mk 1, G Mk 1 Special, G Mk 2, G Mk 3 and G Mk 4
Experimental steel anti fouling bulleted rounds
Experimental Armour Piercing Tracer (1917-18)
Experimental Armour Piercing Cartridges
Experimental Bulleted Blanks
Experimental Explosive, RTS and RTT Cartridges
Experimental Grenade Launching Cartridges
Experimental Lachrymatory Cartridge
RNRA Rhodesia
National Rifle Association. On nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Mk 7z Ball
cartridges made by FNM of Moscavide, PORTUGAL.
R-P Remington
Arms Co, Bridgeport, Conn., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
180 & 215 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
RR or RRCO Ross
Rifle Co, Montreal, CANADA. Produced .303 Mk 7 ball ammunition in cases
believed to be made by Eley
RTS Richard
Threlfall and Sons, UNITED KINGDOM. On explosive anti - Zeplin cartridges.
R..W Rudge
Whitworth Ltd., Tyseley, UNITED KINGDOM. This company represents the only new
commercial ammunition manufacturer put into business 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 until the end of 1918 at their new factory at Tyseley. Manufactured
.303 cartridges from 1915 - 1918 in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Dummy, Drill Mk 5
Incendiary Buckingham (VII.B), B Mk 1, B Mk 2Z
Tracer SPG (VII.G) Mk 1Z
SBR Sellier &
Bellot, Riga, LATVIA. Known to have produced .303 ball cartridges c 1937
SFM Societe
Francaise des Munitions, Issy - les - Moulineaux, FRANCE. Known to have
manufactured nitro-cellulose loaded .303 ball cartridges for export pre 1939
SMI Societa Metallurgica
Italiana, Campo Tizzoro, ITALY. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded
7.7 x 56R ammunition which is interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in:
Ball
Tracer
SR Royal Ordnance
Factory, Spennymoor, Durham, UNITED KINGDOM. This factory was part of the
1939-45 war emergency expansion plan. It began production of .303 ammunition in
1941 initially with the headstamp code of two arrows replacing these in 1942
with the code SR. The Spennymoor ammunition was filled at the Royal Ordnance
Factory, Aycliffe, Durham. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball Mk 7 and 8Z
Blank L Mk 5
Incendiary B Mk 6, B Mk 6Z, B Mk 7 and B Mk 7Z
TM..B Pirotechnia
di Bologna, ITALY. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded 7.7 x 56R
ammunition, which is interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in:
Tracer
Ball
T.BLAND & SONS
Commercial .303 ammunition loaded by T. Bland & Sons, London, UNITED
KINGDOM in ball and sporting configurations
U or SAM South
African Mint, Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA. Used code U from 1939 - 1961 and SAM
thereafter. When U used with a diamond this indicates manufacture in a
subsidiary factory at Kimberley. Known to have manufactured .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Cordite Mk 7
Jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
Semi Armour Piercing F Mk 1
Tracer G Mk 2
US United States
Cartridge Co, Lowell, Mass., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Known to have produced
nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Ball Mk 7 cartridges during the period 1914 - 1918.
VE Cartoucherie
de Valence, FRANCE. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 Ball
cartridges
VIS Atelier de
Chargement de Vincennes, FRANCE. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded
.303 Ball cartridges 1923
VPT
Valtion Patruunatehdas, Lapua, FINLAND. Known to have produced Ilmavoimat
Konekivaarin Patruuna Kal 7.70 machine gun cartridges, which are
interchangeable with the .303 cartridge in:
Special Ball
Special Armour Piercing
W or WRA
Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges:
Ball, Mk 7 for 1914 - 1917 military contracts
Ball, Mk 7Z ( American WW2 Contract Pattern )
Scott multiball ( duplex ) cartridge
180 gr jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
WCC Western
Cartridge Co., East Alton, Ill., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Known to have
produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Mk 7Z ( American WW2 Contract Pattern )
W-W Winchester
Western Division of Olin Industries, New Haven, Conn., UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded .303 cartridges in:
180 gr Jacketed soft point sporting ammunition
y Toyokawa Naval
Arsenal, JAPAN. Known to have produced nitro-cellulose loaded Imperial Japanese
Navy Year Type 92 Machine Gun ammunition which is interchangeable with the .303
cartridge in:
Armour Piercing
Ball
Incendiary, phosphorus filled
Tracer
ZV Zbrojovka
Brno, Brno, CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Known to have produced .303 cartridges in:
Ball, Mks 7 and 8Z. This ammunition is known to have been commercially
exported by the manufacturer post 1950 to Afghanistan and India
CHINA is known to have produced some 7.7mm rimmed ammunition for use in
captured Japanese machine guns from 1945 onwards. This cartridge is
interchangeable with the .303 British cartridge.
EGYPT is known to have produced .303 ball ammunition at the Government
Arsenal Shoubra, United Arab Republic and Factory No 10 at Alexandria, Egypt.
ETHIOPA is known to have produced .303 ball cartridges c 1959
FINLAND is known to have produced .303 inch cartridges in various
loadings including Armour Piercing, Ball, Incendiary, Tracer and Drill rounds
FRANCE manufactured several variants of the .303 cartridge, including:
Ball, Tracer, Armour piercing, Armour piercing / Tracer and Incendiary rounds
IRAQ is known to have produced .303 Ball cartridges
ISRAEL is known to have manufactured .303 ball cartridges at the
Government Arsenal, Tel Aviv, Israel. c 1948
JAPAN is known to have manufactured nitro-cellulose loaded Imperial
Japanese Army Year Type 89 Machine Gun ammunition, which is interchangeable
with the .303 cartridge, without any headstamp codes in:
Armour Piercing
Tracer
JAPAN is also known to have manufactured nitro-cellulose Imperial
Japanese Navy Year Type 92 Machine Gun ammunition, which is interchangeable
with the .303 cartridge, at their Aichi Naval Arsenal, Toyokawa Naval Arsenal
and Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in the following configurations
Armour Piercing,
Ball
High Explosive, (Violet Primer)
Incendiary, Phosphorus
Tracer
SPAIN manufactured .303 ammunition and used it on a limited scale during and
after the Civil War of 1936 - 39
Colour coding appears in several forms on small arms ammunition. The most
common system with the .303 cartridge used coloured bullet tips or colour
around the annulus of the primer cap. Other methods include colouring of part
or the whole of the cartridge case. Originally colour markings arose from the
need to make a quick visual check of the arrangements in a machine gun belt and
they are now almost universally applied. Most countries do not, unlike Britain,
identify the bullet by the headstamp, so such colour markings are often the
only way to identify the bullet in use. As a general rule the absence of a
colour coding indicates a standard ball cartridge.
BELGIUM - used bullet tip code
Bullet Type
Incendiary - Light blue tip
Tracer - Red tip
FINLAND - used bullet tip code
Bullet Type
Armour Piercing - Light blue tip
ITALY - used both bullet tip and annulus codes
Bullet type
Armour Piercing - Green annulus
Armour Piercing Incendiary (Phosphorus filled) - Blue tip
Armour Piercing Incendiary (Thermite filled) - Green tip
Observation - Black tip
Tracer - Red tip
JAPAN - Used annulus code
Bullet Type
Armour Piercing - White annulus
Ball - Black annulus
High Explosive - Purple annulus
Incendiary - Green annulus
Tracer - Pink / red annulus
UNITED KINGDOM AND COMMON WEALTH COUNTRIES BEFORE c 1955,
ie Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa
Bullet Type
Armour Piercing - Green tip, Green annulus
Ball - Purple annulus
Incendiary - Blue tip, Blue annulus
Observing - Black tip, Black annulus
Proof - Yellow annulus
Tracer Short Range - White tip, Red annulus
Tracer Dark Ignition - Grey tip, Red annulus
Tracer Long Range - Red tip, Red annulus
When cap annulus colours were first introduced in 1918 the Ball Mk VIIz
had the annulus coloured black while the Ball Mk VII had the entire cap area
coloured purple. This distinction was
abandoned in May 1920 and thereafter all ball rounds had the purple annulus.
Coloured bands on the cartridge case are not common but the following
have been used:
One inch blue band - Reduced charge ball
to simulate stoppages in Vickers aircraft guns.
Quarter inch blue band - Practice tracer
Quarter inch green band - Canadian made
tracer
Wide green band at equator of case -
Canadian made Match Ball (1922)
Six purple bands around equator of case
- Canadian Match Ball (1926)
Ball round with case blackened quarter inch back from the mouth - Short
Range Practice Mk 1 (1895 - 1897), or Mk 2 (1899 - 1912) (continued over)
Case completely blackened with brass dummy bullet - Blank with mock
bullet Mk 6
Blank case all black - Rifle grenade blank Mk 2
Blank, front half black - Rifle Grenade, Ballistite
Blank, front and rear thirds black - Rifle grenade Mk 4 for Grenade No 85
Blank, rear half black - Rifle grenade blank Mk 7z or Smoke discharger Mk
1T
Ball, reddened case - Proof round Mks 1 to
3
In addition to colour coding, British and Commonwealth .303 ammunition had a
letter code pre 1955 to denote the type of bullet as well as the type of
propellant charge. These should not be confused with the manufacturer's
identification code.
A A On cartridges
c 1917 indicated a Pomeroy explosive incendiary Mk 2 bullet
B denoted an
Incendiary bullet,
C on early pre
1912 cartridges denoted a Cordite propellant charge
D denoted a Drill
round,
E denoted a Smoke
bomb projector,
F denoted a Semi
armour piercing bullet,
G denoted a
Tracer bullet,
H denoted Grenade
Discharger,
K On cartridges c
1918 indicated a Brock explosive incendiary bullet
L denoted Blank,
O denoted an
Observation bullet,
P denoted a
practice round,
Q denoted a proof
round,
R denoted an
Explosive bullet,
U denoted a Dummy
round,
W denoted an
Armour piercing bullet and
Z indicated a
nitro-cellulose propellant charge in the cartridge.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Used the same annulus colour coding as United Kingdom for ammunition
supplied under contract to the British Government during both the First and
Second World Wars.
Bibliography
.303 inch by P. Labbett & P.J.F. Mead
Identification Manuals Nos 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the .303 British Service
Cartridge by B.A. Temple
The Cartridge Guide by Ian V. Hogg
Collectors Cartridge Catalogue No 29 by Conjay Arms Company Ltd
Whitney's Heritage, A Study of Cartridges Manufactured by The Colonial
Ammunition Company in New Zealand. By Barry W. Gracia
Personnel communications
Other web links on .303 ammunition:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/8217/fgun/fgun-in.html
an article on WW2 fighter armaments
http://www.vickersmachinegun.org.uk/world.html
an extensive website on the Vickers machine gun
http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/gustin_military/fgun.html
an article on the WW2 fighter gun debate
http://www.public.asu.edu/~roblewis/SMLE/IIID2a11a4.html
an article on handloading for the .303
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Copyright Harrington Aviation Museum Society 2001 - 2
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