What kind of bullet is this?

[crites1234]

Are there any other forums that may be able to help?

[TonyE]

Having just joined this forum, this is my first post.

The original .303 round (D^C C II) is not a WWI round but far earlier. Once out of its packet it is impossible to date, but the Cordite Ball mark II was approved on 17th July 1893 and was used until replaced by the Mark VI in January 1904. The Marks III, IV and V were the hollow nosed series and used briefly between 1897 and 1899 before being banned by the St.Petersberg Convention.

The recent large calibre blank cartridge posted is a Blank Mark IV for the Snider and Martini-Henry rifles.

Regards
TonyE

[slammer]

Here are the measurementsAttachment 288280

Got it, it's a Coffman starter cartridge, used in the period untill electric starters became common. The hurricane used it to start the napier, the canbarra and vampire, venom etc. Even tractors got started with coffman's.
Watch flight of the phonix there they get central stage.

[TonyE]

I don't think so, not with an iron base and an inserted Boxer primer!

The picture shows three versions of the Mark IV .577/.450 blank, both from cut down ball cases and newly made. the round in question is the one in the centre.

Regards
TonyE

[Steve T]

Having just joined this forum, this is my first post.

The original .303 round (D^C C II) is not a WWI round but far earlier. Once out of its packet it is impossible to date, but the Cordite Ball mark II was approved on 17th July 1893 and was used until replaced by the Mark VI in January 1904. The Marks III, IV and V were the hollow nosed series and used briefly between 1897 and 1899 before being banned by the St.Petersberg Convention.

The recent large calibre blank cartridge posted is a Blank Mark IV for the Snider and Martini-Henry rifles.

Regards
TonyE

Hi and welcome to the forum. Great information Tony and useful for future reference. I think the term 'WW1 era' was used, (certainly by myself), to give a point in time reference for the cartridge. Certainly I agree that the mark shown would be a rare find on the the WW1 battlefields but, as we are all aware, the stocks of cartridges were extensively used to maintain supply in WW1 and it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that a cart such as this could have appeared on the WW1 battlefields.

I don't think so, not with an iron base and an inserted Boxer primer!

The picture shows three versions of the Mark IV .577/.450 blank, both from cut down ball cases and newly made. the round in question is the one in the centre.

Regards
TonyE

I agree. Coffmans are a unique design and one that you cannot mistake for anything else. I have a large number of used Coffman bases where their cardboard and otherwise flimsy construction are quite evident.

Any chance we can see some of your collection Tony ?

Cheers

Steve T

[TonyE]

What would you like to see? I only collect British military from the introduction of the Snider in 1866 to the present day and I only go up to 15mm.

I try to keep the size of the collection within reasonable bounds due to space constraints, so I do not collect every different date of .303 for instance, just the first and the last dates of each type.

The collection is about 3,000 rounds and the only exception i seem to have on calibre is some of the experimental alloy cases in 20mm and 30 mm from the post war period.

What calibre would you like to see, either service or experimental?

Cheers
TonyE

[Steve T]

What would you like to see?

What calibre would you like to see, either service or experimental?

Well, I am spoilt for choice !

How about you post pictures of your collection in the 'Collections display' forum and keep added to it as you take more pictures

Personally I collect all WW2 relics, but do have a special interest in cartridges 7.92 and 303 and lower

Steve T

[TonyE]

I wil certainly load up some pictures for everybody, but here are a couple to be going on with. You like 7.92mm, so here are the British drill and inspector's dummy rounds.

Left to right, Drill D Mark I, Drill D Mark II, Variant Drill D Mark II, Drill Mark 3, Inspector's U Mark I, Inspectors U Mark II.

I have not bothered posting all the ball and tracer etc. as they are visually all similar. I have all Marks except the rare Armour Piercing W Mark I which was only made for a very short while in 1941.

If you like .303 (admittedly WWI not WWII) here are some interesting items.
Brock Mark VIIK, Pomeroy PSA Mark I, Experimental "milk bottle" explosive c. 1918 and finally Incendiary Buckingham Mark III.

Last, a couple of early .303 blanks; the short rolled case Mark I of 1890 and an experimental long rolled case blank of around the same date for Maxim guns.

Regards
TonyE

[Steve T]

Very nice. The British army dump we are digging at the minute (the RRPG group), is full of Besa ammo boxes, both 7.92 and 15mm. We have already found hundreds of 303 inspection rounds and, given the volume of Besa ammo boxes, the Besa drills are bound to be in there as well somewhere......we've just not found them yet.

Interesting early 303s as well. I love the milk bottle round

I have dug over 3,000 303s over the years and I am fairly certain I have a few spent W I around somewhere. Just got a lot to look through

Anyway, we're hijacking someone's thread ! Post some pics up in the collection display forum and we'll continue there

Steve T

[TonyE]

I have loaded the above pictures and a few others to the collections forum and will load some more later.

Regards
TonyE