WW1 .303 Inspection Rounds - the "motherload"

**harry211** · 07-11-2012, 12:43 AM

I have been searching a site that I knew to be part of a WW2 camp used by the Canadians, and have recently been finding items dating back to WW1, most notably a 1914 pattern Maple Leaf cap badge, used I believe by the Canadian Expenditionary Force.

While pocking around with my trusty Garrett pro-pointer on a bank and ditch arrangement that I believe is the boundary of the WW1 site, I came across a .303 round, then another, and another and another...... All were within a few inches of the top of the bank and had obviously been dumped as a pile and lightly covered over. So far I have recovered over 300 of what I now know to be .303 Inspection rounds - no blast cap, and no cordite and totally inert. Some have the remains of the coating (chrome) to allow the armourers to source the causes of feed problems. I have put a photo of a handful of the head to show the lack of blast cap - sorry for the crappy photo

Most of the headstamps are in a fairly poor state but have managed to clean up a few and have one dated 1912.

Here are the pictures of the first 240 or so that I found, along with a few stripper clips with the remains of training rounds (drilled)

WW1 .303 Inspection Rounds - the "motherload"

**Steve T** · 07-11-2012, 07:29 AM

Good lord ! What a find !!!

If you use one of those tough metal scourers followed by a Brillo pad, you should be able to clean the heads up enough to read the stamp

These are the ones I mean....

I cup my hand with the scourer in it, get it full of hot soapy water then 'twist' the base of the cartridge in amongst the steel ribbons whilst pushing down hard. Usually gets the heads back to shiney

Fantastic find.......all you need now is to clean them up, buy a 250 rnd Vickers belt, load it up with your finds, and you got yourself one hell of an awesome display piece

Steve T

**TonyE** · 07-11-2012, 10:44 AM

Harry - I have answered your question about the headstamp over on the cartridge forum before I saw these pictures.

The rounds are definitely the Canadian local pattern of the Inspectors' Mak IV.

See here: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/ordin...stamps-196925/

One small point - these rounds were chromed to clearly identify them as dummy rounds to avoid any nasty mistakes with live rounds. It was not for finding feed problems. Most Inspectors rounds ended up too scratched anyway!.

Regards
tonyE

**harry211** · 07-11-2012, 03:38 PM

Steve - Vickers belt sounds like a great idea. Almost got enough for 2 now

Thanks for the tip on cleaning them up - I'm sure the wife has some of those floating around somewhere but have no idea where the cleaning stuff is kept

**Steve T** · 07-11-2012, 03:48 PM

There's one here for £28

Military Might Stock Page - Equipment

**TonyE** · 07-11-2012, 04:53 PM

Unfortunately that is a Mark IV Stripless belt of WW2 era.

To be true to your rounds you would need an earlier belt with brass strips, and that would be more expensive I am afraid!

Regards
TonyE

**Steve T** · 07-11-2012, 05:32 PM

Indeed. I couldn't find a brass strip belt at short notice and they are normally upwards of £70 so I thought this one would do for now

But I agree, it would need to be the brass stripped belt to be totally authentic to rounds of that vintage

**EDIT***

Here ya go

303 250-round Vickers web Ammunition belt

**harry211** · 07-12-2012, 01:28 PM

Think I have finally cleared all the rounds from the area, though may take the main detector down for a final once over (been using the pro-pointer only so far). The scores on the doors are 321 inspection rounds, 14 drill rounds in the remains of stripper clips, a small tin (dubbin perhaps?), bit of a razor handle, a button, couple of other small bits of "stuff" and a mystery rectangular piece or metal (brass I think) - anyone any ideas what it might be? I am assuming it is contemporary with the WW1 era cartridges.

Cleaned up a few of the headstamps, most illegible, others have 1913 & 1915 dates.

cheers
Matt