Made Special for the RAF 303 Cartridges

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, so we both took the day off from work and had a "date". Being old people now, there was no running to Disneyland, no loud nightclub, not even an afternoon burger at the strip club (not that; that ever happens). No, we visited the local Chicken ranch to pick up four flats of golden nuggets, AKA Eggs.

On the drive home, we passed one of the smaller towns. Near an exit, I often take; but more when the boss is not with me. My beloved suddenly said,

"Aren't you going to stop at that gun store?"

It may have been said in a snarky manner, but I can't seem to recall. But I was fast to change lanes and exclaimed with much enthusiasm, "That's a great idea!"

Pulling up to the store, I asked if she would like to go in with me, she declined, stating she had a headache (Hmmm.. reminiscent of pillow talk) and elected to remain in the car whilst I ran into my candy store.

$160.00 in U.S. funds later, I emerged with a 20-round box of PPU 270 Winchester, a 1lb can of IMR 4350, and the best thing!

Something I have never seen before... One box being still sealed in hand.. Oh, the joy.. 48 pieces of joy (I will never see) with an Overall length 3.075 in or 78.11 mm for everyone else in the world. A Box labeled:

M. 1006 48 Cartridges ARMOR PIERCING 303 INCH W. Mk 1 SPECIAL FOR R.A.F

One box was open, and I was able to take a picture of the headstamp, which was a 1939 WI. Because of the price, $65.00 US, I was not able to buy both boxes. so I purchased the unopened box for my collection.

Attachment 130450Attachment 130451Attachment 130452

Special for (aircraft) use usually refers to crimped in primers so they don't back out and jam a gun.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

the headstamp, which was a 1939

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Even earlier actually...1938. Royal Laboratories...

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Special for (aircraft) use usually refers to crimped in primers so they don't back out and jam a gun.

Even earlier actually...1938. Royal Laboratories...

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Oh you are right 1938.. so a crimped primer pocket is the only difference in the WI? I just though is was very cool to find an unopened box.

thanks for the info Jim.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

a crimped primer pocket is the only difference in the WI

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Well, that usually the story of the "For synchronized guns only" and use in aircraft. There could be other loading differences. Others will be along to tell... Maybe it's just that they are AP. .303 all seems to have crimped in primers.

I was wondering how many of those boxes of ammo would be required to rearm an early war spec Spitfire or Hurricane armed with 8X .303 Browning MG's, 4 in each wing? I believe that they could fire the .303 MG's continuously only for about 18 seconds.

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

I believe that they could fire the .303 MG's continuously only for about 18 seconds.

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Yes, they didn't carry that much ammo either, not like the movies make you think.

"The short answer is about 15 seconds of total fire, delivered in seven to eight two-second bursts.
A Spitfire MKI and II had eight (8) Browning .303 machine guns, each with 300 rounds and a rate of fire, when sustained, at 1,150 rounds per minute. A total weight of 2,400 rounds was carried. Each gun delivered about 19 rounds per second, so 152 rounds per second total.
The Air Ministry found in tests, (the ones that determined eight guns vs. the previous two and then four per wing), that a two second burst at close range, meaning closing in below 300 yards, with eight guns, gave the best effectiveness and balanced armament weight with maneuverability. A two-second burst would deliver over 300 rounds potentially in a 6-foot circle at 300 yards."

Here's another thing about these rounds, specific to aircraft and not to be used by ground troops.

" Early Spitfires at the time of the Battle of Britain had 8 .303 Browning machine guns normally they had 4 guns loaded with SA Ball MKVII Same round was used in the Lee Enfield. 2 guns were loaded with W1 or W1Z armor piercing and 2 with B MKVI incendiary rounds . This was a new development first made by a Belgian inventor called De Wilde and then modified at Woolwich arsenal for mass production a true incendiary bullet that only burned if it hit something. Incendiary tracer was also used. Neither the B MKVI or W1 were used in Lee Enfield rifles, Ball MK7 was probably only used on aircraft until production of W1 and B MKVI could replace it.

Interestingly the B MKVI was adopted by the USAAF and USN in .30 and .50 a simplified version was developed and used by both UK and US forces, it was particularly devastating against Japanese aircraft."

The WI is the coding for A.P the headstamp - R /|\ L is Royal Laboratories.

Allot of the fighter pilots had their guns unofficially harmonised to abound 200 - 250 yards or even shorter ranges due to the fact even though there were 8 x 303 MG's they were after all only rifle cartridges.
The BF 109's 20mm was a great worry to the RAF as it would only take a few hits on a Hurri or Spit to do them in, one brand new spit went up and sustained 3 x 20mm hits on the port side fuselage had a rather heavy landing and broke her she never flew again time of flight 23 minutes!
Pilot was wounded but survived.
See pic of actual aircraft you'll note the hits and the top of the fuselage is crinkled due to the hard landing and internal damage to the formers the off side was peppered like a colander from the fragmentation of those 20mm hits.

The Japanese Zero though a great aircraft had some serious flaws one of which it was almost like tin foil the skin on the wings etc so much so they had fold /pop out foot pegs so the pilot did not stand on the wing and dent it.
Plus no armour or self sealing tanks made it very vulnerable for the pilot or aircraft burning, until the Hell cat came along the tactic was to dive on the Zero shoot them up and dive away not get involved in a dogfight with them.
The range the Zero had for a carrier based plane surprised the US when they tested the one they recovered flipped over on an island intact relatively the aircraft could cruise for 8 hours on its internal tanks.

An empty packet I have of 303 for aircraft use only.
Plus a staked WRA Co. 303 for aircraft use only

Besides no self sealing tanks , the fact that they were mostly running on very flammable low octane gas made them light up easily .

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

The WI is the coding for A.P the headstamp - R /|\ L is Royal Laboratories.

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Thank you Cinders

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

each with 300 rounds

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That means you would require exactly 50 boxes of 48 rounds of .303 ammo to rearm an eight gun Spitfire or Hurricane once. (300 x 8 = 2400 ÷ 48 = 50)

More I think about it... I might go back and buy the opened box as well.. not that I need it.. maybe put one or two rounds down the Enfield No. 5 Mk 1 aka 'Jungle Carbine' I will be picking up Friday (California 10 day waiting period will be over - I did not put this one on my Type 3 FFL)

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Originally Posted by usabaker

More I think about it... I might go back and buy the opened box as well.

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When you've done that you may feel that you need to complete the package with the purchase of an appropriate aircraft, a Spitfire.

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

with the purchase of an appropriate aircraft, a Spitfire

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Wonder what the look on my brides face would be..

The .303" RAF special for aircraft was the same as regular .303" except made to tighter specs. The RAF special ammo can be distinguished by all four digits of the year in the hs vs two in other .303".
In the late 1930s it was decided to make all .303" to RAF standard and the the four digit date was dropped c1942.
Crimped primers were introduced c1916 with the introduction of the Hotchkiss LMG which had a tendency to blow primers.

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

you would require exactly 50 boxes of 48 rounds

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So, are you wondering if that's why they chose the number "48" for the cardboard boxes? I know we've discussed it before here.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

I might go back and buy the opened box as well

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No but then you have loose rounds to sell guys for their collections. You only need one for your own and a couple loose to try on a steel plate.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

but then you have loose rounds to sell guys for their collections.

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If they still have them on Friday and I'm able to get them. Anyone here would be welcome to one or two for their collection at cost plus shipping if wanted. Never mailed ammunition so I would have to figure that out.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

Never mailed ammunition

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I think it would have to go by a courier, dangerous goods. Here anyway. Don't think shipping a couple will be very cost effective, in the US your rules might be different. Gunshow sales for sure.

US rules are different .

Would have to be UPS. USPS doesn’t allow ammo.

Although a couple in a flat rate box would likely go completely unnoticed…..

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Originally Posted by rcathey

in a flat rate box

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Us too, right up until you're either accidentally discovered or the receiver has a moment and reports you...then it would be a trip directly to the crowbar hotel.

It wasn't just for the benefit of the fighter jocks.

Think about all those .303 Browning MGs on all those bomber. Then, also remember that the fighters were primarily operated in daylight and the bombers at night.

In daylight, excess muzzle-flash is "interesting"; at night it can be a whole lot worse than "annoying". Nothing yells "here I am" like cutting loose with the quad .303 Brownings in a Lancaster tail turret with Cordite ammo, which is why it was NOT done. But, never forget one of the key points in "Murphy's Laws of Combat Operations": "Tracer works both ways". With the aerial MG belts being filled according to the instantly mensurable sequence, "TITS", (Tracer, Incendiary, Tracer, SOLID (ball)), there was a LOT of two-way illumination whizzing around in the sky.

Note the "fine print" on the packets that refers to being loaded with "nitro-cellulose powder". MUCH less muzzle-flash than from Cordite. And, as a bit of a bonus, having different burn characteristics, NC powder also burns at a lower temperature, hence less throat / leade erosion per round, per barrel.

I always wondered why these boxes were marked this way.

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Originally Posted by rambo46

I always wondered why these boxes were marked this way.

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The WRA ammo had more of a tendency to ctg case separations than Empire made .303". Difficult to clear a separated case from a wing mounted MG in mid air.

---------- Post added at 12:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 PM ----------

[QUOTE=browningautorifle;526572]So, are you wondering if that's why they chose the number "48" for the cardboard boxes? I know we've discussed it before here.

26 boxes of 48 .303" ctgs gives a 100% fill in a standard ammo crate.

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

The WI is the coding for A.P the headstamp - R /|\ L is Royal Laboratories.

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Strictly speaking, no.. the W1 is the shortened designation. The original one is "CARTRIDGE, S.A., ARMOUR PIERCING, .303-INCH, W Mark I". The W indicates the design code.

The official indication of an AP round is the green varnish in the cap annulus. (purple for ball, red for tracer)

If this round is packaged for aircraft use, it is actually "CARTRIDGE, S.A., ARMOUR PIERCING, .303-INCH, W Mark I, SPL". introduced in 1934 and differed from the standard one by having a higher tolerance on length and having the glazeboard wad replaced by a strawboard one to reduced engine damage if it was ingested. It was the standard AP round during WW2. You can tell this is a "Special" as the date is stamped in full.

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

.......until the Hell cat came along the tactic was to dive on the Zero shoot them up and dive away not get involved in a dogfight with them.

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Maybe for the first 3 months of America's involvement in WWII but by September we had come up with the "Thach Weave" which nearly completely negated the Zero's superior performance over the Wildcat. The first time Lt. Commander Tadashi Nakajima encountered what was to become the famous double-team maneuver on the part of the enemy two Wildcats jumped on the commander's plane. He had no trouble in getting on the tail of an enemy fighter, but never had a chance to fire before the Wildcat's wingman roared at him from the side forcing him to dive and run for safety. By all reports Nakajima was raging when he got back to Rabaul at the effectiveness of the "Thach Weave".