1941 .303 Ammo Question

[Mr. Mister]

Can anyone ID where this ammo was made by it's stamps?

I have 400+ of them.





Thanks,

Steve

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[TonyE]

A single Broad Arrow is the early code for Royal Ordnance Factory Radway Green, Cheshire, UK.

Radway Green was one of the new factories built during the late 1930s emergency re-armament program and came on-line in mid 1940. The single arrow was used to disguise the fact that a new factory was working. They switched to the normal "RG" code during 1942.

ROF Spennymoor used a code of two Broad Arrows before switching to "SR" in the same period, and ROF Steeton & Thorp Arch used three arrows before using "ST" (although ST did not make .303, only 20mm Hispano)

Regards
TonyE

[jmoore]

Thank you, TonyE! I'm thinking I going to learn a bit from you. The only headstamp info that "lives" in my head is U.S. based.

[Badger]

Thank you, TonyE! I'm thinking I going to learn a bit from you. The only headstamp info that "lives" in my head is U.S. based.

Yup...

Tony has forgot more information about ammo than I'll ever know ...

I do know the "pointy" end goes down range ...

Regards,
Badger

[bradtx]

Steve, Somewhere I recently read that a full year stamp on .303 indicated RAF service. Can someone comment?

Brad

[Mr. Mister]

brandtx,

I was "told" it was RAF too.

TonyE,

Thanks for the detailed post!

I have been debating if I should shoot this ammo or not but have resisted so far. I think it's going back in the safe.

[rondog]

No, it's dangerous! I'll give you my address, send it to me and I'll dispose of it for ya!

[Mk VII]

Yes, it indicates Air Service tolerances. By 1939 they had decided to make all of it to this standard, and thence it ceased to have any meaning.

[PeterN]

Tony E, you mentioned Thorp Arch. I work for a company on the old ordnance factory at Thorp Arch. It is an industrial estate now. Still alot of old bunkers and earthworks on the site. Some small business work in the old bunkers. Still a few railway lines in place in the concrete leading into various brick buildings. A brick pillbox is by the road just over the fence from our factory. An interesting place to work in.
A picture of building 303, now demolished, that stood opposite to the entrance to our factory.
Regards
Peter

[TonyE]

ROF Steeton & Thorpe Arch was mothballed at the end of WW2 and placed in reserve, but Thorpe Arch was re-activated in 1954 to rebuild stocks after the ammo demands of the Korean War. It made and loaded 9mm Mark 2z with the "TH" headstamp in 1955,56 and 57 until it finally closed in 1958.

One small addition to Mark VII's post about air service ammunition. In 1942 it was ordered that only the last two digits of the date would be headstamped, even though it was air servcie quality.

Regards
TonyE