From what was this bullet fired?

[Peter Laidler]

Same as out 120mm BAT guns. 120mm of back blast. I was walking back from one once after curing the M8C spotting rifle. No ear defenders. I tapped the gunner on the shoulder to tell him it was OK and walked out to the left for several yards and then to the rear as per the safety brief. Just then he fired off a couple of rounds from the M8C, I heard the word 'HIT....' and then the main gun opened up. The noise from the back blast blew my ears in.............

[browningautorifle]

One fine day after a fine night, I was tasked with running the rocket range for recruit training. I had one of those stinky hangovers that just won't give up. I found there's no place to put your head that won't hurt when between the two 84mm firing points. One fire, two fire, load, change round...finally one of the others relieved me. The background activity area was only a bit better.

[Peter Laidler]

The trouble with the Charlie Gee was that it was a vicious, instant CRACK. We didn't have illumination ammo and I often wondered how it would work, firing pretty well upwards!!!!!!

[browningautorifle]

We never had that stuff either.

[Peter Laidler]

Did you have the 'flash-bang' round that sat in the rear of the sub-calibre adaptor mechanism. It was meant to replicate the flash and bang of the real McCoy when the sub-cal round went 'futtttttt' down the range.

[browningautorifle]

No, just the 6.5 gallery and tracer. No flash bangs. Later the 7.62 sub cal.

[Woodsy]

The lack of a canellure suggests that it is a commercial match bullet, as all military bullets are canellured for a positive case mouth crimp. I would suggest that it is from a civilian match rifle from the pre-WW1 period when various makers were experimenting with various forms of rifling.

[Peter Laidler]

How did we get from hexagonal bullets to the 84mm Charlie Gee to the 120mm Mobat - and back again!

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Next thought:

How many "grooves" does a 7.7 x 58 Type 99 Arisaka have?

Type 38 and 99 Arisakas used "polygonal" / "Metford" style rifling. Type 99s are, apart from the "last-ditch" models, also supposed to have chromed bores.

Before they are fired, the bullets externally resemble the .303 Mk7 projectile . However, whilst having a few different Japanese 7.7 cartridges in my little collection, I have never actually owned an Arisaka rifle.

One of the "funnies" that an uncle of mine had was a Type 99 Arisaka, "personally liberated" during his government-sponsored tour of New Guinea and the South-West Pacific. This particular one had been "re-chambered" in Oz to run bog-standard .303 ammo. The chamber was sleeved, a new chamber cut and the bolt face was opened up to suit the larger rim. Not the slickest of feeders, it worked well enough for a "farm gun", which is just what it became, full stock and all (bayonet optional).

Over to the forum!!

[browningautorifle]

How did we get from hexagonal bullets to the 84mm Charlie Gee to the 120mm Mobat - and back again!

We're well travelled...