WW2 .303 ammunition

[Colonel Enfield]

Sorry Cinders, but I don't see anything about tracer markings on the box in the pic Superbee posted?

Looks like perfectly cromulent, standard, post-war military issue .303 Mk VII ammo to me?

[CINDERS]

No worries CE I was going on that very faint stamping between the last L of Ball and the M which to me looks more like a G as I see no other reason to stamp anything there thats why I asked if they could have a better marked box as that crease in the tape is making things interesting anyway we will see if any other packets have a mark between the two, or better still a round from one of the packets so we can see A) The Annulus and B) The projectile tip if it is coloured either way If I could get may hands on a K of MkVII rounds I would snap them up regardless of their designation.

[mike1967]

Sorry Cinders, but I don't see anything about tracer markings on the box in the pic Superbee posted?

Looks like perfectly cromulent, standard, post-war military issue .303 Mk VII ammo to me?

There is a feint G in the space before the MkVII, but i don't think its tracer either. Otherwise it would read 48 Cartridges Tracer, Not 48 Cartridges Ball.

[Chris7171]

Here is a box of 1943 Tracer, you can see the "G" in the fold of the label, but it is clearly marked Tracer not Ball.

[Peter Laidler]

A group of wreck diggers dug up an old aeroplane around here and the RAF were involved as the diggers unearthed belts and belts of .303" ammo all early 40's wartime production. All nice and clean as it was in wing boxes. 4x ball, 1x tracer, 1x incendary, 1x AP. I had a load to use. The ball seemed OK but the tra/Inc was doubtful but the AP would hole a falling plate. Put another way, you wouldn't win any prizes with it!

[gsimmons]

Could the G be the manufacturer, Greenwood & Batley?

[Brian Dick]

I picked up two 50 round boxes of Winchester/WRA 1943 Mk.7z at the SAR show in Harrisburg in June. I haven't seen any of it since I was a kid working in a gun and pawn shop in Florida in the 1970's. I'm still reloading some of the brass I had back then along with Dominion Mk.7z brass. Good stuff.

[CINDERS]

Greenwood & Batley?

I think that is plausible as they say not to confuse the G with the GIV Tracer, they produced in excess of 705 million rounds Ball, Black powder Mk 2's, Ball Cordite Mk 2's, 4, 5, 6, 7's, Ball match, Ball N/C 7Z, Bulleted blank Mk 6, Drill, D Mk 6, D Mk 9, Dummy, Drill Mk 5 and Proof OSP

[bryanintowson]

I just went to the range this weekend with a box of Privi Partizan 303. The ammo was consistent, fed and fired well but the extraction was a little difficult. Anyone else experience this with PP 303 or perhaps this was a bad batch?

[Peter Laidler]

In Army rifles the high quality HXP brass did tend to expand into and hold on to any small imperfections in the chamber. Could this be what's happening?