Made Special for the RAF 303 Cartridges

[bob q]

US rules are different .

Information

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[rcathey]

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

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

[browningautorifle]

in a flat rate box

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.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

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.

[bombdoc]

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

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.