So what am I looking at...

**82Trooper** · 01-11-2019 05:48 PM

This is a follow up post to a prior from New Years weekend. I had the chance to shoot my "new to me" Mk II Martini Henry. I fired 9 rounds of vintage Kynoch rounds, and one of those was a dud. Little pop, but no kick.
So out of curiosity, I removed the bullet. The interior of the case was packed solid. I dig around with an awl, and this is what I removed. Is this normal? Does not look like any powder I have ever seen.
Attachment 98212 Attachment 98213 Attachment 98214 Attachment 98215

So what are we looking at?

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**Highly Recommended** · 01-11-2019 05:48 PM

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**mr.e moose** · 01-11-2019 05:50 PM

Strands of cordite.

**browningautorifle** · 01-11-2019 10:07 PM

Yes...cordite stick. Looks like a punk primer, you could reprime with a good LR primer and carefully stuff it's guts back in, it'll work fine.

**Daan Kemp** · 01-11-2019 11:13 PM

Cordite strands was the propellant for many British icon

cartridges, mainly military. Many South African made 303 cartridges in the early seventies were still cordite loaded. With age [30+ years] the strands evidently become brittle and broke in the case, causing tracer to curve in any direction except straight ahead.

**browningautorifle** · 01-12-2019 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Daan Kemp

With age [30+ years] the strands evidently become brittle and broke in the case, causing tracer to curve in any direction except straight ahead.

And you believe the propellant was the cause of a bullet going off like that?

**Daan Kemp** · 01-12-2019 01:21 PM

Well, the newest ammo dated 1944. The shooting year was 1972 with the last 303 Brens in the SA Army. Shooting at 300m ball hit anywhere from about 100m to the backstop. Tracer curved up, to the sides or just dropped to meet the closest earth. Not just the one I was shooting, all ten Brens did the same. All the ammo worked the first time.

Might be the tracer was just burning unevenly, I would too if I had been confined in a cartridge case for 30 years.

**Bruce McAskill** · 01-12-2019 02:09 PM

Typical of a bad/weak primer trying to ignite a cordite load.

**82Trooper** · 01-12-2019 06:33 PM

Thank you all for the information....once again, expanding my knowledge.

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