Dummy 50 cal round boxes

[Flying10uk]

I have these 2 empty boxes for "dummy/drill" 50 cal rounds which I purchased because they looked interesting some months back. I don't know anything more about them other than what is stated on the labels. I wondered if anyone knew anything else about them, please, such as their age and who may have been issued with them. Possibly they were steel dummy rounds because of the rust staining on the boxes? Thanks for any information.

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[browningautorifle]

It tells you the whole story right there, Frankford Arsenal 1967, they were notorious for using steel cases too. Those would be linked or used at discretion...replacements...we destroyed drill rounds regularly during weapons handling drills.

[Peter Laidler]

The attrition rate for dummy/drill rounds must have been absolutely horrendous! It was a never ending task for the blanket stackers to dive into boixes of them and sort out the good from the crap/damaged after EVERY military training period. Dented, buckled rims ripped clean off...., I mean..., how do you rip the rims off? Projectiles backed into the case, totally crushing the wood filler. Some were sand filled (were the .50's and .50 M8C's I seem to recall?) and if they split open during a frantic re-load, the fine sand would get into the breech mech. Weapon stops, won't lock-up, lesson ceases!

It was the ammo techs job to inspect and issue new stuff. Armourers NEVER did ammo and Ammo Techs (bomb jockeys) NEVER did weapons. Why on earth they didn't make it all from solid machine copied brass, heaven knows, although later, solid brass 9mm came on stream, bored deep into the rear so as to keep the weight identical to ball.

I'm sitting hear in a darkened room now, sweating and wondering if there REALLY is a collectors club for........... drill rounds

[Flying10uk]

I've seen steel cased 50 cal drill rounds for sale, a number of years ago, on linked belts with holes drilled through the casing but the dealer wanted more than I was prepared to pay for them. The .303 drill rounds on clips normally seem to be relatively expensive when they appear for sale for some reason. I don't collect drill rounds or inert rounds as such but I if I see something for sale that looks interesting and is reasonably priced I may purchase it, provided it is inert/safe.

I believe that there is an inert ordinance collector's forum. ORDNANCE

[browningautorifle]

I mean..., how do you rip the rims off?

Dedicated individuals...no, seriously, when the drill cartridge get's knackered it jams into the chamber and there you go. The rims are still just thin brass. Yes, we went through scads of them. I'd take some home and run them through a sizing die if I was doing demos for skill. Then they'd be good.

a collectors club for........... drill rounds

Yes, obviously there is.

Some were sand filled

Ours were hollow, after the first 9mm examples were gone.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

REAL ammo usually goes through a weapon ONCE.

Drill / Dummy rounds get re-used til they fail.

I make my own for several calibres, using once-fired steel cases wherever possible. With the pimer pocket drilled out,and extra holes drilled in the side of the cases, most even have red polyester (fibreglass) resin dribbled in through the opened out base to stabilize the bullet and to more clearly indicate the nature of the round. And, I am the only person that uses them.

Plain brass cases get shabby very quickly when regularly cycled through weapons, even manually operated ones. Some actions are MUCH harder on the projectile and its retention in the case than others. Among a few interesting souvenirs are a couple of 7.62 x 39 dummy / drill rounds of possible Eastern Bloc origin, machined from solid steel, no fancy coating. There is a deep hole bored in from the rear to provide the correct weight and "balance".