Not often seen

[browningautorifle]

The second ring or cannelure is said to provide better support when striking the target.

I wonder though, because their real purpose is anti armor. When they strike a steel target the jacket is peeled off. Just the core penetrates so the cannelure has no play.

[RCS]

I found out the reason of the second cannelure in M2 AP bullets. The second knurled ring above the crimping was a non mandatory
specification added in 1941 for additional identification of M2 AP cartridges during the change-over from M1 to M2 AP.

S.L. was still using the second cannelure in 1944

[browningautorifle]

All that remains...

[RCS]

The Viven-Bessieres rifle grenade and cup launcher were issued to the French Infantry in 1916 and apparently only used with the Lebel rifle. A standard service 8mm Lebel cartridge was used to launch the rifle grenade as the grenade had a hole through the center. As the bullet passed through the grenade it triggered a 5 to 7 second time fuse. The gas pressure behind the bullet could launch the grenade anywhere from 80 to 190 yards.

There was also a message grenade that was solid and used to send messages from one trench section to another over heavily engaged areas. TAttachment 120455hese grenades contained a fuze which would detonate a small smoke packet so the message grenade could be found. A special crimped cartridge was used with the message grenade as it was not a blank cartridge. My photo shows the 8mm Lebel message cartridge and a standard 8mm service cartridge. Head stamp on the message cartridge is VB 4 17 s

[browningautorifle]

I have the Lebel ball but that launching cartridge HAS to be scarce.

[RCS]

I found a photo (difficult to find) of the V-B message grenade and cartridgeAttachment 120456

[RCS]

Forgot tp add that the US Army also adopted the Viven-Bassieres grenade launcher during WW1, they were made to fit the
Springfield Model 1903 and the US Enfield Model 1917 and also used the leather holster too. The US did not use the message
grenade.

You could the US V-B grenade launcher at gun shows years ago but expensive, the USMC had them until WW2. The Model 1917
rifle V-B launcher was very common to find but rare to find the Model 1903 V-B

[CINDERS]

Another shelf dweller took a while to get this one together given our geographical location its about 90% complete, missing the arming vane part and firing cartridge.
Worked on a separate cartridge to launch the mortar round which had a range of 500m around 580 yds had a crew of 2.

Pic # 1 complete round with transport cap (303 round for scale)
# 2 disassembled round showing internals.
# 3 Looking up into the nose where the arming system goes through, also shows a
fractured piece possibly extra frag materials.
# 4 Explosive core and fragmentation coils wrapped around it the core would act as
secondary fragmentation pieces as well.

It took me around 4-5 years to get it to this stage so if anyone has an arming mech/vane etc shoot us a PM, they are very hard to source any bits for here.

[CINDERS]

Well I have been looking at this 303 round for a while trying to make out a who, what and when, as all I could figure with it was 8 F.1 VII.Z.
It plagued me for a fair while and I was going to post it here so RCS or another cartridge collector could have a go and identify it.
I had a good look under a loupe this time and woe and behold found other stuff very faint but there, just on the edge of the rim is a very faint G and a very faint 1 by the 8.

So the headstamp reads G 18 F.1 VII.Z so it is;
G F.1 Government Cartridge Factory N°1, probably Enfield, UK 1918 headstamp
MkVII round Z = Nitrocellulose loaded with the Spitzer.

I am not sure if it is a particularly rare or scarce round but considering its a MKVII from WWI and 1918 the last year of the war I am pretty happy.
Are they a scarce one.

[RCS]

I have not seen your headstamp, it seems to me that WW1 303 headstamps have not been easy to find, same for the German 7,92x57 WW1 headstamps