List of military headstamps

A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. Military headstamps usually have only the year of manufacture .

The left cartridge's headstamp says "FC 223 REM" which means that it was made by Federal Cartridge Co. and it is in the caliber .223 Remington. The cartridge on the right has a headstamp that says "LC 99" with a symbol that consists of a cross in a circle. This cartridge was made in 1999 by the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, in Independence, MO, USA. The symbol on this headstamp means it meets NATO specifications.

The headstamp is punched into the base of the cartridge during manufacture.

Military Headstamps

Two digits are the last two digits of the year of manufacture. Early 20th century cartridges may have additional digits or a letter indicating the month of manufacture. The letter code indicates the place of manufacture:[1]

United States Military Cartridges

US Arsenals

World War II manufactured cartridges with a single "4" as the year of production were made in 1944. The demand was so great for cartridges that most manufacturers just ground off the "3" on the "43" stamp to save time.

Civilian Contractors

Commercial Cartridges

The US military used commercial cartridges for its training rifles, non-standard weapons, and shotguns. These usually had different headstamps than the military ammunition (usually their civilian one) and were shipped in commercial crates rather than military packaging.

Competition-Grade Military Cartridges

Ammunition designed for military competitive shooting was made by a variety of manufacturers.

Special cartridges

During World War II the Western Cartridge Company made 7.92mm Mauser ammunition for the Chinese Nationalists. There are Chinese characters at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions and the year of production (42, 43 or 44) at the 6 o'clock position.

In 1953, large batches of .30-06 ammunition were manufactured under unique arsenal headstamps.[4] The case had red lacquer sealant around the primer.[4] The headstamp has a two-letter manufacturer code and the lot code (rather than the year) is the number 40 followed by a third numeral.[4] Collectors allege that the cartridges were intended to be aid to anti-Communist insurgents and Allied forces equipped with US weapons.

During the Vietnam War the Lake City Ordnance Plant (LC) produced unmarked Boxer-primed M43 7.62×39mm cartridges for use by American and Allied personnel. This allowed reconnaissance and Special Operations units to utilize captured Communist Bloc weapons like the SKS carbine and AKM assault rifle. Afterwards Bell Laboratories (BEL) made batches of 7.62x39mm ammo in the 1970s and 1980s for training soldiers in the familiarization and use of Communist Bloc weapons.

Commonwealth Military Cartridges

The number in parentheses is the nation's Nation Code.

Australia (66)

Canada (20 and 21)

Arsenals

The "C" in "DAC" and "VC" had a small broadshead arrowhead (/|\) inset to indicate it was Canadian Government Issue property.

Civilian Contractors
Commercial Manufacturers

South Africa (18)

United Kingdom (99)

/|\ = UK Government Property. Formerly the badge of the Sidney family, the broad arrow (or "Devil's Claws") symbol was appropriated by the British government to indicate the item was government issue.
FF = Filling Factory.
GCF = Government Cartridge Factory (1918-1919).
ROF = Royal Ordnance Factory.
SAA = Small Arms Ammunition Factory (1940-1946).

NATO Manufacturers

The number in parentheses is the nation's Nation Code.

Austria (41)

German P-Codes (1938-1940) - Operated under German occupation

Belgium (13)

Bosnia-Herzegovina (75)

Brazil (19)

Czech Republic (16)

Denmark (22)

From 1968 to 2007 ammunition packaging was stamped or embossed with the letters HMAK ensigned by a crown - standing for (Haerens Materielkommando Army Materiel Command)

Egypt

Egypt uses Arabic letters and numerals in its headstamp - which are read from right to left. At 12 o'clock is the three-letter acronym for Gomhoreyyet Maṣr el-ʿArabeyya (Arab Republic of Egypt) - which looks like the English letters ERC in cursive from left to right but represent the Egyptian Arabic letters GMA from right to left. At 4 o'clock is the two-digit Arsenal Number and at 8 o'clock is the two-digit year.

Finland

France (14)

Note: French headstamps mark the 1-digit Quarter of the year of production and 2-digit Year at the 12-o'clock position (e.g. Q-YY), the letter code for the metal supplier for the case at the 3-o'clock position, the cartridge caliber and model at the 6-o'clock position, and the manufacturer at the 9-o'clock position.

Colonial Arsenals

Germany (12)

(1918-1940)
P-Codes (1926-1941)
Letter Codes (1940-1945)
(1946–present)

Greece (23)

India

Israel (31)

Israel has supposedly manufactured ammunition under the S, SA, and SB headstamps. They might be new or reloaded cases acquired from Spain for the underground workshops operated before independence, ammunition produced under contract for the Spanish government, ammunition produced discreetly for special customers (like embargoed South Africa or devoutly Muslim Egypt), or "sanitized" ammunition hidden under Spanish headstamps for use by Israel's special operations forces.

Italy (15)

Japan (30)

Lithuania (47)

The Netherlands (17)

Norway (25)

Pakistan (76)

Poland ()

Poland (1918-1939)

The cartridge manufacturer placed their code at the 12 o'clock position. Government factories that made ammunition for the military placed the Polish National Eagle stamp instead. The case manufacturer's code letter or numeral in the 6 o' clock position and the two digit percentage of copper in the case's brass was placed at the 9 o'clock position. The last two digits of year of production was placed at the 3 o'clock position.

Poland (1939-1945)
Poland (1945-1989)

Portugal (24)

Norway

Serbia (73)

Singapore (32)

Republic of South Africa (18)

South Africa left the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961 and was re-admitted in 1994. It remains a Republic.
NOTE: The manufacturer and last two digits of the year are on the upper arc of the stamp (e.g., WA 80 for Walter Annexe, 1980). The symbols on the lower arc of the stamp indicates the caliber (7.7mm, 5.56mm or 7.62mm) and R# or R#M# indicate the model (R) and mark (M) of the cartridge, like the Commonwealth L#A# stamp (e.g., R1M1 is the first model and second Mark of a cartridge). Later, the 2-digit year is in the 12 o'clock position and a digit in the 6 o'clock position on the headstamp indicated the load identification code.

South Korea (37)

Spain (33)

Sweden (65)

AMF stands for Ammunitionsfabrik ("Ammunition Factory"). They used a royal crown at the 12 o'clock position, the 2-digit year at the 9 o'clock (tens) and 3 o'clock (ones) positions, and the location letter or number at the 6 o'clock position. Early ammunition had a 4-digit year with the first 2 digits (thousands and hundreds) at 9 o'clock and the second 2 digits (tens and ones) at 3 o'clock.

Native ammunition producers include:

Foreign ammunition producers included Deutschen Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik (DWM) of Germany; Hirtenberger Patronen-, Zündhütchen- und Metallwarenfabrik A.G. (HP) and Keller & Co (KC or K&C) of Austria; Société Française des Munitions (SFM) of France; and Valtion Patruunatehdas (VPT) of Finland.

Turkey (27)

Warsaw Pact manufacturers

Soviet Union

Bulgaria (50)

Bulgaria is now a NATO member. It often manufactures ammunition for other NATO partners.

Yugoslavia

South American manufacturers

Argentina

The headstamp has the caliber on the upper arc. The lower arc contains the factory's initials flanked by the two-digit month on the left side and the last two digits of the production year on the right side (e.g., 03FLB82 means March-Fabrica Militar Frey Luis Beltran-1982).

Chile (52)

Paraguay

Venezuela

African Manufacturers

Zimbabwe

Asian Manufacturers

China

NORINCO (North Industries Corporation - Beijing, People's Republic of China. Operates several state arsenals that produce weapons and munitions for both the military and civilian markets. Ammunition headstamp has the arsenal number at 12 o'clock and the last 2 digits of the year of manufacture at 6 o'clock. The following are arsenals known to exist before 1979.

Headstamps 1, 101, 111, 121, 131, 201, 211, 221, 141, 301, 311, 351, 391, 501 / 0501, 651, 661, 821, 846, 911, 964, 6201, 6202, 6203, 9121, and 9141 are confirmed as Chinese, while 451, 671 and 946 are unconfirmed. They are either a subterfuge method to conceal the actual locations and numbers of Chinese arsenals (e.g., 946 as a cover headstamp for State Factory 964) or a designation for annexes attached to an arsenal (i.e., 311 is an annex of State Factory 11 or State Factory 31).

Indonesia (45)

Malaysia (34)

Taiwan (?)

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Sharpe, Philip B. Complete Guide to Handloading (1953) Funk & Wagnalls p.75
  2. ↑ Davis, William C., Jr. Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.21
  3. 1 2 3 The Tell-Tale Dash: James Files and the Dented Cartridge Case by Allan Eaglesham
  4. 1 2 3 [Small-Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide (U) Volume 1 (DST-1160G-514-81-Vol1)
  5. 1 2 A
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Australian Military Headstamps (1939-1945)
  7. 1 2 Hendon Ammunition Factory
  8. 1 2 Davis, William C., Jr. Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.12
  9. ↑ Canadian Encyclopedia Dominion Arsenal
  10. 1 2 3 4 Shannon Municipality History (Page 2)
  11. ↑ International Ammunition Association forum Canadian DI headstamp on 303 and 9x19 cases
  12. ↑ Canada Companies Info: Canadian Arsenals Ltd.
  13. ↑ Cartridge Headstamps Canada
  14. 1 2 The Ayalon Institute: Kibbutzim Hill by Yael Zisling
  15. 1 2 IAA Forums > South African "WA" headstamp 7.62 x 51
  16. ↑ Battle Over Bullets By Scott Barancik. St. Petersburg Times. Published April 12, 2007
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