ANNULUS COLOUR

The primer of a cartridge case initiates the main propellent when the firing pin of a weapon impacts
against it. There are numerous terms used for the primer, but in British service it is known as the ‘cap’.

A varnish is used to seal the cap in place in the cartridge case, and it wasn’t until the latter stages of WW1
that colour was added to this varnish to help identify different loadings. The ‘ring’ that surrounds the cap
is known as the annulus.

COLOUR LOAD

Purple Ball and short range practice ball

Red Tracer (also some explosive rounds)

Green Armour-piercing and semi armour-piercing

Blue Incendiary

Black Explosive and observation

Yellow Proof and standard

Orange Some explosive rounds

Clear Blank

Bullet Tip Colour

As more and more variants were added, it became necessary to identify loadings via as quick a method as
possible. The use and variation in colour tips increased greatly during WW2, with coloured tips becoming
more and more prevalent as the war progressed

COLOUR LOAD

White Tracer G Mark IV and VI (daytime tracer)

Grey Tracer G Mark V (night-time tracer)

 Red Canadian tracer G Mark II and some British G Mark II

Blue Incendiary B Mark VII and VIIz

Green Armour-Piercing W Mark Iz, but only used for export contracts, not British service

Black Observation Mark I

Orange/Yellow Believed to be night tracer

Case colour

The 303 comes in a variety of coloured, part-coloured and plated forms.

Black staining to case

The use of a chemical staining method to colour portions, (or the whole), of the cartridge case has been
used since 1904, when the Blank Mark VI was introduced. Staining parts or the whole of the cartridge
black helps in quick identification of the cartridge type.

Marking Cartridge

Top half blackened, open neck Rifle grenade H Mark I

Whole case blackened, open neck Rifle grenade H Mark II

Top and bottom thirds blackened, rosette crimp Rifle grenade H Mark 4 & 4z

Bottom half blackened, rosette crimp Rifle grenade H Mark 7z

Bottom half blackened, open neck Discharger smoke generator E I.T

Whole case blackened, brass mock bullet Blank Mark VI (pre 1907)
Whole case blackened, rosette crimp Blank Mark VI (post 1907)

Top third blackened, bulleted Short range practice

Bottom third blackened, bulleted Match ammunition

Top and bottom thirds blackened, bulleted Match ammunition

Rifle grenade H Mark I

Rifle grenade H Mark II

Rifle grenade H Mark 4 & 4z

Rifle grenade H Mark 7z

Discharger smoke generator E I.T

 Blank Mark VI (pre 1907)

Blank Mark VI (post 1907)

Some 303 drill rounds were also blackened.

Marking Cartridge type

Blackened case and bullet, 4 holes drilled in

Dummy drill Mark V (WW1)
cartridge case

Blackened case and bullet, six narrow flutes Drill round, produced by Colonial Ammunition Company, New
extending from shoulder Zealand during WW2

Drill round, produced by Winchester repeating Arms USA,

Blackened cartridge case and bullet
supplied on contract in WW2
 303 cartridges were also produced with coloured rings around the cartridge case. The colour used can be
purple, red, green or black. This was mainly a Canadian manufacturers practice, and usually denoted
match ammunition. However, one exception to this was the Canadian tracer G Mark I made by the
Dominion Arsenal early in WW2. This had a black band painted around the case, 8mm wide,
approximately 10mm above the rim.

The British manufactured 303 cartridges saw two cases with blue bands. The Practice Tracer PG Mark I
had a 6mm blue band just above the rim, and the Reduced Charge Ball had a 1 inch blue band around the
case. This second cartridge was used to cause a deliberate jam in a Vickers MG to train RFC aircrew in
clearing a jam in the air.

Chromed, Silvered or White Metal Cases

A chromed, silvered or white case denoted a Dummy Drill or Inspection cartridge and is usually
accompanied by fluting or holes drilled through the cartridge. The fluting was often painted red to
highlight it.

Dummy Drill Mark I Empty brass case, tinned, no cap, coreless bullet

Dummy Drill Mark II Empty brass case, tinned, no cap, coreless bullet, case coned and indented to secure bullet

Plain (Pre 1907) or red (post 1907) round nosed wooden bullet. Case usually brass but
Dummy Drill Mark III
was tinned prior to 1905.

Dummy Drill D Mark Chromed or cupro-nickel case, jacketed spitzer bullet, three vertical flutes, (usually
VI painted red)

Drill D Mark VII & Cupro-nickel jacketed bullet with aluminium core, chromed case with three red flutes,
VIIN empty cap recess sometimes painted red. N denoting naval service

Drill D Mark IX WW2 expedient. Can be found as plain brass or tinned/chromed cases

Chromed case with three red flutes. Gilding metal jacketed bullet with empty cap
Drill D Mark 10
chamber, sometimes painted red
Drill D 1942 Canadian
Chromed case with three flutes
pattern

Dummy Inspectors
Tinned brass case, filled with coal dust, round nosed bullet
Mark I

Dummy Inspectors
Tinned brass case, filled with coal dust, round nosed bullet
Mark II

Dummy Inspectors
Tinned brass case, filled with coal dust, round nosed bullet
Mark III

Dummy Inspectors
Tinned brass case, filled with coal dust, pointed bullet
Mark IV

Dummy Inspectors U White metal case, blind cap chamber (sometimes painted red), manufactured to normal
Mark 5 or V weight of standard 303 ball

There are other types of finish in 303 cartridges. Polished steel cases were used as armourers tool
cartridges and copper washed cartridges were used as proof cartridges.

Headstamps

The headstamp of a cartridge is the major identifier of the manufacturer, year and loading. During the life
of the 303 cartridge, it evolved through several steps.

The original 303 Powder Mark I cartridges (manufactured between 1889 and 1890) showed the
manufacturers code of RL, (Royal Laboratory, Woolwich),separated by a War Department (broad) arrow
at the 12 o’clock position, along with the last two digits of the year of manufacture at the 9 and 3 o’clock
positions. There may also be a number at the six o’clock position, showing the case was supplied by a
contractor.

The Powder Mark II ball round was manufactured between 1891 and 1893 and showed only the
manufacturer and mark number, along with a broad arrow.

In 1891 the Cordite Ball Mark I round was introduced, making it necessary to identify the higher velocity
cordite filled rounds. Headstamps included the manufacturer and the letter ‘C’ without a mark number,
but this was added very soon after, leading to a headstamp with the manufacturer identifier at 12 o’clock,
letter ‘C’ at 7 o’clock and mark number at 5 o’clock. With the production switching entirely to cordite
rounds in 1907/8, the ‘C’ was dropped from the headstamp as it became meaningless.

The headstamp also altered the same year to include the year of manufacture, shown as the last two digits
of the year at the 2 o’clock position. At the same time, the headstamp of cartridges intended for military
use were overstamped with one or two broad arrows. These could appear anywhere on the headstamp and
often obliterated other information.
 The next change came during WW1 with the appearance of different loadings. These were identified in
the headstamp by adding a suffix after the mark number.

Suffix Load

A.A Pomeroy incendiary P.S.A. Mark II

B Buckingham incendiary

F Kings Norton Semi-Armour Piercing

G S.P.G. Tracer

K Brock incendiary

P Kynoch Armour-Piercing

R.C. Reduced Charge

R.T.S. Explosive (Richard Threlfall & Son)

R.T.T. Explosive (Richard Threlfall Todhunter)

S Royal Laboratory Armour Piercing

T S.P.K. ‘Sparklet’ tracer

W Armour Piercing

Y Pomeroy Incendiary P.S.A. Mark I

The use of the suffix to the Mark VII headstamp continued until 1926, when an identifier letter and Mark
number for each individual load replaced the suffix system. These suffix letters became the new identifier
for their specific loads, followed by a mark number for that load. So, for instance, the Armour-Piercing
headstamp VIIW became W I (W Mark I). For a very short period at the end of 1926, both the new style
coding and previous suffix coding were stamped together, for example VIIGI for tracer Mark I.
Prefix Load

B Incendiary

D Drill

E Smoke Generator Discharger

F Semi Armour Piercing

G Tracer

H Rifle Grenade

L Blank

O Observation

P Practice

Q Proof

R Explosive

U Inspector’s Dummy

W Armour Piercing

This system continued until the beginning of 1945, when the Roman numerals were replaced with Arabic
numerals, so the VII became 7.

There were two other letters that could appear on a 303 headstamp. The first, the letter ‘Z’ was used to
denote the propellant loaded was nitro-cellulose. Interestingly, all 303 cartridges manufactured under
contract from the US were loaded with nitro-cellulose, but did not utilise the ‘Z’ code, it was only British
manufacturers that did so. The other letter is a ‘T’, used to denote a black powder fill. This was only used
in special loads, most notably blanks,
Marking Propellant

Undated, no code Black powder

Undated, code ‘C’ Cordite

Dated, no code Cordite

Dated, code ‘Z’ Nitrocellulose

Dated, code ‘T’ Black powder

The final evolution of the 303 headstamp came in 1954 when the NATO ‘L..A..’ system was adopted.
The ‘L’ number showed the type of store and the ‘A’ number reflected the modification level. For
instance, the British L2A2 7.62mm ball round had the code L2 identifying it as 7.62mm ball, and the A2
showed it was the second mark.

The Date

Much speculation has surrounded the way the date appears on 303 headstamps, with many believing a 4
digit year code denoted RAF use. This was only partly true, and stemmed from the use of synchronised
machine guns used by the RFC in WW1. Due to the need to have precise firing times to allow firing
through a propeller, only high quality ammunition giving consistent ignition times could be used. This
ammunition was manufactured to the tightest tolerances and identified with a green packaging label.
From 1918 onwards the label was switched to red and the cartridges identified by use of a four digit year
code. The labels were marked with ‘RAF Special’ or just ‘Special’. In 1939 when WW2 was imminent, it
was decided to manufacture all 303s to Air Service tolerances and use the four digit date code. In 1942 a
further directive instructed all manufacturers to use only a 2 digit date code from January 1943, and so the
four digit code disappeared. It can therefore be said that all 303 ammunition dated 1939 or earlier and
using a 4 digit code was for RAF use, but anything after that was for use in any of the services. It is also
interesting to note that the RAF only kept cartridges on store for 2 years, after which time any unused
cartridges were passed to the army. So just because you find a fired four digit date coded 303 does not
necessarily mean it came from an RAF aircraft!

Manufacturer Codes

GREAT BRITAIN

Note that some of the manufacturers in this list had a number of different headstamp codes, utilised at
various points during their existence.

Note the War Department Broad Arrow mark, often referred to as the ‘Crow’s Foot’, is shown in
graphical form below as .
 Period
Code Manufacturer
Used

Ministry of Supply Factory, Radway Green, Cheshire 1940-41

Ministry of Supply Factory, Spennymoor, Yorks 1940-42

B Birmingham Metal and Munitions Co. Ltd 1892-1918

BE Ministry of Supply Factory, Blackpole, Worcs (cases supplied by RG) 1939-45

B E Ministry of Supply Factory, Blackpole, Worcs (cases supplied by K4) 1939-45

B E Ministry of Supply Factory, Blackpole, Worcs, (cases supplied by own factory) 1939-45

BM British Munitions Company 1890s

BPD Bombrini Parodi Delfino 1980s

CP Crompton Parkinson, Doncaster, Yorks 1939-45

C-P Crompton Parkinson, Guisley, Yorks 1939-45

E Eley Brothers 1890s-1918

E B Eley Brothers 1889

G Greenwood & Batley Ltd, Leeds, Yorks 1890-1920

GA Grenfell & Accles Ltd, Birmingham 1890s

GB Greenwood & Batley Ltd, Leeds, Yorks 1890s-1958

H N Ministry of Supply Factory, Hirwaun, South Wales 1939-45

HXP Greek Powder & Cartridge Company 1980s

J Birmingham Metals and Munitions Co. Ltd., Waltham, Essex 1914-1918

K George Kynoch Ltd, Birmingham 1890-1920

K Kynoch Division of ICI Ltd, Birmingham 1920-76

K2 Kynoch, ICI, Standish, Lancs 1939-45

K4 Kynoch ICI, Yeading, Middlesex 1939-45

K5 Kynoch ICI, Kidderminster, Worcs 1939-45

KN Kings Norton Metal Co. 1890-1920

L Lorenz Ammunition Ordnance Co., Millwall, London 1890s

M Morris Patent Tube Co. Ltd, Birmingham 1890s

M Nobel Explosives Ltd., Glasgow 1914-18

N Nobel Explosives Ltd., Glasgow 1914-18

Ministry of Supply Factory (later Royal Ordnance Factory), Radway Green,

RG 1942-73
Cheshire

R L Royal Laboratory, Woolwich 1888-1954

R L. Royal Laboratory, Cartridge Factory No 3, Woolwich 1917-18

(date).

R(Date)L Royal Laboratory, Cartridge Factory No 5, Woolwich 1915-18

RW Rudge Whitworth Cycle Co., Nottingham 1939-45

SR Ministry of Supply Factory,Spennymoor, Yorks 1939-45

 India and Pakistan

Production of 303 cartridges commenced in India around 1895, with a characteristic government mark
approved for use. This consisted of a capital letter I, above which was the Broad Arrow.

Indian Ordnance mark

There is a subtle difference between Indian and British headstamps, with the Indian ones carrying the
month of manufacture, as well as the year.

Code Factory Date

D Dum Dum Arsenal, Calcutta 1895-1913

DF Dum Dum Arsenal, Calcutta 1895-1913

K Kirkee Arsenal 1895-1914

Kirkee Arsenal 1895-1960

K F

N Dum Dum Arsenal, Northern Circuit 1895-1914

OK Ordnance Factory, Khamaria, Jubbulpore 1943-1970s

P.O.F. Pakistan Ordnance Factory 1947 onwards

S Kirkee Arsenal, Southern Circuit 1895-1913

Canadian

The earliest known date for Canadian 303 production is 1894. The headstamps of Canadian 303s
followed the British system, even using the broad arrow initially. However, following incorporation of
Canada as a Dominion, the government ownership mark changed to a C incorporating the broad arrow.

Canadian Ordnance Mark

During WW2 the Canadians used several variant headstamp arrangements. As an example, from 1943 the
Defence Industries used only the manufacturer, year and ‘Z’ nitrocellulose code.

Code Manufacturer Period Used

D Dominion Cartridge Company 1918

DA Dominion Arsenal, Quebec Pre 1940 and post 1945

DAC (The C is as above) Dominion Arsenal, Quebec 1920-45

DAL Dominion Arsenal, Lindsey 1917-21

DC Dominion Cartridge Company 1895-1918

D C Dominion Cartridge Factory (Dominion Arsenal post 1900) 1890s

DCA (The C as above) Dominion Arsenal, Quebec 1935

DI Defence Industries Ltd. 1940-45

LAC (The C as above) Dominion Arsenal, Lindsey 1914-17

RR Co Ross Rifle Co., Quebec 1915-17

 Australia & New Zealand

A F Small Arms Ammunition Company, Footscray Jan 1924- Feb 1925

CAC Colonial Ammunition Company, Footscray 1890-1920

CAC Colonial Ammunition Company, Auckland 1898-1950s

SAAF Footscray Mar 1925 – April 1926

F SAAF Footscray 1926

MF SAAF No 1 Footscray May 1926-62

MF1 SAAF No 1 Footscray 1940

MF2 SAAF No 2 Footscray 1940

MG SAAF No 2 Footscray 1940-48

MH SAAF No 3 Hendon 1940-45

MJ SAAF No 4 Hendon 1941-44

MQ SAAF No 5 & 6 Rocklea 1942-43

MS Salisbury Explosives Factory 1944

MW SAAF No 7 Welshpool 1942-45

SAAF SAAF Footscray 1921-23

 South Africa

Code Manufacturer Date Used

A Armscor 1975-80

PMP Pretoria Metal Pressings Pty, Pretoria 1965-75

SAM South African Mint, Pretoria 1961-65

U South African Mint, Pretoria 1938-42 and 1945-61

U South African Mint, Kimberley 1941

U South African Mint, Kimberley 1942-45

USA

US companies produced millions of rounds of 303 for both World Wars. Virtually all the ammunition
produced was standard ball ammunition.
Code Manufacturer Date Used

H National Brass and Copper Tube Co., Hastings, NY 1916

P Peters Cartridge Co., Kings Mills, Ohio 1915-17

PC Peters Cartridge Co., Kings Mills, Ohio 1940

RA Remington Arms Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut 1915-17

U Remington Arms Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut 1915

US United States Cartridge Co., Lowell, Massachusetts 1915-17

W Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Connecticut 1914-17

WCC Western Cartridge Co., East Alton, NY 1940-43

WRA Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Connecticut 1940-43

 Inner Case Stamps

During the second world war, companies shipped supplies between each other. Because of this, the
loading company and case manufacturer could be completely different factories. As a result, a small
identifier was stamped between the fire holes as an ‘identifier’. These stamps are shown below.

Code Manufacturer

G Greenwood & Batley

K ICI Kynoch

R M.o.S.F. Radway Green

S M.o.S.F. Spennymoor (the ‘S’ was usually a mirror image)

2 ICI Kynoch, Standish

4 ICI Kynoch, Yeading

5 ICI Kynoch, Kidderminster

Royal Laboratory, Woolwich

Bullet Base Stamps

Throughout the life of the 303, most bullets for ball ammunition had a makers make stamped into the lead
base during the manufacture process.These stamps are shown below;

Code Manufacturer

Royal Laboratory, Woolwich (also found with a * or other mark beneath the arrow)

1 Unknown manufacturer (Round nosed bullets)

1 Government Cartridge Factory No 1 (Spitzer bullets)

2 Unknown manufacturer

2 Unknown manufacturer (Round nosed bullets)

3 Government Cartridge Factory No 3 (Spitzer bullets)

6 Unknown manufacturer
B Birmingham Metal & Munitions Co.

CP Crompton Parkinson Ltd

D Dum Dum Arsenal

E Eley Brothers

G Greenwood & Batley Ltd

GB Greenwood & Batley Ltd

K Kynoch

KN Kings Norton Metal Co.

O Royal Laboratory, Woolwich

N Dum Dum North Circuit (Sometimes mirror image. Round nosed Bullets)

N Nobel Explosives, Glasgow (Spitzer bullets)

R M.O.S. Factory Radway Green

RW Rudge-Whitworth Cycle Co.

S Dum Dum South Circuit

U Remington UMC

I do hope that you find all the above useful.