![]() ![]() In general, the head stamp will provide information on several key elements.ġ. Military ammunition usually includes the date and the civilian ammunition will often have the caliber information. The maker is almost always identified on all headstamps. Today, most US military ammunition contains anywhere from 2-5 elements. The standard US military ammunition headstamp before the Second World War had two elements: the factory code at 12-o’clock and the date of manufacture at 6-o’clock. The top starts at 12-o’clock, the right is 3-o’clock, the bottom is 6-o’clock and the left is 9 o’clock. The location of the elements is based on a clock face orientation and is now a universal feature in modern cartridges. While some manufacturers use the three element space, equidistant from each other, other manufacturers have adopted a four element protocol. It appears that every manufacturer has their own headstamp style. Recent global wars have resulted in upgraded manufacturing processes, new manufacturers and thus, during this rush, there has been little attempt at standardization. What has transpired over the past 4 decades has been a rapid expansion in ammunition manufacturing. These segmented cartridges are no longer manufactured. Some of the older cartridges will have partitions or segmental lines that divide the head into 2 or 4 equal areas. However, the information that one derives from the head stamp can vary depending on who will be using the cartridge and who is the manufacturer. On most cartridges, the head stamp is stamped at the head, or flat part of the cartridge. In most cases, the head stamp will quickly tell you precisely what type of ammunition it is. The simplest method of identifying a cartridge caliber is to look at the head stamp.įor most firearm enthusiasts, it is important to have some basic knowledge on cartridge identification.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |