Interesting .303 Cases

User00001

Well-Known Member
I have found some interesting .303 cases on a hillside in Northern England.

They come from a site that appears to have been burnt and they are badly damaged.

They are marked : DC 40 303 VII and have been fired.

The indent on the primers is not round but rectangular as if the striker/firing pin was more like a hammer on a rimfire?

It is possible that they have come from a crashed aircraft but why would fired cases be on board?

I have a photo that I can email to anyone who is willing and able to post it on here for me.
 
DC
Defence Industries, Brownsburg, Quebec, Canada made .303 cartridges in... Gallery Practice Mk 1 (Black powder - Canada) Gallery Practice Mk 1 (Smokeless - Canada) Gallery Practice Mk 2 (Canada)

DC
Dominion Cartridge Company, military production was a simple D with a C-broad arrow for the Brownsburg plant which later became the Dominion Ammunition Division of Canadian Industries Ltd. They operated factories in Brownsburg, Quebec and Montreal, and the illistration is a sporting cartridge. The DOMINION headstamp was used on commercial ammunition from 1911 untikl 1955. They also produced .303 cartridges in... Ball, Cordite Mk 2, 4, 6 and 7
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7 (Canadian WW1 contract pattern) 1914-16
Ball, Nitro-cellulose Mk 7Z (Canadian Pattern)
Drill D 1942 (Canadian Pattern)
Tracer G Mk 2Z, G Mk 4Z (Canadian Pattern)

In 1910, the British took the opportunity to replace their Mk VI cartridge with a more modern design. The Mark VII loading used a 174 grains (11.3 g) pointed bullet with a flat-base. The .303 British Mark VII cartridge had a muzzle velocity of 2,440 ft/s (744 m/s) and a maximum range of approximately 3,000 yd (2,700 m).[SUP][[/SUP]
 
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I did some work next to an old airfield recently and managed to put my stump grinder through some Canadian .50 Cal - LIVE!:eek:
Thankfully none of it went off, but it's amazing what kit is out there lying about! The grinder certainly deactivated it anyway!:D
MS
 
Here's Glyn's photo:

303%20rounds%20-%2020150701_111420-1_zpspguhggff.jpg
 
Bren Gun firing pin strike mark. I remember this from having the pleasure of classifying with them as a youth. And having to learn the IA "Immediate Action" jam clearing drills.

"Gun stops firing..."
 
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Yes, definitely fired from a Bren. Fired it as the LMG in 7.62mm and it had the same flat firing pin and strike mark.
 
The headstamps, as you can see, contain a little more information. We still have the manufacturer ‘code’ and the year of manufacture (as either 2 or 4 digit), but we also regularly see ‘VII’ which denotes it is a standard Mark VII cartridge, and in some instances ‘303’ which obviously denotes the calibre. Different Roman numerals denote different 'marks' of cartridge. You may also see the marks 'Z' or IZ' which denote the type of cordite/powder used, as well as 'W' and 'B' and various other stamps.

It is interesting to note that the last three cartridges all have the same ‘odd’ shaped firing pin mark. This elongated mark is made by the firing pin of a Bren gun. A Lee-Enfield makes the ‘dot’ mark in the left hand two cartridges. So not only does the headstamp tell us something, even the firing pin mark can !

 
The headstamps, as you can see, contain a little more information. We still have the manufacturer ‘code’ and the year of manufacture (as either 2 or 4 digit), but we also regularly see ‘VII’ which denotes it is a standard Mark VII cartridge, and in some instances ‘303’ which obviously denotes the calibre. Different Roman numerals denote different 'marks' of cartridge. You may also see the marks 'Z' or IZ' which denote the type of cordite/powder used, as well as 'W' and 'B' and various other stamps.

It is interesting to note that the last three cartridges all have the same ‘odd’ shaped firing pin mark. This elongated mark is made by the firing pin of a Bren gun. A Lee-Enfield makes the ‘dot’ mark in the left hand two cartridges. So not only does the headstamp tell us something, even the firing pin mark can !


The photo doesn't show it all that clearly but I think they all have the same headstamp and striker mark, I will check shortly. Thanks again for your input, this sort of thing is fascinating, Maybe the area was a training area? I'll make some enquiries when I'm back up there at the weekend.
 
Ok sorry thought it would!
yeah I think your right maybe a training area of some kind.
or someone had a Bren gun in that area at some point :D
 
Had the same find Glyn whilst stopping for a breather on a hillside in Scotland. Hundreds of spent cases scattered everywhere. Found out it used to be a range for the Home guard. Similar in the Cotswolds on an estate where I worked. The wooded valley was called the Target ground and apparently was used for training snipers by the Late Lord Dulverton during WW2.
 
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