Ammo date.
- Thread starter Skye
- Start date
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Not sure about the exact date but here is some data:-
- K Kynoch Factories, Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. – Birmingham, UK.
- K – Kynoch & Co, Witton, Birmingham, UK.
- K2 (1943–1944) – I.C.I. (Kynoch), Standish, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, UK
- K3 – There was no Kynoch factory designated K3.
- K4 (1942–1944) – I.C.I. (Kynoch), Yeading, Middlesex, UK.
- K5 (1944) – I.C.I. (Kynoch), Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK.
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
The Kynoch box codes below are based on an article in IAA Journal Issues 442 (March/April 2005) and 449 (May/June 2006). As it turns out, there are actually three sets of codes one set by Eley, and both an old set and new set used by Kynoch. All three are described below.
The article in Journal 449 included a 1973 Letter from the Kynoch Works Witton which laid out the packing label codes from 1960-1973 (New Kynoch Code). The material below is derived from that letter and the year dates expanded. The code in use at that time had four segments in the format ##L##L with both numbers and letters and was composed as follows :
First segment: ## = Inspector Number
Second segment: L = Month of the year code
Third segment: ## = Day of month (may be one or two digits) Forth segment: L = Year code
The code 29K5L would translate as follows: Inspector #29, April 5, 1963
This code can be extended back and probably started in 1926 according to the letter. These codes can be decomposed as follows.
• The first letter code is the month:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
HIJKLMNOPQRS
• The second letter code is the year examples: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
IJKLMN
Journal 449 also contained some handwritten material that lays out the Old Kynoch code in use from 1911 to 1926 These codes were based on the use of code words. The system was very straight forward with the format ## -L-L.
First segment: ## is simply the day of the month Second segment: L is the code letter for the month Third segment: L is the code letter for the year
The month codes in use in 1911 and later were based on the words KYNIOD CARTGS as indicated below:
KYN0ID CARTGS Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The year dates from 1911 were based on the word KYNOCH and then KYNOCH PRIMAX, but in 1923 the current system was adopted and only the P in the second encoding word was used..
KYNOCH 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916
KYNOCH PRIMAX 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 * * *
* New number system introduced
Example of the old number system: 27-N-O is 27 March, 1914 or 1920
Eley had a code system that is also described in the Journal 449 article. The system was based on a code word which converted to numbers for the day and month, and a code letter for the year. The code word was MERCHANTON and the format of the code was LL LL L
First segment: LL is the encoded day of the month
Second segment: LL is the encoded number for the month of the year (11 = Nov)
Third segment: L is the code letter for the year Day & month codes
MERCHANTOS 1234567890
The year codes were just the letters of the alphabet starting with D for 1900 and continuing through X for 1920. An example is listed below.
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 DEFGH
Examples of an Eley code would be MO ME N is 19 Dec, 1910 where MO = 19
ME = 12 = Dec
N = 1910
And, M ME W (seen on a .22 Eley box) is 1 12 1919 or 1 Dec 1919.
Ref: IAA Journal 449
None of my Kynoch boxes (all in 9x19mm) have any date codes on them!
Please look at this list and if you have boxes, please provide photos and the information as shown in the following Dominion example.
Code: FBFK P3 Code Date: 26 June 1972 Conf Date: 6/26/72 Hst: Dominion Cal: 9x19
Year Code List
Year 1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
New
Year Code
Old Eley Year Year Code Code
D E F G H I J K L M N
K O Y P N Q O R C S H T K U Y V N W O X C
H P R I
A M
1927 B A 1928 C X 1929 D
1930 E
1931 F 1932 G 1933 H 1934 I 1935 J 1936 K 1937 L 1938 M 1939 N 1940 O 1941 P 1942 Q 1943 R 1944 S 1945 T 1946 U 1947 V 1948 W 1949 X 1950 Y 1951 Z 1952 A 1953 B 1954 C 1955 D 1956 E 1957 F 1958 G 1959 H 1960 I 1961 J 1962 K 1963 L 1964 M 1965 N 1966 O 1967 P 1968 Q 1969 R 1970 S 1971 T 1972 U 1973 V 1974 W 1975 X 1976 Y 1977 Z 1978 A 1979 B 1980 C 1981 D 1982 E
The article in Journal 449 included a 1973 Letter from the Kynoch Works Witton which laid out the packing label codes from 1960-1973 (New Kynoch Code). The material below is derived from that letter and the year dates expanded. The code in use at that time had four segments in the format ##L##L with both numbers and letters and was composed as follows :
First segment: ## = Inspector Number
Second segment: L = Month of the year code
Third segment: ## = Day of month (may be one or two digits) Forth segment: L = Year code
The code 29K5L would translate as follows: Inspector #29, April 5, 1963
This code can be extended back and probably started in 1926 according to the letter. These codes can be decomposed as follows.
• The first letter code is the month:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
HIJKLMNOPQRS
• The second letter code is the year examples: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
IJKLMN
Journal 449 also contained some handwritten material that lays out the Old Kynoch code in use from 1911 to 1926 These codes were based on the use of code words. The system was very straight forward with the format ## -L-L.
First segment: ## is simply the day of the month Second segment: L is the code letter for the month Third segment: L is the code letter for the year
The month codes in use in 1911 and later were based on the words KYNIOD CARTGS as indicated below:
KYN0ID CARTGS Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The year dates from 1911 were based on the word KYNOCH and then KYNOCH PRIMAX, but in 1923 the current system was adopted and only the P in the second encoding word was used..
KYNOCH 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916
KYNOCH PRIMAX 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 * * *
* New number system introduced
Example of the old number system: 27-N-O is 27 March, 1914 or 1920
Eley had a code system that is also described in the Journal 449 article. The system was based on a code word which converted to numbers for the day and month, and a code letter for the year. The code word was MERCHANTON and the format of the code was LL LL L
First segment: LL is the encoded day of the month
Second segment: LL is the encoded number for the month of the year (11 = Nov)
Third segment: L is the code letter for the year Day & month codes
MERCHANTOS 1234567890
The year codes were just the letters of the alphabet starting with D for 1900 and continuing through X for 1920. An example is listed below.
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 DEFGH
Examples of an Eley code would be MO ME N is 19 Dec, 1910 where MO = 19
ME = 12 = Dec
N = 1910
And, M ME W (seen on a .22 Eley box) is 1 12 1919 or 1 Dec 1919.
Ref: IAA Journal 449
None of my Kynoch boxes (all in 9x19mm) have any date codes on them!
Please look at this list and if you have boxes, please provide photos and the information as shown in the following Dominion example.
Code: FBFK P3 Code Date: 26 June 1972 Conf Date: 6/26/72 Hst: Dominion Cal: 9x19
Year Code List
Year 1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
New
Year Code
Old Eley Year Year Code Code
D E F G H I J K L M N
K O Y P N Q O R C S H T K U Y V N W O X C
H P R I
A M
1927 B A 1928 C X 1929 D
1930 E
1931 F 1932 G 1933 H 1934 I 1935 J 1936 K 1937 L 1938 M 1939 N 1940 O 1941 P 1942 Q 1943 R 1944 S 1945 T 1946 U 1947 V 1948 W 1949 X 1950 Y 1951 Z 1952 A 1953 B 1954 C 1955 D 1956 E 1957 F 1958 G 1959 H 1960 I 1961 J 1962 K 1963 L 1964 M 1965 N 1966 O 1967 P 1968 Q 1969 R 1970 S 1971 T 1972 U 1973 V 1974 W 1975 X 1976 Y 1977 Z 1978 A 1979 B 1980 C 1981 D 1982 E
- 1983 F
- 1984 G
- 1985 H
Squirrelbasher
Well-Known Member
What a great reply, very informative 
So these are:
25th Jan 1960
30th March 1967
after 1962 boxes were marked Imperial Metal industries,
condensing the above
H Jan
I Feb
J Mar
K Apr
L May
M Jun
N Jul
O Aug
P Sep
Q Oct
R Nov
S Dec
A 1926
B 1927
C 1928
D 1929
E 1930
F 1931
G 1932
H 1933
I 1934
J 1935
K 1936
L 1937
M 1938
N 1939
O 1940
P 1941
Q 1942
R 1943
S 1944
T 1945
U 1946
V 1947
W 1948
X 1949
Y 1950
Z 1951
A 1952
B 1953
C 1954
D 1955
E 1956
F 1957
G 1958
H 1959
I 1960
J 1961
K 1962
L 1963
M 1964
N 1965
O 1966
P 1967
Q 1968
R 1969
S 1970
T 1971
U 1972
25th Jan 1960
30th March 1967
after 1962 boxes were marked Imperial Metal industries,
condensing the above
H Jan
I Feb
J Mar
K Apr
L May
M Jun
N Jul
O Aug
P Sep
Q Oct
R Nov
S Dec
A 1926
B 1927
C 1928
D 1929
E 1930
F 1931
G 1932
H 1933
I 1934
J 1935
K 1936
L 1937
M 1938
N 1939
O 1940
P 1941
Q 1942
R 1943
S 1944
T 1945
U 1946
V 1947
W 1948
X 1949
Y 1950
Z 1951
A 1952
B 1953
C 1954
D 1955
E 1956
F 1957
G 1958
H 1959
I 1960
J 1961
K 1962
L 1963
M 1964
N 1965
O 1966
P 1967
Q 1968
R 1969
S 1970
T 1971
U 1972
Sinistral
Well-Known Member
According to the company history, sporting cartridges were discontinued by Imperial Metal Industries (IMI) in 1970.
IMI became independent of ICI in 1977, still producing rimfire and shotgun cartridges for the sporting markets.
The more economically viable production of shotgun and rimfire ammunition continued.
The Ammunition Division was incorporated separately as Eley Limited in 1983.
IMI became independent of ICI in 1977, still producing rimfire and shotgun cartridges for the sporting markets.
The more economically viable production of shotgun and rimfire ammunition continued.
The Ammunition Division was incorporated separately as Eley Limited in 1983.
Attachments
Thank you.
Sinistral
Well-Known Member
Last box 'LR-5' in lefthand column.
The numbers on the reverse are production batch refnos I think.
Attachments
Last edited:
Definately them! 1980's or 90's?Last box 'LR-5' in lefthand column.
The numbers on the reverse are production batch refnos I think.
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
wouldnt a normal date have been just as easy to print yet not need access to an enigma machine to decode?
Before I use these, are they of interest to anyone? Still cellophane wrapped in pairs. I have six boxes. Almost seems a shame to open the boxes, but taking up space on my ammo allowance.Last box 'LR-5' in lefthand column.
The numbers on the reverse are production batch refnos I think.
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