.303" id

[smle2009]

Hi all,
looking for an id on this .303",headstamped H26 V,it has a black annulus.
obviously it is not a MkV ball.

any help would be appreciated

Tony

 

[TonyE]

H 26 headstamp

These are Lithuanian it is believed, although possibly Latvian. Certainly Baltic though. Manufacturer unknown.

Check with a magnet, because when I went through a crate of mixed loose .303 that had been brought in (containing all types of load from WWI to WW2) I found that there were both ball and AP examples of the H26 headstamp with no discernible external difference. The AP had not been known previously.

AFAIK, only the 1926 date is found on this headstamp.

Regards
TonyE

 

[smle2009]

Thanks TonyE,
they do have a slight magnetic attraction but certainly not what you would expect from an A/P,so I think they are just CNCS jacketed bullets.
Do you know if these are military rounds or commercial?

All the best
Tony

 

[TonyE]

H26

Definitely military. Britain gave the emerging Latvia and Lithuania large amounts of ex-British military aid after WWI, especially Pattern '14 rifles, Vickers and Lewis guns. Sellier & Bellot, Riga, made .303 right through the 1930s in both ball and tracer. It can be distinguished from the Czech factory by a "R" in the headstamp.

Regards
TonyE

 

[jonnyc]

Actually, what I've found is that a steel AP core in a non-steel jacket will give a weak magnetic attraction, while a steel jacket, with steel core or not, will give a strong attraction.

 

[smle2009]

Many thanks once again TonyE.

thanks for the advice jonnyc,think I will have 'pull' one to check it out when my new puller gets here,the old one finally expired in a rather explosive way!

Cheers
Tony