What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

5.56mm INERT

smle2009

smle2009

Well-Known Member
got this 5.56mm drill? round through the letter box today,it has no primer socket and has INERT stamped across the head,normal 'run of the mill' lead cored bullet and no spacer.....is this military? and if so any ideas as to country of origin?


Cheers
Tony

PC130007.jpgPC130006.jpgPC130005.jpg
 
Not sure EOD,I have my doubts about it being a drill round or training dummy as the firing pin would hit the head,so your suggestion would make perfect sense
 
EOD's got it right. This is a '5.56mm Packaging Dummy, Ball' made by Lake City. The 'ball loading' can be found with and without a green tipped bullet. There is also a similar 'Packaging Dummy, Blank'.
 
Thanks Jim and EOD:tinysmile_grin_t:.........been wondering the same Rob,surely loading 'live' rounds would have resulted in the same outcome and saved time with un packing then re packing?
 
I think their purpose is that being totally inert they could be given in quantity to facilities where packaging is designed and manufactured but without the controls that would be necessary with live ammunition....I think!
Jim
 
Found a 7.62mm NATO version as well..
USA42.jpg
 
Many thanks Jim,
looks like I have couple more of these to find now.....Jim were these rounds purely a 'in house' item or were they designated a military M number do you know?

Cheers
Tony
 
Tony,
I've trawled through all the usual books, forums and websites but can't find anything to suggest that these particular dummies (5.56mm or 7.62) were allocated any model number.
Jim
 
In the U.S. there are many different "Inert" military cartridges. The description "Inert" usually means that the cartridge contains a charge of some sort of filler, such as sodium carbonate, to give it the weight and feel of a live round. They are used for all sorts of things, such as checking packaging machinery already noted. Another common use is for testing the functioning of gun mechanisms using link belts. They have different appearances. Most use a corrugated case with a blank primer pocket (no flash hole), or a case with a flash hole but with the pocket filled with an inert or fired primer. Some have official designations, some do not. The 7.62mm NATO M172 and the 5.56mm M857 are the most common.

So, Tony, you have a lot of different specemins to look for. ;)

Here are three that are hard to find. The "printing" usually wore off in use and from then on it looked like a plain dummy.

Ray

2qbsnf8.jpg
 
Neat looking cartridges Ray....and new ones to me! A bit more info on these please - what are the headstamps? And do they have inert primers or are the primer pockets left empty?
Jim
 
Many thanks Jim and Ray,Ray do you know the reason behind the blackened cased 5.56mm M232? dummy? Also do you know the M number for the white metal(or tinned brass?)case 5.56mm dummy,has three vertical case flutes and fired primer,my example is headstamped L C 7 2

Cheers
Tony
 
Two of the Inert cartridges that I showed are pre-NATO Cal .30 Light Rifle, headstamped FA 51, with an apparantly inert primer. The other is a 7.62mm headstamped FA 54, without the NATO (+) and with a fired primer. I do not have any notes to indicate what they were intended for. The headstamp date may not mean anything because Frankford often used any case that was available when manufacturing specialty cartridges such as these.

The "INERT CHARGE" stamping is very delicate and could be easily rubbed off with any kind of use through machinery or a gun mechanism. I'd guess that, because of this, there are many more in existance that cannot be identified. They are loaded with about 50 grains of Sodium Carbonate and steel cored T11 and T21 bullets.

I also have a couple of 7.62mm NATO cartridges that other collectors told me were "INERT" but they have no filler of any kind. They have gray tips. One has a fired primer, the other has an empty primer pocket. Again, I have no idea what they were intended for other than testing a mechanism or gun of some sort.

As far as I know, the Inert cartridges with a blackened case and bullet were intended to test the functioning of link belts in MGs. The blacking is for identification. Inert cartridges with color tips are, again, for identification purposes. At times, a color tip cartridge would be included in a belt to be observed at high speed with a camera.

Inert, blank, and dummy cartridges can be a collecting specialty all on its own. There seems to be an endless variety of them used by all countries.

Ray
 
Last edited:
Tony, I have never seen or heard of a 5.56mm dummy such as you're asking about but I certainly do not think it's a US dummy. Despite it's Lake City headstamp it sounds very typically British to me and I know there were several different variants of 5.56mm dummy produced here during the early SA80 days. I've had a trawl through Ron Fuchs' excellent book on this calibre and he shows a picture of an experimental British dummy which is very similar to yours other than being headstamped 'L C 7 4'. His round also has a snapped primer, a red p.a., and the entire round is nickel plated including the bullet. My guess is you've got yourself a nice example of an early British experimental dummy.....of which I am extremely jealous!
I know it would be a big help if I posted a link to Ron Fuchs online 5.56mm book, and to the cartridge itself, but i'm afraid such technical stuff is a bit beyond me. Hope this helps anyway.
Jim
 
Hi Jim,
that's interesting,I mentioned 'white metal' case as it feels very light and does not 'feel right' for brass to me....could just be the lack of vodka intake just lately:wink:.
Anyway a couple of photos of the offending round...would be great if it could be confirmed a British experimental as it is in with my U.S collection at the moment and have room in my experimental rounds for it.

Tony

PC220001.jpgPC220003.jpg
 
Tony, having seen your photo its certainly not identical to the round shown in Ron Fuchs' book in that the bullet has been left unplated. Nor is there any annulus colour. But I still think its so similar it has to be on of the early British prototypes although most from that era were identified by holes drilled in the case.... however it certainly looks very British to me. It would be interesting to confirm that it is a brass case - it looks a bit brassy around the shoulder but that could just be my imagination. How about pulling the bullet and looking inside the case? That should confirm that its plated brass.
Jim
 
I must admit that the style looks very British, and it would make sense to use American cases in the early days. If so, it must date from before 1980 when RG started making their own drill rounds.

There are a lot of the expedient Enfield drill/dummy rounds in the old Pattern Room collection now at the NFC Leeds. I am fairly familiar with that collection and I don't recall seeing one like this, but that of course does not mean much. I wil check in more detail when I am back there in the New Year.

Regards
TonyE
 
Jim - Tony - Tony

Ron Fuch's books do have a cartridge that looks exactly like Tony's. It's shown in Vol 3. I can't figure out a way to copy and paste the photo, but here's what it says:

L C 7 I Drill M193 gm fmj cl t/pl 5833
Xpmtl Dummy, mfgd in: United Kingdom, the tinned case has 3 flutes, a gm M193 fmj​
bullet, snapped primer, rec’d Jun 2005, from the Hugh Furse collection in the U.K.

Actually, he shows two. One is nickel plated, the other is tinned. Yours appears to be tinned.

Ray
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top