.50 cal ???

[ken68]

Hi can anyone help with this fired >50 cal boat tailed small hole in base and is hollow about 1 inch in from the hole . is it bmg , etc ww2 , just dont understand the emtpy cavity , picture next to a bmg ball .

cheers ken

 

[thekees]

Space for the Tracer?

 

[kahu1]

Looks like a normal Ball type projectile, maybe the filler(lead) has been melted out?. The other projectile looks to be an AP type, with the rusted core exposed at the base.
All the tracer .50cal i've seen have a straight base(ie,no boat tail) and near full calibre opening.

cheers
Bob

 

[ken68]

I thought that to but its a boat tail and i didnt think they made tracer with boat tail . and its a single crimp no double cannelure like API or APIT

Space for the Tracer?

CHEERS KEN

 

[ken68]

Hi bob there are five of them some were pretty black at back and black sooty stuff did fall out i dont think its like a HE or incendiary type head and like you all the tracer ones i have seen have a straight back ??

Looks like a normal Ball type projectile, maybe the filler(lead) has been melted out?. The other projectile looks to be an AP type, with the rusted core exposed at the base.
All the tracer .50cal i've seen have a straight base(ie,no boat tail) and near full calibre opening. this is my empty tracer .50

cheers ken

cheers
Bob

 

[thekees]

Just pulled a tracer round, WW2, and you're right, its straight, not a boat tail. there is a difference in length too between both heads.
i pulled another head, an early AP and this has the small hole too., like on the picture.then i got curious, and i pulled a head of the API, and this head a large opening filled with lead. i don't have any ball projectiles here.

 

[kahu1]

The last 3 pics definitely look like the tracer i've seen,sometimes in that condition the lead at the point is loose and rattles but doesn't fall out.

Hi bob there are five of them some were pretty black at back and black sooty stuff did fall out i dont think its like a HE or incendiary type head and like you all the tracer ones i have seen have a straight back ??

 

[ken68]

Yeah am stumped ..AP..API...APIT...Ball.. TRACER all have larger holes on the bottom and depending what one are plugged lead etc . I kinda got s feeling it is some sort of tracer with slug at the point .. Not sure of origin so makes it harder to find out about it maybe someone else has come across one

Thanks all ken

 

[MissingSomething]

Most likely the lead was removed. Most are done so that they can make key chains out of them....

That's my guess and 2 cents....

 

[ken68]

Ive seen something that it could be a reduced range tracer a metal fin get plugged in the back and a is boat tailed bullet

Cheers ken

 

[TonyE]

I agree with Kahu1, your first example looks like a ball round that the lead has melted from, either in a fire or deliberately.

The othe flat based bullet looks like the base of the envelope has been ct. A tracer round would bnot be finished like that. WW2 US tracers usually do not have any sealant on the base either.

...and please, please, they are bullets, not heads!

Regards
TonyE

 

[ken68]

Thanks mate i said head bugger me must be my fever .. I should know better :crossedlips:

Cheers all

 

[smle2009]

Hi Ken,
all modern 50 cal are boat tailed now,the large hole non boat tailed Tracer are the early type,the small hole in your example is about right for tracer AP-T APT-I ect but are usually within a metal plug in the base of the bullet,the hole is too small for ball(compared with examples I have) so an unusual one mate

Cheers
Tony

of course one other thing this flat bottomed projectile could be(Kens second photo set) is from a Dummy

 

[ken68]

Thanks i found this info ..............the picture i have attached shows below the black line is an empty cavity and there is a mild steel core above the line . Small Calibre
Cartridges 12.7 mm

Ball M2 or M33
The 12.7 x 99 mm (.50 cal) Ball M2 and M33cartridges are often fired with the M17 Tracer cartridge in a four ball/onetracer mix. The M33 bullet comprises a gilding metal jacket with a soft steelcore and an inert chemical filler at the tip of the projectile. The M2 bullethas the same configuration as the M33 except for the chemical filler, which isreplaced by a lead insert. A brass cartridge case, a boxer primer, and either asingle or double base propellant are the other main components. Both cartridgesare compatible with M2HB machines guns and quick change barrels(QCB).

• Bullet Weight (M33): 646 grains
• Muzzle Velocity (M33): 856 m/s
• Muzzle Energy (M2 and M33): ~16,500 joules
• Accuracy (M2 and M33): Average mean radius at 550 m < 30 cm

7 .50 Caliber Reduced Range MK 322 Ball	M33 Ball
Cartridge Length	5.45 inches	5.45 inches
Case	Brass	Brass
Primer Mix	FA-958	FA-956
Propellant	WC860 247 grains	WC860 235 grains
Bullet	Brass Jacket and Steel Core. Lead Free.	Brass Jacket and Steel Core.
Bullet Base	Fins	Boat-tail
Bullet Length	2.7 inches	2.3 inches
Bullet Weight	700 grains	661 grains
Bullet Tip Color	Orange	Brass
Velocity at 24m	885 mps nominal	885 9 mps
Maximum Range	3500 meters