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possible zb37 bullet belt?

markv13

markv13

Member
Hello,

I found this part of a bullet belt (is this the right definition?). It's really rusty but I cleaned it as much as I could. A part already broke so I had to quit the cleaning proces.
My guess is it's off a zb37 bullet belt, because I found this picture that is pretty similar to it. http://centerfiresystems.com/images/products/detail/KITZB53BELTD.jpg
I found it on the northern part of the French coast, between a lot of German bullets.
The scale on my pictures are in cm.

boven.jpgboven2.jpgonder.jpg

I hope someone can help me identify this, as I am really interested in the stuff that I found.

Mark
 
Hi.
Yes it looks like a belt for a ZB37/BESA.i have one of the guns myself and im finding it hard to find a complete belt in the UK.

Regards.Darrol
 
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Thanks for your reply!
Do you happen to know if the zb37 shoots the same bullet type as the mg42? Because I found some pieces of a bullet band of an mg42 at the same place.
I also have 1 more question that I am really hoping someone could answer. I found 3 different bullet projectiles, while all the bullet shells that I found are of the same size. Does the bullet type change for every weapon?

Sorry, I am new to bullet identification. I couldn't find any clearifying information on the internet.

With kind regards,

Markfoto.jpg
 
Does the ZB37 have the same shape firing pin as a besa? if so check the firing pin marks on the spent cases. Cheers Gary
 
The rounds that I found have not been shot. It must have been an ammo box that fell apart or something like that. So I can't see the firing pin mark.
 
the ZB 37 . .and the besa are chambered for the 7.92x57 mm round(same as used with the ww2 mg42) . .there was very little differences to each model of this mg so the firing pin will almost certainly be the same type . regards Darrol
 
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yep the 7.92mm Besa had a round firing pin,the 15mm Besa had an oval firing pin the same as the bren gun

Tony
 
Are you sure about that Tony? I thought they made no significant changes to the Zb, which certainly had an oval firing pin.

This round was fired from a Zb on Enfield ranges during the trials.

Cheers
Tony
 

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I also have some British 1940s dated 7.92 cases that have been fired, presumably in a Besa gun. All of them have the distinctive oval firing pin mark.
 
Unfortunately, just because it is a Besa case does not mean it was fired in a Besa. It could have been fired in any 7.92mm weapon, Mg34, MG42, K98 etc.

In fact I wonder if it was "fired" in a weapon at all? There are no signs of pressure on the primer and it may have been snapped without powder or bullet to inert it.

Regards
TonyE
 
it came out of the ground like that...all I did was clean the crud off the head this morning to photo it,wouldn't it be a bit 'odd' to have been fired by an MG34,MG42,K98 on a English military range?

Tony is there anything to suggest the case you show was fired by the Besa and not from the trials of the ZB vz26(Bren) at Enfield?

Regards
Tony
 
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smle2009 said:
it came out of the ground like that...all I did was clean the crud off the head this morning to photo it,wouldn't it be a bit 'odd' to have been fired by an MG34,MG42,K98 on a English military range?

Tony is there anything to suggest the case you show was fired by the Besa and not from the trials of the ZB vz26(Bren) at Enfield?

Regards
Tony
Click to expand...

I agree that is unlikely, but certainly not impossible. (..trying hard to make my case!)

The evidence that my case is from the Zb53 trials is somewhat circumstantial, but based on two facts. The first is that the Bren gun had been adopted in 1934 so a 1936 case would be too late for those Zb26 trials and the second is that the headstamp on my case is exactly the same as that shown in the Small Arms Committee report on the Zb53 trials, even down to the month.

It is annoying that this thread has come up now as I was photographing Besa guns at the National Firearms Centre last month and could easily have checked the firing pin! As an aside, it is interesting that some Besa guns are marked "7.9MM" and others "7.92MM".

Regards
TonyE
 

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Hi Tony,
I think the problem is that I have conflicting information regarding the Bren,admittedly from I.Hogg, he states that in the early 30's ZS vz26 were obtained for evaluation but was not put into production until 1937 due to problems 'converting' it to .303" and was introduced into service as the Mk 1 Bren in 1939.....also he states that the 7.92 Besa was 'obtained' in 1939 for evaluation and was accepted in 7.92mm due to the problems experienced in converting the 'Bren' to .303" and was put into production with the Mk 1 Besa in June 1940.
So armed with this dubious information a 1936 dated case would have been too early for the Besa trials but fell into the time frame of the rather lengthy 'Bren' trials and development......so I hope you understand were the confusion came from and thank you for supplying the correct information:tinysmile_shy_t:

All the best
Tony
 
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