I've been offered 303 primed unfired cartridge cases marked D/Z 1944. It doesn't look like these have been ever loaded. Packaged 48 to a brown cardboard box(original) marked 303 Cartridge, D.I. M. VII2 I.G.Canada all of which have been openned. These are part of a DCRA's shooters Estate. What can you tell me about this item? What are they worth? Thanks for reading this. Ron
303 Cartridge Question?
- Thread starter rgg_7
- Start date
- Location
- Eastern Ont.
My opinion, they are worth the price of the brass case and primer.
I dont think they have any other value in the way of being collectable.
I would load them up and have fun.
Test fire a few random empty cases first though.
There is a web site where you can look up head stamps for
old Milsurp brass.
It will tell you where it was made and aprox when.
Try google.
I dont think they have any other value in the way of being collectable.
I would load them up and have fun.
Test fire a few random empty cases first though.
There is a web site where you can look up head stamps for
old Milsurp brass.
It will tell you where it was made and aprox when.
Try google.
If it had the bullet pulled, you should still see the three crimping marks.
They are V.G. brass if not corroded.
Without their bullets, they worth very little, just the price of the brass, if they had the bullets pulled, of course.
Any picture of the headstamp?.
They are V.G. brass if not corroded.
Without their bullets, they worth very little, just the price of the brass, if they had the bullets pulled, of course.
Any picture of the headstamp?.
Crimp marks are present. No corrosion. I can email somebody a picture to post however the head stamp is "1944 and D/Z". Other info provived is on the boxes. Is it worth $25.00 a box as this Gent wants it gone and I'm going to see him this afternoon.
- Location
- Eastern Ont.
I beleive "D" being Dominion, and "Z" is which factory made them.
common stuff
common stuff
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Nope Z means the cases would be loaded with flake powder instead of cordite.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
Curious, would that vintage of primer be corrosive?
- Location
- Eastern Ont.
You learn something new everyday on CGN
It's not worth $25/box. $15 max. You have no idea if the primers are still good or not and should just pop them out and get rid of them to be sure. Those older primers weren't very consistent either. J S is right, the Z stands for flake or maybe even ball powder ( I have some of those) and the primers aren't corrosive and are also just standard large rifle primers. You will also have to re-size the necks and maybe trim the cases to uniform lengths. None of this is necessary if accuracy is of no concern.
The powder used in wartime DI production (the original Type Z powder) was a tubular, progressive single-based powder very close to IMR-4895. It was based on the Nobel Neonite patents.
Mark VIIG designation was used twice, believe it or not. Originally, this was a WW ONE designation for the first tracer, but this was changed in the 1920s to Cartridge, Small Arms, Calibre .303, G Mark II. The G arose later on, toward the end of the SECOND war, to denote the new bullet crimp: at the case mouth rather than the triple stab-crimp halfway down the neck. The new bullet also had the crimping groove moved to accommodate this design change. It was functionally identical to the regular Mark VII Ball round but (possibly) not quite as tolerant of being bashed about in Vickers Gun feed-blocks.
DI primers were ALL noncorrosive and nonmercuric and the brass was the best military brass I have ever encountered.
1944, by the way, is the year the casings were manufactured.
Mark VIIG designation was used twice, believe it or not. Originally, this was a WW ONE designation for the first tracer, but this was changed in the 1920s to Cartridge, Small Arms, Calibre .303, G Mark II. The G arose later on, toward the end of the SECOND war, to denote the new bullet crimp: at the case mouth rather than the triple stab-crimp halfway down the neck. The new bullet also had the crimping groove moved to accommodate this design change. It was functionally identical to the regular Mark VII Ball round but (possibly) not quite as tolerant of being bashed about in Vickers Gun feed-blocks.
DI primers were ALL noncorrosive and nonmercuric and the brass was the best military brass I have ever encountered.
1944, by the way, is the year the casings were manufactured.
