Colour of German belt box

[XRCD011]

I have a German (NATO) 7.62mm MG belt box that I want to sandblast in the spring and repaint. Question is what colour would a late war box be ? And if anyone has 50 fired steel 7.92mm Mauser cases that would help with another make work project I am doing.

 

[Keller]

The boxes were usually a dark olive green color; tan for Africa and the Mediterranean. Trying to match colors isn't an exact science since there would have been a lot of variation in color due to different paint batches and different manufacturers.

Does it have to be steel 7.92? I don't think I've ever seen steel cased 7.92, I've only ever had brass.

 

[CanadianAR]

A ton of ww2 German 7.92 was steel cased.

The typical late colour is feldgrau. Equals field green basically. A dark almost black green like late war helmets.

 

[XRCD011]

Post war Romainian steel cased 7.92 is supposed to look pretty period correct. Tan (Dunkle Gelb) I have lots of and I am not a slave to having the "exact" shade, hue just really needed the basic either green (not that post war Yugo apple green) or DG.

 

[XRCD011]

Feldgrau is field grey. Once we see spring again in the new year I will have the box cleaned up and wanted to sort out what colour to get before then. Grey-Dark yellow or dark green. I bought a couple of the carriers with baskets and after cleaning them painted one carrier PZ grey the other DG and the baskets all DG

 

[CanadianAR]

Feldgrau is field grey. Once we see spring again in the new year I will have the box cleaned up and wanted to sort out what colour to get before then. Grey-Dark yellow or dark green. I boughtb a cou[ple of the carriers with baskets and after cleaning them painted one carrier PZ grey the other DG and the baskets all DG

Yes field gray, but have you seen a feldgrau helmet, is dark greenish in appearance.

 

[XRCD011]

CanadianAR thanks much for the insight, I,ll now know what I need colour wise. One last question is the gas mask carrier (the metal drum shaped deal) the same dark green as a helmet as I have a unrepainted example of that.

 

[Cdn303]

It might be a good idea to go to an axis history forum and search around. Someone on one of those forums might be able to give you the exact tint specs.

 

[agentcq]

I thought the MG crew used Sand Gelb (Dunkel Gelb - or Sand Yellow) at the end of the war?? - At least on Leffette mounts: http://www.bergflak.com/lafette/paint.html

1936 - 3 tone camouflage
1937 - 3 tone camouflage
1938 - 3 tone camouflage
1939 - Dunkelgrau with brown camouflage
1940 - Dunkelgrau with brown camouflage, Dunkelgrau later in the year
1941 - Dunkelgrau
1942 - Dunkelgrau
1943 - Dunkelgrau, maybe Dunkelgelb late in the year
1944 - Dunkelgelb
1945 - Dunkelgelb

His site also has pics of ammo can paint jobs. I know that often the crew would repaint the SandGelb into a Normandy cammo by applying additional greens, brown/reds.

 

[XRCD011]

Thanks Agentcq for that interesting site regarding the paint on ground mounts which is fairly consist with what was shot or brushed on wehrmacht vehicles during the Second War. I think I will just tweak the tint of my Dunkel Gelb a smidge and after painting a coat of DG do a nice Normandy field addition of bottle green and redish brown (Princess Auto primer looks super of that role. As its a post war 7.62 box I can play around with it colour wise. I did my double barrel carrier this way (DG and "Normandy" two colour) and I am pretty happy how that turned out.
If anyone out there has any fired steel casings (I need about 50 but any number are good) in 7.92 Mauser it would help my project alot.