Cordite or not?

[rocklin]

I just picked up 64 rounds of .303 MK VII Ball. DA 1944 production.

I cant remember if Canada loaded Cordite during the war or not. So my question is are these rounds loaded with Cordite?.

Pictures.

 

[Ganderite]

I think the case head had a Z if it was nitrocellulose, so that would make those cordite.

My dad used to pull a bullet out, dump the strands of cordite and lay out my name with it on a hockey stick. It would then burn end to end, leaving my name. I wish I still had one of those.

 

[Bubba Yugga]

You might still find some surplus 7.62x54R with the russkie equivalent...

 

[kawicrash]

Yup, cordite and Berdan. I had some of the same suff and also some DI that was nitrocellulose and Boxer primed. Ganderite was correct in stating the case headstamp would have a Z for nitrocellulose.

 

[MINI-30]

Neat looking stuff

 

[tiriaq]

Cordite, Berdan and corrosive.

 

[smellie]

Those big primers are always corrosive and mercuric, both. NO Z in the headstamp will always be Cordite. The big primers are always a dead giveaway for Cordite rounds.

The Z indicated loading with a cut extruded powder which was a Canadian version of Nobel Neonite. For handloading purposes, it was in much the same ballpark as IMR-4895.

The Defence Industries plant ( DI headstamp) was a Government plant but they were leaning heavily on critical staff from the commercial Dominion Cartridge Company. Primers used are .210" Boxer type and they are NONcorrosive and NONmercuric. The DI brass is some of the finest handloading brass ever produced for the .303 cartridge. DI made about 2 Billion rounds of this ammo, so there still are bits and pieces of it to be found in circulation.

 

[philhut]

Can ya shoot them?

 

[Winchester-1897]

Can ya shoot them?

I would if you feel like doing a good clean up with hot water and soap. That is what they did back when.

 

[Ganderite]

Those big primers are always corrosive and mercuric, both. NO Z in the headstamp will always be Cordite. The big primers are always a dead giveaway for Cordite rounds.

The Z indicated loading with a cut extruded powder which was a Canadian version of Nobel Neonite. For handloading purposes, it was in much the same ballpark as IMR-4895.

The Defence Industries plant ( DI headstamp) was a Government plant but they were leaning heavily on critical staff from the commercial Dominion Cartridge Company. Primers used are .210" Boxer type and they are NONcorrosive and NONmercuric. The DI brass is some of the finest handloading brass ever produced for the .303 cartridge. DI made about 2 Billion rounds of this ammo, so there still are bits and pieces of it to be found in circulation.

I used to work at the CIL ammo factory in Brownsburg Quebec. This was built for WW1 and much of the equipment in use still dated from then.

There were guys there who recall making the 303 ammo in WW2, and they took great pride in the high quality of the ammo they made.

 

[bearhunter]

Can ya shoot them?

Like mentioned, you can shoot them IF YOU CLEAN PROPERLY AFTERWARD. There are special but not difficult procedures for cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo.

If you have an SKS and shoot surplus ammo through it, use the same cleaning procedures.

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