Indian 303 Brit Surplus with White Tip?

Fox

Fox

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I picked up a bunch of surplus ammo and some of the rounds are 1943 and stamped from the Indian government. They have a Z stamped on them which denotes the powder type but there is a white tip.

Anyone know of white tip ammo from India? I am trying to figure out what I actually have here.

Thanks
 
If the hs includes DI Z it is Canadian made by Defence Industries in WW2.
There is a web site which shows the Cdn DI hs illustrated with the description of the Indian made and rare hs D at 9 o'clock and I /I\ at three o'clock. The Indian producer stopped using this hs pre 1914.
The white tip is tracer.
 
This is exactly why I asked for the full headstamp info. Usually pretty easy to ID 100%, if you have all the information.
 
It would be wise to make sure you have actual 303 British and not 315 Indian (8x50R) ammo, they are very easy to mix up.
 
Where have you ever seen Indian headstamped .315 ammo??? And other than both being rimmed, it is near impossible to confuse .303 (7.7x56R) and 8x50R cartridges.
 
Fox, the full head stamp will tell you everything you need to know about the round you have.

Post a picture or list all the letters etc that show up on the base of the casing. Also tell us what the primer annulus colour is.
 
jonnyc said:
Where have you ever seen Indian headstamped .315 ammo??? And other than both being rimmed, it is near impossible to confuse .303 (7.7x56R) and 8x50R cartridges.
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You are correct sir, sorry about that.
The 315 Indian is a necked up 303 British that is sometimes called the 8mm BSA and sometimes 8x50R, not to be confused with the Mannlicher version.
Head stamping in India sporting vs military is also something I am not well versed on.
Actual bullet diameter I am not sure, .318 or .323. I am sure someone with more info will chime in.
 
Well, you were sort of right the first time. The Indians did produce the 8x50 Mannlicher round for WWI captured weapons seconded to them by the Brits. The round was later used in civilian weapons as the .315 Indian, however I have never heard of any actually being seen outside of India.
 
plinker 777 said:
^Are you certain? Tracer ammo means MG fed and I thought it was head stamped differently? I'm no expert.
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20120629jmoorestuff012-1.jpg
20120629jmoorestuff024-1.jpg





CARTRIDGE, S.A., TRACER, .303-INCH, G MARK 6.

Introduced: c.1942
Approved: 3-1945

Description: PS bullet with C-N* , G-M* or coated MS* envelope containing a compound core consisting of a lead/antimony (92/8) front piece, with a copper cup containing tracer composition in the rear. The bottom of the cup is closed by a brass washer and the envelope turned over to retain the core. There is a cannelure round the middle of the bullet.

Crimping: Case mouth coned onto bullet cannelure.
Weight: 151 grains
Tip Color: White
Trace Color: Red

Charge: 35 grains cordite MDT, size 5/2*, with a strawboard wad on top.


Remarks: This is the standard GIV pattern with a bullet using standard components, and was originally known as the "GIV/II" which became "G MARK VI". The above designation was adopted circa late 1944 with the change of mark numerals in British service.
Air service day tracer.

Until the outbreak of World War II there was only very limited use of coloured bullet tips as an aid to identifying British service ammunition, the principal one being the use of a black tip on .303 inch Observation Mark I rounds. Subsequently, with the greater variety of loads developed during that war, tip colours became more prevalent, especially on canadian and American manufactured ammunition..
These colour codes were:​
Colour
Load​
White
Grey [SUP]1[/SUP]
Red
Blue
Green
Black
Black
Silver
Yellow over red
Violet
Orange/Yellow
 Day Tracer
Night Tracer
Tracer, mainly on Canadian .303" Tracer G Mark II and some British G Mark II
Incendiary
Armour piercing and semi armour piercing
.303 inch Observation O Mark I (pre WW2)
Armour piercing (WWII American and Post NATO)
Armour piercing incendiary
Observation
Experimental ammunition
Quoted in wartime Ministry of Supply pamphlets as identification for night tracer, but no specimens have been found.
[SUP]1[/SUP] The grey tip colour on some .303 inch G Mark IV tracers is so pale as to appear white.
 
You have Canadian-made WWII tracer ammo.
Not sure if it will light at this point, but it should be reloadable and non-corrosive.
 
I have DIZ 44 .303 ammo with white tips and have shot some. Definitely tracer. Just consider dry conditions/backstop, etc. Incendiary.
 
Basically, a section commander would fire a tracer (observation round) in the general direction of the ennemy, directing his section to fire in the same general area.
 
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