British .22 RF
As promised, I have finally got round to posting details and pictures of the .22RF rounds.
The earliest Mark I rounds had a "K" headstamp. but most of them were "ICI" . Mark 2 rounds are also headstamped "ICI" until probaly around 1970 when the headstamp was changed to "E". It is not possible to be more definite because the dates when ICI changed their .22 headstamps from "K" to "ICI" to "E" do not coincide with the dates of the change from Mark I to Mark II to the current L1A1 (?).
British .22 rounds are very hard to identify correctly, so I thought it would be worth noting a bit of their history in the service.
The original Aiming Tubes were in .230 centrefire (the Morris Short round) and it was not until 1904 that these were changed to .22 Rinfire.
List of Change Para. 13642 dated Nov. 1904 introduced the first .22 inch "Cart. Aiming Tube, RF (Mark I)/L" which had a copper case loaded with black powder and a 39.9 grain bullet.
LoC Para. 15628 (Oct. 1908) introduced the "Cart. .22 inch RF No.2 (Mark I)/N" which was a black powder loaded .22 short with a copper case and 30 grain bullet exclusively for Naval service. At the same time the nomenclature of the long round was changed to "Cart. .22 inch RF No.1 (Mark I)"
LoC para. 15936 (feb. 1912) extended the use of the No.1 cartridge to Naval use and LoC Para. 17461 (Feb. 1914) introduced the "Cart. .22 inch RF No.1 Smokeless (Mark I)", which is the Mark I that we know.
LoC 17550 (Feb. 1915) added the words "Black Powder" to the nomenclature of the original No.1 cartridge.
LoC Para. 23310 (May 1919) amended the use of the No.1 Smokeless round to Land and Air service after the formation of the RAF.
LoC Para. 23763 (Jan 1920) made the black powder No.1 obsolete for land service and reverted the use to "N".
Loc Para. 24374 (Feb 1921) made the black powder No.1 cartridge obsolete for Naval service also.
Loc Para. 24639 (Sep. 1921) introduced the Smokeless No.1 for Naval service and Loc Para. 24871 (Nov. 1921) sealed a new drawing (NOD 1546) for the No.2 Mark I black powder short round for the Navy.
I do not have details of the LoCs after that other than when all the nomenclature was changed in 1926 the only .22 RF cartridge left in service was the Smokeless Mark I.
The cartridges in the first picture are:
.22 No.1 Mark I by Kynoch with dished "K" headstamp. Note the pin stabs securing the bullet which was not used on commercial ammo. I also have a Kynoch Mark I round coming headstamped "K I" but I do not have it yet.
.22 No.1 Mark I by Royal laboratory with "RL I" dished headstamp.
.22 Tracer with "ICI" in diamond headstamp, WW2 period.
.22 Inspector's with white metal case and hollow base.
.22 Inspector's for the .22 conversion of the SLR, turned brass, no headstamp.
.22 Winchester Rim Fire. These are a diferent round entirely and were used in the Winchester Model 1903 automatic rifle during WWI to train Air Gunners.
The next photos show the headstamps of the above rounds, and included are Mark I rounds from Kings Norton, Footscray Australia and Kirkee India.
Finally a couple of different labels. The No.1 Mark I label by Kynoch is probaly pre WWI, but impossible to date accurately. The second is a normal Mark 2 box that has been relegated to "Practice Only".
I have probaly now confused the matter entirely!
Regards
TonyE