Unknown steel .50 case

[Hoeksel]

I found these steel cases with red primer for the 12.7x99 mm Browning machine gun. They are marked "50", "313" and "13". I cannot find any information on their origin, including the .50 bible by Ron Fuchs. The links that came with them are "ROS M9".

 

[thekees]

Have to look it up, but there was/is a manufacturer from the east, i thought it was China, but found a romanian manufacturer:

http://romarm.ro/en/product/cartus-12-7x99mm-cu-tub-otel/

however no pic's of the headstamp.

 

[Hoeksel]

Till now I have only seen Dutch .50 steel cases. I interpret the headstamp as:
50 = .50 caliber
13 = 2013?
313 = export code?

Still no clue about the manufacturer!

 

[Hoeksel]

I did find a reference for ROS (SIPR Defense, Marseille Cedex, France) in a list of manufacturer markings on ammunition used by the Dutch army.

 

[orpheus72]

Hoeksel,

ROS is indeed French: Rossi Industrie, Marseille (France)

They produced these links for the .50

 

[Hoeksel]

OK, one down, one more to go......

 

[thekees]

i think the 313 is not a number, this because of the 180 degree compared to the other markings, looks like an Egypt or some arab marking to me.

 

[jonnyc]

Definitely "313", not Arabic. Look at the serifs on the ones in 313 and 13.

 

[Hoeksel]

A member that send me a PM states the cases are definitely Romanian, no source supplied. A Dutch collector showed me an image of a Chinese 60 mm mortar with the 313 code.
I agree these are not Arabic markings.

 

[orpheus72]

Hoeksel,

Romania has a similar code according to following quote from Ron Fuchs book:

'It was confirmed that codes 323, 324, and 325, were in fact from the same facility, and the last figure 3, 4, and 5 is for LOT or special order.Export ammunition can have any kind of color code, or headstamp, according to the customers requirements.'

So i guess 31x could also be a Romenian plant.

COUGIR (wich is a part of Rhomtehnica) does make steel cased .50 rounds at this moment, see: http://www.umcugir.ro/NATO Type Ammunition.html

Unfortunately there's no HS on the site

 

[Hoeksel]

Although the image on the Romanian website is not so large, the lacquer color resembles the cases I have. Based on the current information, I think this could be the actual case.....as Kees already mentioned at the beginning with the link to the Romarm site.

 

[Hoeksel]

Update: I was able to get into contact with the provider of the cases. They are fired at the military training range for the Swedish "Life Guards Regiment", located in Kungsngen, just outside Stockholm. He verified he has never seen steel cases before at this range or his life as a military in the Swedish army. They always use brass casings.