.303" drill round

[smle2009]

Hi to all,
Looking for some info on a .303" drill round I have tracked down,havn't got it yet!.
It is a one piece hollow brass round made by Thomas French & Sons,has no headstamp.
My main question is did they have a military application and were other calibres made by them,I do have a 7.92mm of the same construction that was military(headstamped Ex 39 P S*)

Cheers
Tony

 

[TonyE]

Thomas French drill round

These were made by Kynoch for Thomas French who are best known as a manufacturer of .303 Chargers and belt links. They were originally made pre WW2, presumably for export sales. In 1937 Kynoch supplied 4,000 to Woolwich for trials and another 35,000 to the military in 1940. They were tested at Hythe in 1941 and worked well. They were recommended for adoption but as they were harder to make than the ordinary Drill Mark VIII they never went into full production, although they were definitely issued in small quantities.

There are at least two types, one with a plain dished base and another with a wood filler that is exposed at the base. I have both, and there are also variations in the profile of the bullet tip. They have no relationship with the Polte made 7.92x57mm dummy apart from both are hollow brass.

Picture of Kynoch/French drill round below.

Regards
TonyE

 

[smle2009]

Many thanks for the info TonyE

Tony

 

[jonnyc]

So, in construction, it's sort of a cross between a Blanch dummy and a US .30-40 Krag blank?

 

[TonyE]

French

Yes in a way, but it is a much more substantial construction than a Blanch.

Regards
TonyE