7.62x51 (NATO) ID

[Maggot]

Evening all

I got given 4 of these yesterday. I can find reference to purple painted tips for an RG Tracer trials batch but these aint them.

These are marked L2A2, NATO stamp and 72, however they are deffo not tracer but Ball. The shooter I nicked them off of said he was given a batch from RG and they performed very well at long range. The bullet weighs circa 145gr (which I thought was odd, I get 144 and 146, and even 155) but we wondered if it was some sort of test batch for the NRA or military comp ammo.



Any ideas?

 

[Spaceinvader]

After looking around a bit I think it is a "Dim-Tracer".

 

[bdgreen]

https://sites.google.com/site/britmilammo/7-62mm

https://sites.google.com/site/britmilammo/british-l-codes

Purple tip and base color marks, probably represents one of many possible experimental rounds. One example is a purple tip tracer with a knurled ring below the purple tip (picture on older IAA Forum post is now missing).

It is unfortunate in many ways that Tony Edwards is no longer with us.

 

[smle2009]

Yes, purple tips on uk ammo usually represent 'in house' experiments/trials,unfortunately without the paperwork ect with them we will probably never know what the experiment/development was.

Tony

 

[AE501]

A purple annulus colour in UK SAA markings always denotes ball as red is always tracer etc. going way back and has nothing to do with experimental.
Purple markings elsewhere, through all post war systems at least, denotes experimental. On small things you are limited for space so may use the tip but in larger stores this would usually be as a longitudinal stripe(s) to indicate that it was readily identifiable as non service marking.
I believe on some wartime US ammunition purple denoted incendiary.

 

[Maggot]

Thanks Guys

The stuff was given to the chap who I blagged it off. The only clue he had was that the coloured marks on the base were supposed to denote it was for comp use.

They are definitely (100%) not tracer but a near standard ball. The only clue Chris had was that they shot better than expected at long ranges.

I was wondering about possibly checking the angle of the boat tail, although it might just be something as banal as accurately hand loaded ammo or a very early run of green spot....like you say, without paperwork, who knows.

Thanks folks.

 

[ydnum303]

Hi all,

Speaking as a target shooter and long time collector of British SAA, I do not think this was ever intended for target/competition shooting, but were experimental rounds, as already stated. The red lacquer on the base of one of them was just to indicate to the experimenters exactly which batch of ammo it belonged to.

Regards,
Roger.

 

[raymeketa]

Don't discount the possibility that these are standard L2A2 Ball rounds that someone has painted to make them appear to be something they are not.

I realize that your rounds are British but, for what it's worth, a Purple/Violet tip on a U.S. 7.62mm cartridge indicates a Starlight/Dim tracer but that color did not make an appearance until the early 1990s. U.S. Incendiary bullets were identified by a light blue tip color. (4th and 5th from right).