Greek or American ?

[getting there]

Hi all,
I have puchased a .303" cartridge H/S ( PC 1940 V11 Z ) Does anyone know if it was manufactured by Peters Cartridge Company as I have read or Greek Powder and Cartridge Company as the style of the headstamp looks similar to some 7.92mm BESA cartridges made in Greece in 1940.
Cheers Geoff.

 

[TonyE]

Pc 40

As far as I am aware, the Greeks did not make any .303 back in 1940, and this is a contract with Peters Cartridge Company.

The Greeks were making 7.92 of course, which is why we purchased the Besa ball and AP from them. We also purchased several million rounds of 8mm Lebel from Greece to feed all the French equipment that came back from Dunkirk. It was mostly 1920s production.

Regards
TonyE

 

[getting there]

U.S Manufactured .303"

Thanks you Tony for your fast reply, whilst on the subject of U.S. contract .303s I have 2 blank cartridges. One wood bulleted H/S ( US 16 V11 ) and the other a rosette crimped cartridge H/S ( US 15 V11 ). Were these cartridges manufactured in thr U.S.A. or remanufactued in the France / U.K. ? at a later date.
Thanks Again Geoff.

 

[TonyE]

US Rounds

An interesting question. I was looking at an identical US (as in USC Co.) wood bulleted blank only this afternoon. This one had a bluish coloured bullet, but it was difficult to tell whether this was intentional or just age.

I am fairly happy that both this and the rosette crimped blank were made over here. The ordinary blank is certainly British, as it is a matter of record that much US made ammo was inferior and was broken down and used as blank. The wood bulleted blank could be British or French. We supplied a lot of US C CO. ammo to the French as well for reloading as AP, tracer etc.

Although there was no official wood bulleted blank in British service in WWI, there is some evidence that they were made and used, so at the moment the jury is out on who made that one.

Regards
TonyE