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L numbers
- Thread starter smle2009
- Start date
TonyE
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
This is actually very logical, but quite difficult to explain.
L numbers are allocated to a store and are independently allocated to each type of store. Just as there was a .303 Ball Mark VII and a .303 Tracer Mark VII, there is a 5.56 L18A1 and a 9mm L18A1.
The nomenclature is based on the hierarchy of the description, ie. "Round 9mm Ball.....L18A1" differentiates it from "Cartridge 5.56mm Blank....L18A1".
Note also that there is the difference between the use of "Round" and "Cartridge". A cartridge with a bullet is a "Round" whilst one without a bullet is a "cartridge". In the British 7.62mm series there is the Grenade Launcher L1A1 and L1A2, but there is also the Drill L1A1 and L1A2. It has frequently been published in the past that this is an error in the allocation of L numbers, but it is not.
The Drill L1 has a bullet so it is "Round 7.62mm Drill L1A1" but the genade blank does not so it is "Cartridge 7.62mm......L1A1".
Also, there is no correlation between the L numbers allocated to different types of store. Thus for the 7.62mm the L10A1 is a blank, for the .50 BAT the L10A1 is a drill round.
I hope that is as clear as mud!
Regards
TonyE
L numbers are allocated to a store and are independently allocated to each type of store. Just as there was a .303 Ball Mark VII and a .303 Tracer Mark VII, there is a 5.56 L18A1 and a 9mm L18A1.
The nomenclature is based on the hierarchy of the description, ie. "Round 9mm Ball.....L18A1" differentiates it from "Cartridge 5.56mm Blank....L18A1".
Note also that there is the difference between the use of "Round" and "Cartridge". A cartridge with a bullet is a "Round" whilst one without a bullet is a "cartridge". In the British 7.62mm series there is the Grenade Launcher L1A1 and L1A2, but there is also the Drill L1A1 and L1A2. It has frequently been published in the past that this is an error in the allocation of L numbers, but it is not.
The Drill L1 has a bullet so it is "Round 7.62mm Drill L1A1" but the genade blank does not so it is "Cartridge 7.62mm......L1A1".
Also, there is no correlation between the L numbers allocated to different types of store. Thus for the 7.62mm the L10A1 is a blank, for the .50 BAT the L10A1 is a drill round.
I hope that is as clear as mud!
Regards
TonyE
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... and a .303-inch Blank L10 isn't an 'L' number at all!!!
Is that right?
Straightforward then.
:tinysmile_shy_t:
See http://www.mediafire.com/file/zjtrmwnn3jm/Grenades - L Series Part 1[1].pdf for a brief intro to the 'L' Series notation wrt grenades but it applies to other stores.
Is that right?
Straightforward then.
:tinysmile_shy_t:
See http://www.mediafire.com/file/zjtrmwnn3jm/Grenades - L Series Part 1[1].pdf for a brief intro to the 'L' Series notation wrt grenades but it applies to other stores.
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TonyE
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
L10
Absolutely right Norman, I should have thought of that wrinkle!
For those not familiar with the nomenclature, before the "L" numbers came into service in the mid 1950s, "L" was the British code for blanks, so the last mark of .303 blank was the L Mark 10z bulleted blank for the Bren gun.
Regards
TonyE
Absolutely right Norman, I should have thought of that wrinkle!
For those not familiar with the nomenclature, before the "L" numbers came into service in the mid 1950s, "L" was the British code for blanks, so the last mark of .303 blank was the L Mark 10z bulleted blank for the Bren gun.
Regards
TonyE
the L number is the British Equivalent of the American M number and similarly is always followed by an A#
And the equivalent of the Australian "F" number, the Canadian "C" number and South African "R" number.
These numbers are not just used for Ammunition types, but also for weapons, vehicles and other types of equipment of Local Pattern or variation.
As TonyE has said, they are the tail end of the heirachy of nomenclature, and as such appear in many different item's descriptions. I believe the US M3 is the most widely repeated (2 tanks, 1 half track, 1 scout car, 1 APC, 1 .45 SMG, etc) and I can think of several Aust items with an F1 in part of their title.
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