RAF trench art 50cal

[reccetrooper]

Found this at Detling, it's obviously not a modern fake piece of 'trench art' because the .50 cal casing is dated 1933. (From Frankford Arsenal) The emblem is clearly cut from an RAF tunic button.

This got me wondering, when did the RAF first use .50 cal Brownings?

 

[smle2009]

Strange headstamp!....looks wrong to me?.... .50" were made for the UK by the States during WW2,the headstamp of my example is RA 1941 .50 CAL Z.
Interestingly I had a .303" made into a lighter using a small RAF tunic button in the same fashion as your 50 cal.

Cheers
Tony

 

[reccetrooper]

Hi Tony,

The headstamp wording 'CAL 50 FA 33' is a correct variant, but having not seen a case this early before I haven't anything to compare it to. I'll ask Ron Fuchs when I next email him.

I know the lend-lease variant you mention, this is my example. Has yours the nickel or brass primer?

 

[smle2009]

The characters on the headstamp look to be 'cut' to me not stamped?......brass on mine:tinysmile_grin_t:

 

[TonyE]

That is a legitimate headstamp and is probably from the ammunition bought from the US in 1940 for the aircraft purchased at the same time. Early versions of the B17 Fortress were part of this purchase.

The FA 33 headstamp is specifically mentioned in one of the Small Arms Committee tests of the US ammo, along with similar dated FA .30 calibre and 1940 dated Remington .30.

Since the US Neutrality Act prohibited the US government from selling munitions to beligerents, the government formed the US Steel Corporation as a private enterprise, sold the weapons to them who then sold them to the UK.

I wrote an article in a recent IAA Journal on these early ammunition purchases pre Lease-Lend.

Regards
TonyE

 

[reccetrooper]

Thank you TonyE, I've just read through your article in the May/June journal.

 

[TonyE]

The RAF badge on your FA33 gives it a rather nice provenance. Good item.

Regards
TonyE