Wooden Bullets

[GregN]

Hi all, I was researching these wooden tipped bullets that I was given and as they look different from other posts I thought I'd start a new post about them. These were a gift from a buddy so I no history with them. They look German and for a Mauser but that's all I suspect.

The head-stamps are: Amf 1 25, 1 V1 46 48 HA, V1 46 19 46 HA, Crown 41 DWM

Are these training rounds, indoor range rounds or grenade launcher rounds?

Thanks in advance,

Greg

 

[Darrol]

when did the germans start using rifle grenades ,the cartridge with DWM has what looks like an imperial crown? .:tinysmile_hmm_t2:regards Darrol.

 

[jonnyc]

I believe they're just blanks. Wood-bullet blanks are often used in MGs and auto-weapons as they can be made to cycle the action.

 

[EOD]

These are 6.5x55 for the so called Sweden Mauser.

These are simple blank cartridges and they are all likely to be Danish reloads.

The shown cases are made by Sweden (amf), Germany for Sweden (DWM) and Denmark (HA).

 

[GregN]

Thanks guys, somewhere I read a after-action report of Canadians in Normandy facing a conscript training company of German troops firing "wooden" bullets. The Canadians felt at the time that this was very bad as X-rays couldn't see the bullet fragments. It's possible that the Germans fired what they had (or officers let them have), which was blanks; hence wooden bullets.

Thanks again for the id.

Greg

 

[6.5MS]

I was told a story of a Brit, after Normandy, who was shot in the leg by a German soldier with a mauser using a wooden bulleted blank. He quickly despatched the soldier with his sten, who turned out to be 15 or 16 years old. Most likley the Germans were given anything to fire and posting anyone who could fire them.

The blanks posted are 6.5 x 55 of various makes.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Sad history.

 

[mausernut]

They might be danish, except for the HA they might not. 6,5x55 with wooden bullets were used by the swedes as well, but danish reloads have either a star or a circle stamp on the head. Star for reloading at the HA, circle at DA factory in Otterup.
The DWM are german production for the swedes during WW2
Soren

 

[GregN]

Thanks guys!

G

 

[AMMOTECHXT]

I remember seeing Swedish 6.5 mm Gallery Practice indoor and outdoor rounds for the Karl Gustav (Charlie G) 84 mm anti tank rocket marked with the 4 lines on the base of the cartridge case, as some of yours are but they were not fitted with wooden bullets. I have also seen .303 inch bulleted blank rounds fitted with wooden bullets.

 

[mausernut]

Just took an extra look at the pictures in the top post, and there's an extra stamp -a fat 'I'- I haven't seen before... On the amf 26 it's on top, on the HA it's on the left line of the H in HA - very mysterious....
On certain danish (HA) headstamps a triangle was added, signifying a modification to the anvil, but this is not the triangle.
Soren

 

[bs-40]

Maybe the extra mark is to make sure the cases are not reloaded more than once. I believe Swedish wooden blanks were reloaded from once fired brass.
Swedish wooden blanks were red to my knowledge, but sometimes old weathered rounds lost their color.

 

[E-tech]

There is another possible use for a wooden projectile. A specialized "assault" round with limited range in order to prevent fratricide when using infiltration tactics. This was found in use with Japanese soldiers when they would assault American positions from all sides at once.