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9mm headstamp question
ginmaster
Member Posts: 2,669 ✭✭✭✭✭
I picked up a couple boxes of 9mm with a gun purchase and would like to use it. The rounds came in a blue and white box marked "Interamrs". I assume they imported and boxed the stuff. I'm not familiar with the stuff and was wondering if it's corrosive. I also assume it's not a collectors find but good for shooting up at the range. The head stamp is a simple one "11 (star) 52 (star)" I was thinking Chinese and corrosive. Just a WAG based on my limited ammo knowledge. Can anyone help? Teak?
Comments
My guess is the ammo you picked up is Yugoslavian.
Does it look like this:
If it does it is Yugo. The choices of arsenals include:
1.) Prvi Partizan, Milosa Obrenovica 2, 31000 Uzice, Yugoslavia (Serbia)
2.) Unknown Factory, One of the countries that use to be part of Yugoslavia (only on brass cases)
Both of the above arsenals could be the same. The difference being the time in which my references are dated. I would strongly believe that your guess is correct and that it is corrosive.
There is quite of a bit of this stuff on the surplus market right now.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Heavyiron
That's it. One box is 49 and the other is 52.
No, I don't mind identifying headstamps because I usually learn something. Additionally, I have been a minor collector of cartridges most of my life so for me it is fun.
My interpretation of the headstamps you provided is that both are Canadian. The "MM" in this case is not to denote millimeter, but references Canadian manufacture. Quite a few of these were on the surplus market years ago and these cartridges would be within the correct date range. These look like a permutation of the Canadian or Commonwealth headstamp style as these are sometimes found with two, three, and four element headstamps. That is to say that "9, MM, 42" is a three element style and "10, 9, MM, 43" is a four element style. "9 43" would be the typical of the two element style.
The identification of headstamps can be anything but straight forward, especially the ones with numerical codes as you can see from above. Some countries use the same numbers to identify ammunition. For example code 11 is used by at least 3 different countries including China, Yugoslavia, and South Africa. Add to this the fact that some cartridges were deliberately mislabeled for covert military operations. So take your pick - but often there are other characteristics such as where and how the letters and digits are oriented on the headstamp that will give clues to the country of origin.
Regards,
Heavyiron
http://www.dia.mil/publicaffairs/Foia/smcal_vol1.pdf
Small Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide