Need help id'ing some ammo I picked up. It is a four position headstamp. At 12 o'clock position is 1951, 3 o'clock is 7.9, 6 o'clock is x8, and 9 o'clock is a circle with a diamond or a sguare in it. Trying to figure out who made it.

Thanks

Nash

Why not tell us what caliber the cartridge is. That would help to ID it.

Ray

The heading says 8mm Ammo ID.

Thanks

The heading doesn't tell us anything other than it's 8mm.

8mm Mauser
8mm Danish Krag
8mm Lebel
7.9mm Kurz
etc
etc

See what I mean?

Ray

Sorry, 8mm mauser.

Thanks

I've seen Chinese 8mm Mauser ammo with a square inside a circle and 7.9 on the headstamp manufactured in the late '30s.

But the locations of the markings and the other markings on the case head do not match your cartridge.

Could you post a photo?

nash

DaMan is probably right. He usually is. I asked my collector friends and here is the first reply:

Chinese, early PRC production, I believe

Ray

nash

BTW, PRC does not mean the Peoples Republic of California. Although it should. It means, as you know, the Peoples Republic of China, as in Communists. So the 1951 date would fit right in.

ray

I was thinking it could possibly be ROC, but not sure. Anybody shot any of this ammo? How does it shoot?
Might not be the correct forum to ask, but thought I'd check. Thanks for the help.

nash

Nash

It is "probably" ok to shoot although it may be corrosive primed and possibly Berdan primed also.

Here's some more. Probably more than you wanted to know.

The Square within a circle was originally the symbol of the 20th Arsenal in the City of Chungking in Sichuan (Szechwan) Province which was established in 1938 with resources from the Chungking and Nanking ammunition factories. The 20th Arsenal originally was the Sichuan Coin Bureau (a mint), established in 1929 and was later converted to an arsenal. Note that the symbol resembles a Chinese Cash coin of the period.The 20th Arsenal was the principle cartridge manufacture in China during WWII and continued to produce ammunition until the fall of the Nationalist Government in 1949. The Communist Chinese Government continued to use the symbol until at least 1951.

Ray

quote:

Originally posted by Cheechako:
nash

DaMan is probably right. He usually is. I asked my collector friends and here is the first reply:

Chinese, early PRC production, I believe

Ray

Thanks for the compliment, Ray! But that was only my best "wild ass guess"!

I'd like to see a photo of the case head markings before I give my final reply.

Daman, sent you a PM.

Why don't you post the photo of your cartridge on photobucket.com or some similar photo hosting site then copy and paste the direct link to Accurate Reloading?

Don in CO

nash

here's the one my collector friend has. I assume yours is like this??

Ray

quote:

Originally posted by Cheechako:
nash

here's the one my collector friend has. I assume yours is like this??

Ray

Good one, Ray!

Hope this works.
http://i254.photobucket.com/al...ash22buf/8mmAmmo.jpg

I asked the question of a collector friend of mine and he referred me to another site where I found this info:

"Cartridges are Chinese, produced at what was called under the Nationalist rule, the 20th Arsenal. It was established in 1938 with resources from both the Chungking and the Nanking ammunition factories.

Unlike cartridges produced during the Nationalist period, these were made under Communist rule, and the year dates are in the Julian Calender, not the Chinese Republican Calender.

I don't know anyone that knows what the "X" found after various entries on some of the headstamps signifies. The same lots and dates are found with and without it. Sorry I can't help there. Sometimes, the "X" is after the year, rather than the month (lot).

Reference: JLM notes
"A guide to Chinese Headstamps, 1880-1950," by Curtis, High and Woodin, IAA Journal Issue 420, Jul/Aug 2001, pages 30 - 34"
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-
For what it is worth, he also tells me this is the same factory that produced large quantites of ammo with 'phony' headstamps, such ammo as the 30 carbine ammo sent to Viet Nam and headstamped with 'LC51' but Berdan primed! I actually have a couple of these empty casess and you find in a hurry what they are NOT when you go to deprime them!
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the help in Id'ing the ammo. That looks like the ammo.

nash