I have a very large small bore cartridge. headstamp is 41 401 aux Waa109
caliber is .323 (8mm ?)
head dia. .823 overall length is 4.653
possibly a tracer.

You have the 7.92x94 (Panzerbuesche) cartridge for the German WW2 anti-tank rifles.

See: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankammo.html

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum

thanks. is it a common cartridge, and what is its history.

It is not uncommon - you will see some for sale at most cartridge fairs - but it's still quite expensive (in Europe anyway).

The starting point for its development was the WW1 13x92SR cartridge used in the Mauser M1918, the first of the anti-tank rifles. First the case was made rimless, then it was necked down to 7.92mm as it was discovered that the higher the velocity, the better the penetration. The tungsten-cored bullet had a small tear gas capsule attached to the back.

The guns used to fire it were the PzB 38 and 39, and the MSS.41 bullpup design. It was quite effective at the start of WW2, being able to penetrate up to 30mm of armour at short range, but it soon became ineffective as tank armour thickened up. The muzzle velocity was around 4,000 fps and barrel wear was something ferocious - it only lasted about 200 rounds.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum

expensive? how much. somebody in the past pulled the bullet with what looks like pliers, then dumped the powder. the bullet is loose, but intact. there is a hole in the back with a plastic insert. I had wondered about that. tear gas. it must be a small amount. thank you much for the information.

In Europe, last time I looked, probably in the 35-70 US dollar range depending on condition.

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