VICKERS MK6B's resto

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Hi Lynn.

Not to deflect Colin’s Thread for too long, you are correct up until about 1944/45 .303 Grenade Launching Rounds.

Prior to that date, sorting out these rounds is a complete PITA, particularly if dealing with spent casings. Brass cases were standard Ball Cartridges with no special Head Stamps, or crimping. Some iterations had fully blackened, or partially blackened cases and were described in great detail in written documentation, but rarely, it seems, were the differences ever deemed important enough to make the rounds readily obvious to the end user in the field, or at sea. Most of the earlier cartridges were a slightly heavier load of standard powder with a small insert of guncotton fore and aft with a lacquered plug and no crimping. Ballistite and Cordite loads did not gain prominence until the 2nd War when Rifle Grenades, Anti-Tank Grenades and Smoke Grenade usage really evolved, along with Line Throwing equipment for the Navy. I think the Cordite loads were a tropical thing where they stood up better in high humidity to Ballistite.

David

I have a fair collection of .303 Blank and Ballistite, and it seems to contradict what you say.

Pictured below are British, Australian and NZ manufactured Ballistite grenade launching rounds. All are marked on the container and headstamped as H Mk1z. The British and Australin cases are half chemically blackened, while the NZ cases are half Violet resin.

The British rounds are dated Oct 1940.
The Aust rounds are dated Sep 41.
The New Zealand rounds are Apr 42.

The "z" in the name indicates that Ballistite is a Nitrocellulose powder, not Cordite. The Ballistite is not only more stable in tropical conditions, but also provides more energy than Cordite can provide in the case volume.