UNUSUAL 8MM

[swpa19]

I had been collecting cartridges off and on for over 30years. I'm in the process of purging (donating) my collection to an SF friend of mine who is an avid WWII memorabalia collector.

I came across this round. I had initially intended to take it to a show and perhaps have it properly ID'd, but never got around to it.

Im hoping someone here could offer some insight to it.

The cartridge itself is a laquered 7.9 X 57MM bullet. There is no powder charge in the round, and the "ball" is constructed from a purplish wood.

Because of the amount of laquer on the round, the headstamp is a bit difficult to make out. Or is it my age and eyes.

Appreciate any input.

[Pete]

http://e-militaria.com/catalog/unkno...-42/index.html

[swpa19]

Like this?

PETE: Yup, exactly like that.

[Sten]

The Germans were fighting Vampires?

[Team Sergeant]

A home made snap-cap?

[HOLLiS]

I wonder if they are training rounds/dummies. I don't think a collector would want to find out if the primer is inert or not.

I have seen advertise 6.5 Swede (if memory is right) round with wooden bullets for practice.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by HOLLiS

...I have seen advertise 6.5 Swede (if memory is right) round with wooden bullets for practice.

My google-fu is weak this afternoon. I was looking for a link on the German rd.

The BFA for the Swedish round was a screw on cap for the end of the barrel that destroyed the round as it came out.

The MG 34 had a blank fire barrel and IIRC it fired in a similar way. The weapon fired the round and as it came to the end it was smashed on a fixed cone with the splinters flying out forward and to the side.

Plugs, paper and crimps took out the wood used for blanks.

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

This was found on a gun thread about the same question.

"They are drill rounds. I have had several clips of these, both WW1 and WW2 dated. How they ended up in the front line, no idea!"

"No, the 'slugs' are wooden and there is no cordite in them, so they cannot be fired. They are used to practice operating the rifle, reloading etc.

[JJ_BPK]

[QUOTE=HOLLiS;251046]I wonder if they are training rounds/dummies. /QUOTE]


Yes Sir,, That's what they are. They used wood dowel bullets with deep hollow bases and normal power & primer. The idea was they would disintegrate when exiting the barrel.

I think the UK made .303 with red painted wood and green 8MM by Germany.

Different stories go with them

• wood was used so the doctors could not see the bullet with xrays
• crowd control
• blanks
• funerals & ceremonials
• used indoor for trigger control and weapons fimulariy..
  

[Pete]

Here is the link to the 6.5mm Swedish manual.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIR...8-m41b-m96.pdf

Part 5 covers installing the BFA.

The last page covers ammunition. The m/44 was the practice round and the m/14 was the blank round "red wooden bullet".

I'm still looking for the 8mm.

[Pete]

From the black (?) (and also made in yellow) primer it is probably a 7.92mm Patrone Gew. Krat.

If not then it would be a 7.92 Platz Patrone 33.

Both 8mm Blanks from WW II.

Here is a link to some info.

http://www.germanmilitaria.co.uk/ammu.htm#ptrmausers

The Exerzierpatronen were the dummy/drill rounds.

[swpa19]

"No, the 'slugs' are wooden and there is no cordite in them, so they cannot be fired.

BLITZZZ: That would make sense, the round is "crimped" into the wooden "Ball" and there is NO powder charge in the round. It also looks like the primer is a dummy.

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

The other ones have powder and primer.
Some were used in Machine gun belts for 100 meter ranges...why? ...Got me
Some were Hollow and disintegrated leaving the barrel (with assist of a barrel shreader. (used as blanks).
Some where solid and would be set afire leaving the barrel and built to shoot WWI aircraft and burn them. I guess they would have to be flying low. Blitzzz

[Gene Econ]

Originally Posted by Blitzzz

The other ones have powder and primer.
Some were used in Machine gun belts for 100 meter ranges...why? ...Got me
Some were Hollow and disintegrated leaving the barrel (with assist of a barrel shreader. (used as blanks). Some where solid and would be set afire leaving the barrel and built to shoot WWI aircraft and burn them. I guess they would have to be flying low. Blitzzz

Blitzzz:

You never fired any blue plastic SRTA (Short Range Traininig Ammunition) 5.56, 7.62, or .50 Caliber at reduced ranges?

Head out to a 'fitty-cal' range sometime and walk down range maybe thirty yards and look on the ground. You will see many blue plastic bullets sitting there with rifling engraved on them.

Since the era of the blue plastic bullets there are several SRTA designs that actually perform quite well.

BTW -- have you ever shot a bullet made of Melmac? Those were also SRTA bullets and probably the very first 'frangiable' bullets ever used. For those who don't know what Melmac is -- it is the brown colored plastic stuff that you may have seen as your coffee cups and mess hall trays of Boucher's era (not mine as he is an antique and I am VOLAR). He, he, he.

I shot some watermellons with some factory loaded Melmac bullets in 30-06 about fifteen years ago from an M-1903 C Stock Springfield rifle (an original with a pristine barrel). Totally unimpressive results. I thnk I may have a few of these peculiar SRTA rounds left somewhere. I think their headsamps were in the 1940's. Boucher would know as he probably shot hundreds of them when he was in his teen age years.

That said -- the study of gallery, frangiable, and short range ammunition is extremely interesting if one is into small arms development and marksmanship training concepts and history.

Gene

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

shot the blue 7.62 in Berlin while practicing covering door entry by shooting around the door kickers while they were "kicking" . Blitzzz