A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. Military headstamps usually have only the year of manufacture .
The headstamp is punched into the base of the cartridge during manufacture. A resource for identifying where the ammunition originated can be found at Cartridge Collectors.
Military Headstamps[]
Two digits are the last two digits of the year of manufacture. Early 20th century cartridges may have additional digits or a letter indicating the month of manufacture. The letter code indicates the place of manufacture:[1]
American Military Cartridges[]
US Arsenals[]
- FA Frankford Arsenal - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- AO or KS Allegheny Ordnance Plant (Kelly Springfield) - Cumberland, Maryland: Operated by Kelly-Springfield Tire Co., a division of Goodyear Rubber.
- DEN Denver Ordnance Plant - Denver, Colorado: a division of Remington Arms. (1941-1945)
- DM Des Moines Ordnance Plant - Des Moines, Iowa: a division of US Rubber Co. (January 1942 to July 1945)
- EC Evansville Ordnance Plant (Chrysler) - Evansville, Ohio: a division of Chrysler. (June 1942 to April 1944)
- ECS Evansville Ordnance Plant (Sunbeam) - Evansville, Indiana: a division of Sunbeam Refrigerator Co.. (1942-1944)
- EW Eau Claire Ordnance Plant - Eau Claire, Wisconsin a division of US Rubber Co. (August 1942 to December 1943)
- LC Lake City Ordnance Plant, Independence, Missouri: a division of Remington Arms. (1940–Present)
- LM Lowell Ordnance Plant, Lowell, Massachusetts (1942-1943)
- M Milwaukee Ordnance Plant - Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Operated by US Rubber Co. (August 1942 to December 1943).
- P or PC Kings Mills Ordnance Plant (Peters Cartridge Company) - Kings Mills, Ohio: a sub-contractor owned by Remington Arms from the 1930s until its closure in 1943.
- SL St. Louis Ordnance Plant - St.Louis, Missouri: (November 1941 to June 1945)
- TW Twin Cities Ordnance Plant - Minneapolis, Minnesota: (1942-1945; 1950-1957; 1965-1976; 2002-2005)
- U or UT Utah Ordnance Plant - Salt Lake City, Utah - a division of Remington Arms. (March 1942 to December 1943).
Civilian Contractors[]
- FCC Federal Cartridge Corporation - Anoka, Minnesota[2]
- RA Remington Arms - Bridgeport, Connecticut
- US United States Cartridge Company - Lowell, Massachusetts (1867-1926).
- W or WCC Western Cartridge Company - East Alton, Illinois
- WRA Winchester Repeating Arms Company - New Haven, Connecticut
Commercial Cartridges[]
The US military used commercial cartridges for its training rifles, non-standard weapons, and shotguns. These usually had different headstamps than the military ammunition (usually their civilian one) and were shipped in commercial crates rather than military packaging.
- ♦ Western Cartridge Company - East Alton, Illinois:
- F Federal Cartridge Corporation - Anoka, Minnesota
- H Winchester Repeating Arms Company - New Haven, Connecticut:
- P, PCCo or PETERS Peters Cartridge Company - Kings Mills, Ohio:
- REM-UMC Remington-Union Metallic Cartridge - Bridgeport, Connecticut
- U Remington Arms - Bridgeport, Connecticut:
Commonwealth Military Cartridges[]
The number in parentheses is the nation's Nation Code.
Australia (66)[]
- AF Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.1 - Footscray; Melbourne, Victoria; Australia (1888-1945) [3]
- AFF Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.2 - Footscray; Melbourne, Victoria; Australia (1940–Present)[3][4]
- CAC Colonial Ammunition Company - Auckland, New Zealand.
- ICIANZ Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia & New Zealand -
- MF Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.1 - Footscray; Melbourne, Victoria; Australia (1888-1945) [4]
- MG Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.2 - Footscray; Melbourne, Victoria; Australia (1940–Present) [4]
- MH Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.3 - Hendon; Adelaide, South Australia; Australia (1940-1945) [4][5]
- MJ Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.4 - Hendon; Adelaide, South Australia; Australia (1940-1945) [4][5]
- MQ Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.5 - Rocklea; Brisbane, Queensland; Australia (?-1945) [4]
- MW Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.6 - Welshpool, Western Australia; Australia (?-1945) [4]
Canada (20 and 21)[]
- DAC Dominion Arsenal Co. - Quebec City, Quebec; Canada
- DAL Dominion Arsenal - Lindsay, Ontario, Canada (1914-1918)
- DAQ Dominion Arsenal - Quebec City, Quebec; Canada[6]
- IVI Industries Valcartier Inc. - Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier; Canada
- TR Dominion Rubber & Munitions - Trois Rivieres, Quebec; Canada.
- VC Verdun Arsenal - Verdun, Quebec; Canada[6]
South Africa (18)[]
- U Government Factory - Pretoria - Pretoria, South Africa.
United Kingdom (99)[]
- RG Royal Ordnance Factory Radway Green - Radway Green, Cheshire; England, United Kingdom.
NATO Manufacturers[]
The number in parentheses is the nation's Nation Code.
Germany (12)[]
- DAG Dynamit Nobel A-G - Troisdorf, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Fürth. After 2002 RUAG Ammotec, Fürth, Bavaria
- MEN Metallwerk Elisenhütte Nassau G.m.b.H. - Nassau, Lahn, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Greece (23)[]
- EPK, GPC, or HXP (Pyrkal) Greek Powder & Cartridge Company - Athens, Greece. (1908-2004). Manufactures cartridges and disintegrating belt links.
Israel (31)[]
- IMI, TK, or TKK Israeli Military Industries - Tel Aviv, Israel. Manufactures cartridges and disintegrating belt links.
Italy (15)[]
- GFL Giulio Fiocchi Lecco - Lecco, Italy.
The Netherlands (17)[]
- AI Artillerie - Inrichtingen NV (1679-1983) - Zaandam, Netherlands.
- EMZ Eurometaal Zaandam NV (1983–Present) - Zaandam, Netherlands.
- NWM Nederlandsche Wapen-en Munitiefabriek de Kruithoorn NV (1948-1998) - 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Spain[]
South Korea (37)[]
- PS (Poong-San), Poongsan Metal Mfg. Co. Ltd. - Seoul, South Korea. Manufactures military cartridges.
- PMC (Precision-Made Cartridges), a division of Poongsan Metal Mfg. Co. Ltd. - Seoul, South Korea. Manufactures commercial cartridges.
Taiwan (?)[]
- TAA Material Production Center, 205th Arsenal, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. A sub-contractor for General Dynamics.[7] They manufacture 5.56mm NATO and 7.62mm NATO cartridges.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Sharpe, Philip B. Complete Guide to Handloading (1953) Funk & Wagnalls p.75
- ↑ Davis, William C., Jr. Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.21
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 A
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Australian Military Headstamps (1939-1945)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hendon Ammunition Factory
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Davis, William C., Jr. Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.12
- ↑ Battle Over Bullets By Scott Barancik. St. Petersburg Times. Published April 12, 2007
The original article can be found at List of military headstamps and the edit history here.