Old wartime Bullet found in school yard

[Connan]

Hey guys,
Just wondering peoples thoughts on this item found in a school yard.
Do people report unfired ammunition to authorities? Maybe not.
Can this still be actively dangerous?
I think if I cleaned it, the shell could crumble and break up.
It makes me wonder why it was in the grounds of an old school?
I gather from the stamp it was made in 1943.
Cheers Co.

 

[mbasko]

Possibly an old school yard used by the army?

It is illegal in all states to possess any ammunition without a licence.

The general information available in most states recommends:
Any ammunition should be disposed of through the following:

• A licensed firearm dealer
• A local police station

It is also recommended that you contact the person/organisation you are going to dispose of the ammunition with beforehand.

Qld:
Contact a licensed firearms dealer or the Explosives Inspectorate on 1300 739 868 (24/7) to arrange a penalty-free ammunition surrender.

Victoria:
A licensed firearm dealer is the preferred option or A local police station.

NSW:
Licensed firearms dealer or by unconditional surrender to police.

SA:
Hand into a participating licensed firearms dealer or a police station for surrender.

Tas:
Surrender the ammunition to the police.

NT:
In the Northern Territory firearms/ammunition can be surrendered at police stations or participating licensed dealers.

ACT:
Contact ACT Fire Arms Registry at Mitchell. Ph: 6133 2122

WA:
Contact or make an appointment with your nearest police station – prior to surrendering ammunition.

WA (& other states) have in place an amnesty providing protection from prosecution where a person is in possession of an unlicensed firearm/ammunition for the purpose of handing it in.

 

[Hilux]

I'm in WA and just take them to my local Police station.

Personally I don't worry about making an appointment. It's normally just a couple of old .22 bullets, the coppers (usually civilian admin aides) don't seem fussed.

I did find a really crusty .22 and twisted / bent the projectile out of the casing by hand. It made a quiet 'phutt' noise do I don't do that anymore.

 

[Big kenny]

It a old 303 used by school army cadet in the old day when you could walk down the street with a gun over your shoulder s and nobody would look twice

 

[Connan]

Possibly an old school yard used by the army?

It is illegal in all states to possess any ammunition without a licence.

The general information available in most states recommends:
Any ammunition should be disposed of through the following:

• A licensed firearm dealer
• A local police station

It is also recommended that you contact the person/organisation you are going to dispose of the ammunition with beforehand.

Qld:
Contact a licensed firearms dealer or the Explosives Inspectorate on 1300 739 868 (24/7) to arrange a penalty-free ammunition surrender.

Victoria:
A licensed firearm dealer is the preferred option or A local police station.

NSW:
Licensed firearms dealer or by unconditional surrender to police.

SA:
Hand into a participating licensed firearms dealer or a police station for surrender.

Tas:
Surrender the ammunition to the police.

NT:
In the Northern Territory firearms/ammunition can be surrendered at police stations or participating licensed dealers.

ACT:
Contact ACT Fire Arms Registry at Mitchell. Ph: 6133 2122

WA:
Contact or make an appointment with your nearest police station – prior to surrendering ammunition.

WA (& other states) have in place an amnesty providing protection from prosecution where a person is in possession of an unlicensed firearm/ammunition for the purpose of handing it in.

Thank you, i will hand it in to police.

 

[Connan]

I'd would say the school yard was used by the army, but you wouldn't think they would leave loose ammo sitting around.
Co.

 

[Aries]

Looking at the picture its not a 303, as the 303 has a bigger rim, best guess would be a 30-06 springfield .
Pretty easy to identify if you measure case length , dimensions available on web.

 

[Grey Panner]

Looking at the picture its not a 303, as the 303 has a bigger rim, best guess would be a 30-06 springfield .
Pretty easy to identify if you measure case length , dimensions available on web.

I agree.Being rimless it is not .303 ammunition. Being of WW2 vintage it could be from the US Garand semi-automatic rifle.
I think the BAR (Browning Automaic Rifle) may have used rimless 30 calibre rounds as well.
Were US troops stationed in that area during the war?
Grey Panner.

 

[Aries]

Yep, both Garand and BAR were mainly chambered for 30-06 rounds (both were also chambered in other calibers ).
But 30-06 is also a popular deer cartridge so may not be that old.

 

[Nightjar]

308 left 303 right.

 

[Aries]

Bit hard to tell from original image, but 308 bit stumpier, simple length measurement would clarify.
I have both calibers.
Anyway Connan should dispose of properly as fair chance it is still "live", a simple kinetic bullet puller ( any rifle club member that reloads would have one) will disarm in a flash or as mentioned go to cops.

 

[Jaros]

Never muck around with anything with which you are uncertain.

 

[Aries]

Just out of interest (as this is a hobby of mine) I just did a bit of a search on the head stamp on this cartridge - U 43.
It comes from the Utah ordnance plant and is a military "ball" cartridge with crimped primer, in 30-06 caliber made from late 42 till 1943.
The only other cartridge marked U43 is the .50 BMG cartridge made in the same factory at the same time, this is a very similar shaped cartridge but a whole lot bigger. So if it is not 51/2 inches (138mm) long it is a military issue 30-06.
This doesn't necessarily mean it was lost by some military unit as a lot of these were sold as surplus.
https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.php?t=105958

 

[Connan]

Yes, it's a 50 caliber. It is apparently from Utah salt lake city. 1943.
I think people have been talking about the 303 unfired shell in the picture I posted which is stamped 44 and it looks like 17.
Here is another pic of it washed abit.

 

[Connan]

Just out of interest (as this is a hobby of mine) I just did a bit of a search on the head stamp on this cartridge - U 43.
It comes from the Utah ordnance plant and is a military "ball" cartridge with crimped primer, in 30-06 caliber made from late 42 till 1943.
The only other cartridge marked U43 is the .50 BMG cartridge made in the same factory at the same time, this is a very similar shaped cartridge but a whole lot bigger. So if it is not 51/2 inches (138mm) long it is a military issue 30-06.
This doesn't necessarily mean it was lost by some military unit as a lot of these were sold as surplus.
https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.php?t=105958

 

[Connan]

It has a black tip, what would that mean? Aries

 

[mbasko]

It has a black tip, what would that mean? Aries

Military grade - AP (armour piercing)

 

[Grey Panner]

Military grade - AP (armour piercing)

In the fifties, when war-surplus ammunition was freely available, bulk purchases of 303 rounds would often contain a few with black projectiles. As has already been stated, these were armour piercing rounds. Very occasionally someone would encounter a tracer but this was rare and I can't remember what colour they were.
I never heard of incendiary rounds being available publically. It seems obvious that they would have been scrupulously kept back when surplus ammo was disposed off.
Machine gun belts used to be loaded TAB, TAB, TABI, which stood for Tracer, Armoured Piercing, Ball, with the I indicaing Incendiary.
This would appear to indicate that the round discovered by Connan was certainly of military origin and since it has been definitely identified as 50 calibre and of US manufacture it would almost certainly be a US Army relic.
It's an interesting historical find.
Grey Panner

 

[Nightjar]

Back in the 60's while an apprentice I briefly worked with an employee who was involved during WW2. He told stories about delivering and burying truck loads of munitions along the Brisbane Line.
The "Brisbane Line" was a defence proposal supposedly formulated during World War II to concede the northern portion of the Australian continent in the event of an invasion by the Japanese.
With the number of metal detectors in later years it is surprising that none of these dumps have ever been reported/found?

 

[Nightjar]

My partner picked up a signal with her 4500 in the Leonora area, much digging and excitement that she was onto a good one. Down about 300mm up came this old live round nosed 303.