Old wartime Bullet found in school yard

[Nightjar]

A mate of mine found these.

 

[Aries]

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.

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The Footscray plant's headstamp was originally CAC from 1888 to 1918 and ->CAC<- (the letters between two horizontal "Government Property" arrowheads) from 1918 to 1920. The headstamp was changed to ->SAAF<- (for "Small Arms Ammunition Factory") from 1921 to 1923
So pre 1918

The second set of photos are pinfire cartridges.

 

[Connan]

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

Thank you for your response, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[Connan]

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?

Interesting story, Thank you

 

[Big kenny]

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.

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That is true my brother is a vet nam vet 20 years in army Brisbane he told me right through qeensland gun and ,truck every thing in grease hidden under ground. Brisbane was front line so they could drop in behind enemy lines most have been removed now. I have heard of the od find about 20 year ago

 

[Hippyty79]

The old man’s mate with family in the Kimberly’s said they watched the yank choppers flying wooden crates into the bungle bungle, one way in one way out.
He use to alway carry on about finding the lost Harley’s.

 

[Goldfreak]

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.

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The CAC stands for Colonial Ammunition Company and could be from England or Footscray Melbourne. Maybe it was meant for the Great Emu War

 

[Grey Panner]

The old man’s mate with family in the Kimberly’s said they watched the yank choppers flying wooden crates into the bungle bungle, one way in one way out.
He use to alway carry on about finding the lost Harley’s.

I too have heard about those Harleys. They are said to be covered in grease and stored in a tunnel the entrance to which was blasted, sealing them in.
But that is nothing compared to the Spitfire that is said to be buried beneath an old airstrip at Oakey on the Darling Downs.
Grey Panner

 

[Connan]

Military grade - AP (armour piercing)

Would this mean that it is what they call a incendiary exploding bullet? Aries?

 

[Aries]

Would this mean that it is what they call a incendiary exploding bullet? Aries?

No, Just a "solid" ie completely jacketed projectile.

 

[Connan]

No, Just a "solid" ie completely jacketed projectile.

Thank you

 

[RichardWest]

Would this mean that it is what they call a incendiary exploding bullet? Aries?

Copper jacket around a tungsten core usually.