What Is That Milsurp Loading?

by
posted on May 16, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
milsurp-throwback1.jpg
As with all milsurp ammunition, we must know more than just the type of cartridge we intend to shoot; as military cartridges were and are routinely loaded with tracer, incendiary and sometimes even explosive projectiles. These all pose obvious hazards, including armor piercing ammo, which have been blamed for sparking wildfires and thus in many places is illegal to shoot.

In the accompanying photo at the top of this article, the headstamp on the .303 British case on the left tells us it was manufactured in 1948 (“48”) at the Greenwood and Batley (“GB”) facility in England, and that the projectile is the MK VII ball round (“7”). The cartridge on the right is a G2 tracer round (“GII”) from the Royal Ordnance Factory, Blackpole, Worcester (“BE”), England, in 1943 (“43”).

More correctly, manufacture of the cartridge cases occurred at these facilities, but “filling” (as the British call it) of the cases with propellant occurred at different locales, probably due to concerns with accidents and sabotage—as well as for dispersing manufacture to mitigate losses from enemy bombings. Therefore, BE cases received their cordite at Swynnerton, and the Abbey Wood and Farnham facilities filled the GB cases.

Information on these headstamps came from the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum in Harrington, United Kingdom. The museum opened in 1993 to honor Americans of the 801st/492nd Bomb Group, which carried out Operation Carpetbagger to supply resistance fighters in Occupied Europe during World War II. The museum also has an extensive ID list of cartridge headstamps used by the U.S. during that war.

More articles from SSUSA Field Editor Art Merrill:

Latest

USAHSCTL Nationals2025 3
USAHSCTL Nationals2025 3

Nicholas Coppage Tops Field At 2025 USA High School Clay Target Nationals

Nicholas Coppage wins 2025 national clay target title after a perfect final round and epic shoot-off, Beaver River Central H.S. receives team title.

New: Metal Madness Easy Up Target Frames

A simpler setup with more affordable gear makes Metal Madness steel shooting more accessible than ever.

NRA Announces Dianna & Ryan Muller As Brand Ambassadors For America’s Rifle Challenge

NRA announces Dianna & Ryan Muller as brand ambassadors for America’s Rifle Challenge program, promoting AR-15 marksmanship, safety and training.

Eley’s New Trial Packs Let Competition Shooters Find Their Perfect Rimfire Match Ammo

Eley launches trial ammo packs to help shooters test and match precision .22 LR rounds to their firearms.

Ava Downs Captures Junior Olympic Trap Title On Home Turf

Hillsdale’s Ava Downs takes gold in women’s trap at the 2025 USA Shooting Junior Olympic Championships hosted at the Halter Center.

Brandon Powell Claims 8th Georgia State Sporting Clays Title

Brandon Powell wins his eighth Georgia State Sporting Clays Championship, continuing his dominance with multiple top finishes at the 2025 tournament.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.