Hitcher
12th November 2013, 21:12
Here's a project that some of you Gun Porn(TM) chaps may be able to help me with.
My Grandfather was a "marksman" in the Wellington Mounted Rifles in WWI. One day, while out stalking a Turkish sniper, his prey got the drop on him and got a clean shot on Grandpa's heart from a range of about 600 yards. Grandpa was in awe of this, because he reckoned his adversary had less than 3 seconds to get this shot away, not to mention the heat haze distortion and a bit of a cross-wind to add a bit of complexity.
The reason he survived was because the incoming shell collided with two rounds in Grandpa's bandolier. The two shells in question got quite badly munted. I have them in front of me. They're family heirlooms.
I don't have a micrometer and am guessing that they're .303, largely based on what shape I can recognise and the tail-heavy shape.
The headstocks are stamped with the following four codes: KF; VI; 3-13 and what appears to be a military broad arrow over an H. After this time there are no colour codes apparent.
If these are .303 shells, I'm guessing that they're Indian Government-manufactured Mark VI rounds made in March 1913?
Am I reading these codes correctly?
What does the H mean?
I wish I'd had these bullets when Grandpa was alive as he would have given me chapter and verse. He taught me how to shoot and was way better at it than I was, although I fancied myself.
My Grandfather was a "marksman" in the Wellington Mounted Rifles in WWI. One day, while out stalking a Turkish sniper, his prey got the drop on him and got a clean shot on Grandpa's heart from a range of about 600 yards. Grandpa was in awe of this, because he reckoned his adversary had less than 3 seconds to get this shot away, not to mention the heat haze distortion and a bit of a cross-wind to add a bit of complexity.
The reason he survived was because the incoming shell collided with two rounds in Grandpa's bandolier. The two shells in question got quite badly munted. I have them in front of me. They're family heirlooms.
I don't have a micrometer and am guessing that they're .303, largely based on what shape I can recognise and the tail-heavy shape.
The headstocks are stamped with the following four codes: KF; VI; 3-13 and what appears to be a military broad arrow over an H. After this time there are no colour codes apparent.
If these are .303 shells, I'm guessing that they're Indian Government-manufactured Mark VI rounds made in March 1913?
Am I reading these codes correctly?
What does the H mean?
I wish I'd had these bullets when Grandpa was alive as he would have given me chapter and verse. He taught me how to shoot and was way better at it than I was, although I fancied myself.