Okay - it was probably shot from a model 1* made by Inglis of Canada 
Chuffing thing flings fireballs out of that muzzle brake....pig of a rifle
Chuffing thing flings fireballs out of that muzzle brake....pig of a rifle
Intriguing find whilst out and about
- Thread starter Kepis
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Okay - it was probably shot from a model 1* made by Inglis of Canada
Chuffing thing flings fireballs out of that muzzle brake....pig of a rifle
Sounds like you have first hand experience of the fire balls - prey tell
Shot one years ago....very stout recoil and a huge amount of muzzle flash from the brake. Could have been suspect ammo I suppose, but visible in daylight. Seemed really odd at the time because in a barrel that long I would expect all powder to have burned. Noisy brute as well - even with muffs on. It is basically just a big old bolt action rifle, but I have no desire to shoot one again - which is unusual for me. Now shooting a Baker rifle (cue music for Sharpe) - different matter entirely.
....There's twenty Shillings on the drum for those who volunteer to come.........................
All very interesting, I was lucky enough to fire a Boyes anti tanks about twentyfive years ago!
One thing about the theory of pulling the bullet to get at the powder though, the .303 service round was loaded with cordite, which comes in sort of strings, a bit like pencil leads to look at, not granular powder. On the .303 I believe it was inserted into the case before the neck was formed to accept the bullet, so it's all but impossible to pull it out of the case (don't ask me how I know this please!). If you do manage to get it out, you can light the individual sticks of cordite and they sort of burn like a fuse you see in the cartoons.
Dave
One thing about the theory of pulling the bullet to get at the powder though, the .303 service round was loaded with cordite, which comes in sort of strings, a bit like pencil leads to look at, not granular powder. On the .303 I believe it was inserted into the case before the neck was formed to accept the bullet, so it's all but impossible to pull it out of the case (don't ask me how I know this please!). If you do manage to get it out, you can light the individual sticks of cordite and they sort of burn like a fuse you see in the cartoons.
Dave
I've just cleaned it up a bit, the markings are confirmed as DAC on the upper section, 1924 date mark in the centre and VII at the six o'clock position, the case is full of a solid material that's clay and associated detritus from years of being on the forest floor, but as i scraped it away, a small hole appeared and there are a number of small rods inside, just like Dave's description, see below picture, where ive extracted one slightly
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Fascinating stuff - I confess I had forgotten about cordite loads at that point. So we now know its almost certainly dropped by Cannucks in between war training. That leaves us with a "how / why" did that projectile get removed? The only other logical scenario I can think of (and have experienced) is a mis-feed. at which point a round lodged at an angle in the breach and failed to eject. Ramming the bolt forward without clearing the jam applies diagonal force across the neck of the round. I've never seen a head full separate, but a "bent" round is not that rare.
Fun to speculate anyway
Fun to speculate anyway
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That it is, i might pop into the village museum & library at some point and see if they can throw some more light onto what was going on around here when the Canadians were in town. The old man can vividly remember the Canadians being in the village when he was a boy during WW2 and he often recounts the fun they used to have as kids when they were here.
Very interesting stuff. I had no idea that Canada also used cordite at that time, having thought it was a British propellant only.
This may or may not be where BR obtained the photo of the headstamp, but there's a lot of good information here, especially if you find more!
Headstamps of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round
This may or may not be where BR obtained the photo of the headstamp, but there's a lot of good information here, especially if you find more!
Headstamps of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round
That was indeed the site....it has a wealth of .303 info beyond headstamps. A buddy of a buddy made a DVD a while ago covering the history of Lee Enfields....fascinating stuff (but rifle rather than cartridge based)....can't remember the cover name but I can look it up if anyone is interested.
For anyone who is nerdy about Lee Enfield rifles then this is the puppy. Its a study by enthusiasts not a drama!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lee-Enfield...BWX4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360000599&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lee-Enfield...BWX4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360000599&sr=8-3
Good eye.
Not sure what part of W. Sussex your walk was but as you probably know the South Downs were used extensively for training during WW2, the Canadians were there about 1942.
Near Kithurst Hill there's an old Churchill tank they used for target practise, a website I was reading reckons that the boys was probably used on it.
Also, if you're near Chichester, Kingley Vale was used by the RAF for strafing practise, an ancient Yew Woodland that's worth a visit.
Not sure what part of W. Sussex your walk was but as you probably know the South Downs were used extensively for training during WW2, the Canadians were there about 1942.
Near Kithurst Hill there's an old Churchill tank they used for target practise, a website I was reading reckons that the boys was probably used on it.
Also, if you're near Chichester, Kingley Vale was used by the RAF for strafing practise, an ancient Yew Woodland that's worth a visit.
One thing I forgot to mention is go easy on the cleaning of that case Mark, cordite can be set off by static electricity and I'd hate for you to go up in a puff of smoke!
Dave
Dave
Er, just a word of caution on digging around in unknown ordnance.
My uncle lost a thumb that way.
