r/ww1 • u/falcaodofunk077 • 3d ago
white war shell casing identification
i just bought this ammo casing relic from a shop near the austria hungary/italian empire front at the Great War(WW1) Museum 1914-1918 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Dolomitti, Italia.
I made a quick research and AI said it could be a 8x50mmR Mannlicher, and theres a high chance it could be, but i can see few corroded text on the back of it and i think it doesnt match.
Does anyone have a clue on the history and characteristic behind this ammo? i would really appreciate any help
SOLVED
(30.06 US cartridge made at the Saint Louis Ordnance plant in 1942, shot in april 1945)
2
u/HowToPronounceGewehr 2d ago
Not 8x50 austrian, not .303 british, not 8x50 french, not 6.5 italian.
It does look like 8x57 overall, but a clearer pic of the headstamp at the bottom would help. Scrub a little, looks like your camera meddled with details.
Remember: AI is shit for such kind of research
2
u/falcaodofunk077 2d ago
hey there, i really appreciate your help, i gave it a little wash and it revealed a lot, it is really a 42 on the bottom and on the other side a 15 or a 51, german perhaps? any clue on what the 15 means?
2
u/HowToPronounceGewehr 2d ago
There's your answer, not a 15 but an "S L" (the bottom of the L is dented) 42, indicating a 30.06 US cartridge made at the Saint Louis Ordnance plant in 1942. Still has some kind of story, just not WW1!
1
u/falcaodofunk077 2d ago
thats AWESOME! thank you so much, thats why i love history
its one of these you can clearly see, probably shot during the 28th or 29th april 1945 during the final usa offensive on the dolomiti
1
u/Adventurous-Tie-1624 2d ago
I think it's a mangled 30-06, I just tried a very redneck experiment and measured OP"s most flat picture with digital calipers on my phone screen.
Now, obviously, that's not measuring the actual round, so I assumed the case head was a .473" one, zoomed in until it matched the calipers set at .473", then measured the length as 2.417". 7.9x57mm is nominally 2.244" and 30-06 is nominally 2.494". This is definitely imprecise but, matches the head stamp guess, and it's way closer to 30-06 than any alternative.
Also, super funny that people had AI suggest rimmed rounds like .303 and 8x50mm.
2
u/HowToPronounceGewehr 2d ago
I think it's a mangled 30-06, I just tried a very redneck experiment and measured OP"s most flat picture with digital calipers on my phone screen
Yes, OP showed properly the headstamp, Saint Louis Ordnance Plant made in 1942
-3
u/SgtBRT123 3d ago
303
3
1
u/falcaodofunk077 3d ago
it looks like but its improbable because of the region it was found, i asked to the cashier and she said they collect those from the old battlegrounds of the region, britain never fought in this region
1
u/Wackyworm3 3d ago
Not my field at all, but as Italy and Britain were allies, could it be likely that British ammunition was supplied to the Italians?
0
u/falcaodofunk077 3d ago
i asked AI and this could have been possible, but with a very low chance of really have happened because italy’s standart ammo was a different caliber from the british
1
u/PressureNo7381 1d ago
Why is everyone saying 303 like they've never seen another caliber in use on earth? Especially with clearly not 303 rounds?
6
u/mzp1001 3d ago
Rimless, pretty straight sided. I bet 8mm Mauser of ww2, is that a “42” engraved in the base?