A Headscratcher .... 9mm Brass Identity?

[riverwalker76]

After a few days of going through my 9mm brass I've run across a few headstamps and need help identifying them. Could you all please help?

~ C.B.C.

~ RWS

~ G.F.L.

What are these headstamps? I may have more to identify before it's over with.

Thanks.

[rjrivero]

Since 9mm is a VERY COMMON round, it's loaded by just about every ammo house in the world. The ones you have questions on are all imported ammo.

CBC - Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, Avenida Industrial No 3330, Santo Andre, Estado de Sâo Paulo, Brazil (ca'1997: Av Humberto de Compos 3220, 09400 000 Ribeirao Pires SP, Brazil)

RWS - Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff A.-G., Nürnberg-U. Germany

GFL - Giulio Fiocchi, Lecco, Italy

[FrankenMauser]

CBC - Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, Avenida Industrial No 3330, Santo Andre, Estado de Sâo Paulo, Brazil (ca'1997: Av Humberto de Compos 3220, 09400 000 Ribeirao Pires SP, Brazil)

Almost always sold in boxes labeled: Magtech

[riverwalker76]

Ran across another headstamp.....

~NPA

What company is that?

[FrankenMauser]

NPA - New Generation Ammunition Pty Ltd, Box 9207, Hennopsmeer 0046 R.S.A. (contract for Taiwan-NPA=National Police Administration) Cases made by Pretoria Metal Pressings Ltd., Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

NPA - Olympic Arms & Ammunition S. A., Acioupoli, Kulois, Greece (contract for Taiwan-NPA=National Police Administration) Cases made by Sellier & Bellot, Prague

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm

[pelo801]

looks like your questions were already answered, but here is another link that can be helpful http://www.afte.org/ExamResources/gallery2/v/Headstamp-Gallery/

[Irish80prf]

The G.F.L (Fiocchi) Is also produced in Ozark Missouri. I used to live about 20 miles from the plant. On that Fiocchi check the flash holes to make sure they are centered. I've had a batch that the flash holes were off to the side. There was a thread a while back that other people had the same problem and one guy broke his de priming pin.

[armoredman]

I like PMP brass, wish I had more of it...

[cheezhed]

Anybody ever heard of snex brass. I have a fair amount of it in 9mm and cant find any info on it.

[Lou14733]

NPA headstamps have been produced on 9mm by a number of countries for the Tiawanese police (or military) contracts over the years. It was first done in the 1990s in South Africa by PMP for some special THV style loads with colored plastic caps so they look like blunt RN bullets.

Olympic in Greece may loaded some 9mm for the Tiawanese but the cases were made by S&B in the Czech Republic. This ammo found it's way onto the US market, probably rejected lots. I have also been told that the ammo for Taiwan was made by S&B and Olympic bought excess cases and loaded them for the US market. That makes more sense since it looks like Olympic often bought odds and ends of cases.

More recently, Both Federal and Speer submitted bid samples with the NPA headstamp in 9mm, and Federal won the contract, and about 3 or 4 years ago some of this showed up on the US market, again probably a reject lot.

NPA has shown up also in other calibers. I have some Olympic production in 5.56. These cases have been tentatively identified as Iranian manufacturer, but some think they are Syrian.

We haven't updated the headstamp list on the IAA website (http://cartridgecollectors.org) for some years and the last two entries for NPA haven't been posted.

Little in the ammo world is simple.

If you have a headstamp, post a copy and I can probably tell you who made it.

Cheers,

Lew

[Lou14733]

This headstamp has shown up on fired cases in the US and Europe. Loaded ammunition has now shown up in Switzerland in commercial Fiocchi boxes. A Fiocchi contacts tells me that this was a Fiocchi contract for Morocco. There appears to have been significant over production or rejected production since ammunition is being sold in quantity in Europe and reportedly 100,000 or so rounds were imported into the US. The headstamp has also shown up on 7.65mm Browning.

[COSteve]

Head Stamp Codes (http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm): Useful site explains what your head stamps mean.

Head Stamp Pictures (http://www.afte.org/ExamResources/gallery2/v/Headstamp-Gallery/Letters_001/): Pictures of quite a few head stamps explaining each.