Belted Ammo ID

Hedley · August 23, 2006, 02:34 PM

Just moved into a new place and found these links laying around. Anybody know what they came from? For comparison, I put a 7.62x39 and a .223 next to it. Is it dummy ammo? They've got red primers, and four illegible letters on the bottom of the casing. I think it says C 7 L C? They just seem too necked down and long to be real ammo.

**Mike Irwin** · August 23, 2006, 02:50 PM

It's .308 military blank ammo for the M-60 machine gun.

LC is Lake City ammo plant in Utah.

The funny necking ensures proper feeding through the mechanism.

Hedley · August 23, 2006, 03:20 PM

Hey thanks, that's kinda what I thought. So, the last thin part of the neck is where the bullet would go in a real .308?

**Mike Irwin** · August 24, 2006, 09:26 AM

Yep, exactly.

The constriction of the brass at that point serves two purposes -- first is to replace the bullet in profile for feeding, and the second is to provide the crimp so that the blank actually sounds something like a blank. It may also help with cycling the action, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

hockea · August 26, 2006, 01:29 PM

FYI- the Lake City ammo plant is in Missouri not Utah

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...p-lakecity.htm

James K · August 27, 2006, 08:10 PM

The other characters are the last two digits of the year of manufacture, probably [19]67 instead of C 7. The ammo is not actually .308 Winchester, but its military twin, 7.62 NATO.

BTW, those links are for use in the Browning machinegun, converted to 7.62 NATO, not the push through links for the M60 machine gun.

Jim

T. O'Heir · August 30, 2006, 02:37 AM

"...for use in the Browning machinegun..." It never ceases to amaze me that blank ammo can be so different from place to place and time to time. The CF used 1919 .30 Browning MGs in 7.62 NATO long after the M60 came along. Our 7.62 blanks had a crimped bullet replacement end.
Kind of amazes me that Jim can pick out the difference between links too. Pay attention to what he says. Thanks Jim.

James K · September 1, 2006, 02:37 PM

Thanks. Those links go all the way around the case, so they couldn't be used in the M60, which requires a gap so the bolt can push the rounds through the links. The U.S. and other countries converted a whole lot of M1919A4 machineguns to 7.62 NATO after 1957. The horrible truth was that, while heavy as heck, they worked a lot better than the M60 and kept on ticking when the M60's quit.

Jim

Hedley · September 5, 2006, 03:13 PM

I'm impressed, Thanks guys.

August 23, 2006, 02:34 PM	#1
Hedley Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 1,279	Belted Ammo ID Just moved into a new place and found these links laying around. Anybody know what they came from? For comparison, I put a 7.62x39 and a .223 next to it. Is it dummy ammo? They've got red primers, and four illegible letters on the bottom of the casing. I think it says C 7 L C? They just seem too necked down and long to be real ammo. __________________ It is imperative to strike down the rise of modernism which would lend itself to folly such as the use of billet components.

August 23, 2006, 02:50 PM	#2
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	It's .308 military blank ammo for the M-60 machine gun. LC is Lake City ammo plant in Utah. The funny necking ensures proper feeding through the mechanism. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 23, 2006, 03:20 PM	#3
Hedley Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 1,279	Hey thanks, that's kinda what I thought. So, the last thin part of the neck is where the bullet would go in a real .308? __________________ It is imperative to strike down the rise of modernism which would lend itself to folly such as the use of billet components.

August 24, 2006, 09:26 AM	#4
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	Yep, exactly. The constriction of the brass at that point serves two purposes -- first is to replace the bullet in profile for feeding, and the second is to provide the crimp so that the blank actually sounds something like a blank. It may also help with cycling the action, but I'm not 100% sure about that. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

September 5, 2006, 03:13 PM	#9
Hedley Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 1,279	I'm impressed, Thanks guys. __________________ It is imperative to strike down the rise of modernism which would lend itself to folly such as the use of billet components.

August 26, 2006, 01:29 PM	#5
hockea Member Join Date: November 7, 2004 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 37	FYI- the Lake City ammo plant is in Missouri not Utah http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...p-lakecity.htm

August 27, 2006, 08:10 PM	#6
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The other characters are the last two digits of the year of manufacture, probably [19]67 instead of C 7. The ammo is not actually .308 Winchester, but its military twin, 7.62 NATO. BTW, those links are for use in the Browning machinegun, converted to 7.62 NATO, not the push through links for the M60 machine gun. Jim

August 30, 2006, 02:37 AM	#7
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...for use in the Browning machinegun..." It never ceases to amaze me that blank ammo can be so different from place to place and time to time. The CF used 1919 .30 Browning MGs in 7.62 NATO long after the M60 came along. Our 7.62 blanks had a crimped bullet replacement end. Kind of amazes me that Jim can pick out the difference between links too. Pay attention to what he says. Thanks Jim.

September 1, 2006, 02:37 PM	#8
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Thanks. Those links go all the way around the case, so they couldn't be used in the M60, which requires a gap so the bolt can push the rounds through the links. The U.S. and other countries converted a whole lot of M1919A4 machineguns to 7.62 NATO after 1957. The horrible truth was that, while heavy as heck, they worked a lot better than the M60 and kept on ticking when the M60's quit. Jim