COLOR CODING of .303 AMMUNITION

Color coding appears in several forms on small arms ammunition. The most common system with the .303 cartridge used colored bullet tips or color around the annulus of the primer cap. Other methods include colouring of part or the whole of the cartridge case. Originally color markings arose from the need to make a quick visual check of the arrangements in a machine gun belt and they are now almost universally applied. Most countries do not, unlike Britain, identify the bullet by the headstamp, so such color markings are often the only way to identify the bullet in use. As a general rule the absence of a color coding indicates a standard ball cartridge.

Incendiary - Light blue tip

Tracer - Red tip

Armour Piercing - Light blue tip

Bullet type

Armour Piercing - Green annulus

Armour Piercing Incendiary (Phosphorus filled) - Blue tip

Armour Piercing Incendiary (Thermite filled) - Green tip

Observation - Black tip

Tracer - Red tip

Armour Piercing - White annulus

Ball - Black annulus

High Explosive - Purple annulus

Incendiary - Green annulus

Tracer - Pink / red annulus

• used bullet tip and annulus code from about 1918 onwards

 Bullet Type

Armour Piercing - Green tip, Green annulus

Ball - Purple annulus

Incendiary - Blue tip, Blue annulus

Observing - Black tip, Black annulus

Proof - Yellow annulus

Tracer Short Range - White tip, Red annulus

Tracer Dark Ignition - Grey tip, Red annulus

Tracer Long Range - Red tip, Red annulus

When cap annulus colours were first introduced in 1918 the Ball Mk VIIz had the annulus coloured black while the Ball Mk VII had the entire cap area coloured purple. This distinction was abandoned in May 1920 and thereafter all ball rounds had the purple annulus.

Coloured bands on the cartridge case are not common but the following have been used:

One inch blue band - Reduced charge ball to simulate stoppages in Vickers aircraft guns.

Quarter inch blue band - Practice tracer

Quarter inch green band - Canadian made tracer

Wide green band at equator of case - Canadian made Match Ball (1922)

Six purple bands around equator of case - Canadian Match Ball (1926)

Ball round with case blackened quarter inch back from the mouth - Short Range Practice Mk 1 (1895 - 1897), or Mk 2 (1899 - 1912) (continued over)

Case completely blackened with brass dummy bullet - Blank with mock bullet Mk 6

Blank case all black - Rifle grenade blank Mk 2

Blank, front half black - Rifle Grenade, Ballistite

Blank, front and rear thirds black - Rifle grenade Mk 4 for Grenade No 85

Blank, rear half black - Rifle grenade blank Mk 7z or Smoke discharger Mk 1T

Ball, reddened case - Proof round Mks 1 to 3


In addition to colour coding, British and Commonwealth .303 ammunition had a letter code pre 1955 to denote the type of bullet as well as the type of propellant charge. These should not be confused with the manufacturer's identification code.

A A On cartridges c 1917 indicated a Pomeroy explosive incendiary Mk 2 bullet

B denoted an Incendiary bullet,

C on early pre 1912 cartridges denoted a Cordite propellant charge

D denoted a Drill round,

E denoted a Smoke bomb projector,

F denoted a Semi armour piercing bullet,

G denoted a Tracer bullet,

H denoted Grenade Discharger,

K On cartridges c 1918 indicated a Brock explosive incendiary bullet

L denoted Blank,

O denoted an Observation bullet,

P denoted a practice round,

Q denoted a proof round,

R denoted an Explosive bullet,

U denoted a Dummy round,

W denoted an Armour piercing bullet and

Z indicated a nitro-cellulose propellant charge in the cartridge.

Used the same annulus colour coding as United Kingdom for ammunition supplied under contract to the British Government during both the First and Second World Wars.