[garyk/nm]

Hi all,
Do any of you know of a good resource for identifying old headstamps? Something that would list dates of manufacture?

[FieroCDSP]

You might ask on the reloading forum, as there's plenty of experience there. I'd recommend the mods move this thread there.

Can you post a pict of the stamp? A pict is worth a thousand words, after all. Also, a description of the stamp would help.

As a basic idea, most mil-spec rounds have an abreviation or emblem for the place of manufacture along with the year. eg LC98=Lake City Ordinance:1998. Some of the foreign codes can be fun to ID.
The description of the round is also important. I have some Hungarian light-ball ammo for my Mosin that is impossible to tell the difference from the heavy-ball stuff, except for the yellow stripe on the heavy.

Commercial ammo is a bit easier to ID in brand, but doesn't usually list the year.

[SDC]

It depends on the particular country, round, and headstamp; if you've got some particular headstamps in mind, post them here, and I'm sure we'll be able to give you most of the info you want.

[Canuck-IL]

Try this web site....
http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes_bottom.htm
/Bryan

[garyk/nm]

This isn't a single piece to be ID'd, but rather an ongoing project. I'm an archaeologist and one of my co-workers has hundreds of old cartridge casings that he is trying to put a date range to. For instance: one of the casings is stamped W.R.A. Co and 44 WCF. I know that it is Winchester, but when were those markings in production? That's the kind of resource I'm looking for.

[Jim K]

Most of the headstamp identification guides give the manufacturer and sometimes the address, but not the time period in which that headstamp was used.

For a project like yours, you might try the firearms identification folks (aka "ballistics experts") at the local or state police. I have seen a more comprehensive headstamp guide that may be restricted to police since AFAIK it has never been published for general sale.

I do know WRA CO was used since at least the 1870's through 1940, when WRA was used. More recently, the W-W (Winchester-Western) headstamp has been used. .44 WCF is also known as .44-40.

One problem in dating is that the companies didn't change all at once. They sometimes didn't change until the old headstamp bunter wore out or broke, so a type of ammo that was not too common (say .38-55) might have an old bunter in use long after a common caliber (say .30-30) had changed to a new marking.

Jim

[Trex]

Have you got any in particular in mind?