Cartridge
Item
Title
Cartridge
Description
Nine .303 Caliber Cartridges in a black metallic disintegrating link belt , circa 1942. Each link which is stamped with S&B B1, has two loops fitted around a single cartridge and one loop fitted around an adjacent cartridge. Each cartridge in a metallic link belt has two links attached to it, except the end cartridges. Three of the cartridges are black tipped armour piercing, five are silver tipped and one is a plain tipped ball. Each cartridge has a primer located at the centre of the casehead. The base of the casehead is also stamped with the manufaturers date and the initials of the armoury.
Identifier
009.500.032
Format
Provenance
Ammunition for use in machine guns is issued in metallic link belts. Link belts are made of units of cartridges and links. Each link has two loops fitted around a single cartridge and one loop fitted around an adjacent cartridge. Each cartridge in a metallic link belt has two links attached to it, except the end cartridges. Cartridge links are made of steel which is processed to prevent rusting. They are manufactured and tested to assure satisfactory ammunition feeding and functioning under all service conditions. M2 and M9 links are manufactured with closed loops. When assembled with the cartridge in belts, the links fit on the cartridge shoulder. The tapered front loops of the links are positioned firmly on the cartridge shoulder to hold the cartridge in proper alignment for feeding into the weapon. The design required the cartridge to be extracted from the rear and dropped into position for moving into the chamber for firing. Weapons designed for the links require additional space in the rear of the receiver for retraction. M2 and M9 links are used with the M2 machine gun only.