Sources:
Elks K, (2007) Japanese Ammunition 1880 – 1945, Part 1. Solo Publications
Elks, K. (2016) Headstamp Guide: Ammunition with Turkish and Arabic Markings. Solo Publications
Various ECRA and IAA Forum Discussions and newsletters
BELGIUM
BALL LOADS
TRACER
INCENDIARY
The 1st specimen on the left was from an old POLTE instruction board. The cartridges with yellow p/annulus and tip are incendiary smoke tracers.
ANTI-RIOT
SHORT-RANGE
Bullet is an empty GM Jacket
DUMMY
BLANK AND GRENADE BLANK
Various different headstamps
CZECHOSLOVAKIA / CZECH REPUBLIC
With the fall of communism, the country of Czechoslovakia split in two, with the Slovak Republic adopting their own flag, whereas the Czech Republic retained the original flag adopted in 1920.
DENMARK
7,7 mm løs patron M/47
British weapons (Rifle No. 4, BREN & Vickers machine guns) saw only short service after WW2 in Denmark. All were phased out with adopting the Garand M1 (Danish named M/50) and new .30-06 machine guns (M/48, M/51) in 1948-51. The designation M/47 (or “m. 1947”) of the blank refers to the year of introduction and any production will only have taken place until the weapons were withdrawn from service. (IAA Forum)
EGYPT
The first 303 production for Egypt was supplied by Italy. (see Italian section), with the AOC headstamp supplied by BPD, and according to Ken Elks, SMI also used the same headstamp, albeit a different font style. The only factory producing 303 ammunition in Egypt was the No. 10 factory at Abu-Kir in Alexandria. The earliest headstamp used only the Arab numerals ۱۰ as can be seen below. Egypt also followed the British system with purple (ball), green (armor piercing) and red (tracer).
Early tracer loading with red primer annulus.
Armor Piercing loads with green primer annulus. Dates are 1954, 1955 and 1956. At 12 o’clock can again be seen the numerals ۱۰ together with the name MISR (the Arabic name for Egypt). The caliber 303 is also indicated (٣۰٣).
The second specimen above dating from 1962 shows the new headstamp style for the United Arab Republic).
FINLAND
Armour Piercing
GERMANY
The first two specimens with CN RN bullets were Mk. 6 loadings, the third being Mk. 7
Blank loading by GECO
GREECE
IRAQ
During the period between 1933 and 1958 Iraq used mainly British equipment, including the .303 SMLE. There is also some similarity between Iraqi and British 303 ammunition and according to Ken Elks, it seems that it might have been that these cartridges were manufactured in Britain under contract. The early headstamps (up to 1966) used a combination of a triangle and the first letter of the word “ge’ez” (Army). Also following the British Pattern, the annulus colour is purple (ball), red (tracer) and green (armor piercing).
First specimen is from 1939 and second specimen is from 1941.
Above headstamp is from 1949, with the use of CNCS bullets phased out in 1958
Specimen on the left is dated 1967. The four on the right are 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1964 respectively.
ISRAEL
Early loading from 1947
The first specimen on the left has an “open” Star of David, whereas the second one had solid stars
ITALY
These specimens are in all probability longer range tracer experimentals. According to Gene Scranton’s manual on bullet tip colours the red, blue and gold tips used a deep (0.85”) cannister for the trace compound. The specimens below were from the Bologna factory. The detail of the inspector (Capotecnici) was Mario Turani, who was with the factory from 1929 – 1939.
BPD was for the company BOMBRINI, PARODI DELFINO. The company was founded in 1912 by Senator Giovanni Bombrini and Senator Leopoldo Parodi Delfino.
The first specimen is an early tracer with very thick red paint, the same as what has been observed on early 6.5 Carcano tracer loadings. The second specimen is a ball loading with CNCS, and aluminium tip filler. Third specimen is the later tracer loading. The fourth specimen with blue tip is the early Armor-piercing loading with phosphorus tip, whereas the green tip specimen is the armor-piercing tip with thermite filling.
First specimen is a ball loading, second is a blank loading with wooden bullet and the third is an armor piercing with green primer annulus.
First is a tracer with red primer annulus, second is a drill/dummy and third is also a drill/dummy loading with empty GM jacket and white tip.
Grenade blanks
These two specimens were export contract loads for Egypt. The initials of BPD were changed by one letter, in all probability to disguise the origin of the manufacturer.
Ball loading from Capua in 1950. The initials were for the supervisor “capotecnici” at the factory. In this case the name has not been confirmed yet, or the factory has not supplied the information.
SOCIETA METALLURGICA ITALIANA, FLORENCE.
The L designation on the headstamp was for “Luminose” or tracer.
First specimen was an armor-piercing load with steel core and phosphorus tip. The second specimen with blue tip was an “armor piercing special load”. GMCS envelope with steel core and phosphorus tip.
JAPAN
Before the Japanese started manufacturing their own ammunition, they were supplied by Kynoch, which follows from the Japanese modernisation programme when they purchased several Lewis and Vickers machine guns from England after WW1, and it was designated the Type 89 Machine Gun. Ammunition production is believed to be centered on Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.
Elks K, (2007) Japanese Ammunition 1880 – 1945, Part 1. Solo Publications
TOKYO EXPLOSIVES ORDNANCE
The specimens below were manufactured at Tokyo Explosives Ordnance with symbol 
and used the KŌKI date 88, which was 1928. The KŌKI date system was based on the supposed reign of the first emperor Jimmu. The military started using the KŌKI date system in 1927, or KŌKI 2587. As early ammunition was supplied by Britain, it follows that the annulus markings would correspond to the British markings, namely purple for ball and red for tracer.
TOKYO ARMY ARSENAL
The Tokyo Army Arsenal headstamp is represented by the star 
and these loadings are similar to the Navy production and might have been for Navy use. According to Elks:73, it is unknown if the Army just manufactured the cases, or if it were loaded there using Navy components.
YOKOSUKA ARSENAL
The earliest headstamps were from the Yokosuka Arsenal and used the Kana symbol ヨ, representing the sound “yo”, followed by the KŌKI date, month and caliber. During 1940 the month was changed to Roman Numerals I, II and III thought to represent 4-month periods. Five different loadings were used, with black primer annulus for ball loads, red for tracer, green for incendiary pattern 1, purple for incendiary pattern 2, (also called an explosive bullet because of the PETN mixture (Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, chemical formula C5H8N4O12, structurally similar to nitro-glycerine) and white for armor piercing.
The first specimen would be from December of KŌKI 2587 (1927) and the second from April 1928 with the third specimen from the 1st quarter of 1940.
Two other arsenals also manufactured .303 ammunition, namely Toyokawa Naval Arsenal and Asahi-Ōkuma.
TOYOKAWA NAVAL ARSENAL
The symbol used for Toyokawa was ト (To)
First specimen below with black p/a is a Ball load, 3rd quarter 1941, 2nd specimen is an Armor Piercing load, 2nd quarter 1942 and the 3rd is a Tracer load, 1st quarter 1942
Left side specimen above with green p/a is the Incendiary Pattern 1, 2nd quarter 1943, and the specimen with purple p/a is the Incendiary Pattern 2 (explosive with flat tipped bullet). 2nd quarter 1943
ASAHI-ŌKUMA
The symbol used for Asahi-ŌKuma was ア (A). This was originally erroneously attributed to Aichi Naval Arsenal.
Ball loading, 3RD quarter 1941 Armor Piercing loading, 1st quarter 1943
NO HEADSTAMP VARIATIONS (LATE 1943 ONWARDS)
During the latter part of 1943, cartridges were no longer headstamped, probably as a wartime economy measure.
OTHER/COMMERCIAL VARIATIONS
The first specimen was manufactured as an unprimed case by Toyo Seiki Mfg. Co., Ltd. in Japan for Golden State Arms Corp., Pasadena, California, and was advertised under their “Santa Fe” unprimed brass line from 1958 to 1966. The one on the right has the original TOYO headstamp and is a new primed empty case.
The wood/steel dummy is a rare Japanese dummy, supposedly found by Australian troops in Papua New Guinea. There was an IAA forum discussion on this, otherwise very little else is known about this round.
LATVIA
The headstamp with the stylized V was manufactured by a company called Vairogs, situated in Riga in Latvia. They bought the S&B facility in 1937. Cartridges were designated .303 Lozmet. Patr. Marka VII.
These specimens above were manufactured by the S&B factory in Riga, prior to the factory being acquired by Vairogs during 1937. These have also been observed in Spain, being sold there during the Spanish Revolution. See also ECRA newsletter #320 (Jan 1992)
MEXICO
NIGERIA
Ordnance Factory Nigeria
NORWAY
PAKISTAN
PORTUGAL
The blank with FNM 71 – 1 headstamp was in all probability reworked by Rhodesian forces. Similar formed blanks have also been observed on RSA cases obtained from Zimbabwe
The RNRA headstamp was always assumed to be the Rhodesian National Rifle Association, however from correspondence it is known that there never was such an association.
SOUTH KOREA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
First specimen is a pressure test loading
Second specimen is a proof load with serrated rim
YUGOSLAVIA/SERBIA
Tsar Peter the Great of Russia selected a new flag for his country during 1699 as part of his modernization campaign. Consisting of equal horizontal stripes of blue, white, and red, it was adapted from the national flag of the Netherlands. Eventually these became known as the pan-Slavic colours and were used by many other Slavic countries in Europe, particularly during the revolutionary movements of 1848. The sultan of the Ottoman Empire granted use of one such flag to Serbia in 1835, consisting of horizontal stripes of blue, white and red. Other territories in the area selected different combinations of the colours.
Following World War 1, Slavic countries in the Balkans were united in a new country known as Yugoslavia. It chose a tricolour of blue-white-red as its national flag, first hoisted on October 31, 1918. Yugoslavia disappeared during World War II, but it was resurrected as a communist country in 1945. Under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito, a yellow-bordered red star was added to the centre of the flag. After the fall of communism, the country of Yugoslavia broke apart with Serbia and Montenegro the only territories remaining. In June 2006 Montenegro and Serbia split into two countries, after which Serbia changed their flag to the one shown above.
