NCJ Number
66261
Date Published
1975
Length
123 pages
Annotation
POLICE INVESTIGATORS ARE PRESENTED WITH 1,405 DIAGRAMS OF SMALL ARMS HEADSTAMPS; COUNTRY AND MANUFACTURER OF EACH ARE IDENTIFIED.
Abstract
TWELVE CARTRIDGE HEADSTAMPS ARE PRESENTED PER PAGE, ARRANGED SO THEY MAY BE CUT OUT AND USED AS A CARD INDEX. EACH DIAGRAM SHOWS THE HEADSTAMP ITSELF, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND MANUFACTURER, AND A SERIAL NUMBER ASSIGNED SUBSEQUENTLY FOR CLASSIFICATION. HEADSTAMPS ARE CLASSED IN THREE GROUPS: ROMAN LETTERS, ARABIC NUMERALS, AND ARABIC, CYRILLIC, OR HEBREW LETTERS, OR DESIGNS DIFFERING FROM THOSE IN THE FIRST TWO GROUPS. ALTHOUGH THIS LAST GROUP OF DESIGNS ARE HARD TO CLASSIFY, THE BROCHURE GROUPS TOGETHER THOSE HEADSTAMPS BEARING THE SAME ALPHABET. WHEN IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY A PARTICULAR HEADSTAMP, ONLY A DIAGRAM OF THE HEADSTAMP APPEARS. HEADSTAMPS ARE SHOWN FROM CARTRIDGES MADE IN ALL MAJOR EAST OR WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, THE UNITED STATES, EGYPT, ISRAEL, TURKEY, SYRIA, IRAN, AND AUSTRALIA. EXAMPLES OF OTHER INFORMATION THAT CAN BE GLEANED FROM THE HEADSTAMPS ARE: (1) SOME FRENCH HAVE AN 'ART' MARKING INDICATING THE AMMUNITION IS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES; (2) THE LETTERS FCI ON EUROPEAN CARTRIDGES INDICATES THEY WERE MANUFACTURED FOR TURKEY; (3) ARROWS FOUND ON BRITISH CARTRIDGES INDICATE THEY ARE FOR GOVERNMENT USE; (4) HEADSTAMPS BEARING THE SYMBOL OF A CROSS WITHIN A CIRCLE ARE FROM CARTRIDGES MADE BY NATO STANDARDS. SPECIAL CARTRIDGE FEATURES ARE INDICATED BY 'BESCHUSS' (TEST), NIKORRO (NON-CORROSIVE PRIMER), AND OTHERS. FINALLY, WEAPONS FOR WHICH THE AMMUNITION WAS MADE (NAMBU OR BROWNING), TOWN OF ORIGIN, OR CALIBER MAY BE INDICATED. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS ATTACHED. (PAP)