Unusual Ammo
I had some .38 special ammo from the 80s, the round looked like a small 120 mm (tank) armor piercing sabot,it wasn't armor piercing but the bullet rose into a point like an upside down golf tee or kind of like a "hersheys kiss" candy. It was all plated (no lead exposed). I don't know the manufacturer but it might have been Canadian ? Has any one seen this ammo or know where to get it ? In advance...Thank You
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i have come across some ammo that i know nothing about. on the box it reads CART.7,9mm m/937 BALA NORMAL FNM-73-3. I believe that the fnm-73-3 is the caliber as it is also on the caseing itself. the rounds come in an 80 round box. the rounds are in five round magazines that look like they would feed into the top of a rifle to load. all 80 rounds are in magazines. the box looks old thin cardboard that is folded together not glued, and held together by a small peice of fabrick folded around the box. if you have any info on this plz let me know. i also have pics if you need them. thanks 0 -
What's the head stamp? Doubt it's Canadian. Sounds like a bullet made to feed in a semi-auto pistol. A Smith 52 maybe.
Is it plated or jacketed. Plated is a copper wash, usually. Jacketed is a separate jacket also usually of copper.0 -
Sorry, I mean jacketed, I don't remember the headstamp and don't have the old brass but it was .38 special ammo, it had a shoulder on the bullet like a wad cutter but then came to a point but curving in like
.......)(.... this0 -
Could it have been a French THV round?
I don't know whether the THV was a brand name or meant "___High Velocity" but I seem to recall them mentioned in an old Pistol Digest (Dean Grinnell, editor?).0 -
Hey KJACK...I think it could have been French...by the term "old"
do you mean last 10 years or...probably out of business old ?0 -
Lawrence, lacking a headstamp, it's hard to say definitively, but when you liken it to the 120mm AP sabot round or an inverted golf tee, it certainly sounds like the French design THV - a 'hyper velocity' round. This was an experimental design which was, like most of the French arms industry since 1900, rather a sad joke. Purely a collectible now, bringing roughly $10 each, perhaps slightly more. I'm not sure when it came out, but definitely has not been on the market for well over 10 years. 0 -
Hey Teak, lighten up on those Frogs! The arms industry may be a joke but they write a good book. Here is what Rene Smeets has to say about his countries THV round (and in the photo of the round, the bullet its self looks just like a Hershey Kiss or some type of game board piece). ..."This round, available in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm and .45 ACP, uses a brass alloy bullet of concave ogive shape at high velocity- almost carbine level- for excellent penetration against ballistic vests, while causing more tissue disruption than most penetrative ammo. Another advantage of the THV is that the light bullet loses velocity quickly thus reducing danger past 100 meters.
There are two photos of the bullet itself: one shows 4 concentric grooves around the bullets body which are evenly spaced. The next photo show a cut-away; the projectile is hollow and the cavity appears to take up nearly two-thirds of the bullet. Another photo shows the results of four .357 THV rounds fired into 16mm steel plate from a 6" revolver at 3 meters. All punched clean through. The final photo show a full box of .357 THV rounds in SFM commercial packaging. The box reads SFM, [first line]Attention: Ne pas laisser a portee des enfants [second line] Vente reservee aux forces de l'ordre. I can just make out the marking on the head stamps: SFM .357 MG THV.
I knew this guys "Frenchy" book would be useful some day! And it only took 9 years! I have never seen any of these rounds in person and they would no doubt be classified as armour piercing and thus heavily restricted. I would not mind having one in my collection- French or not. Au revoir.
Mark T. Christian
Edited by - mark christian on 10/18/2002 18:40:400 -
Mark, the French can cook well, but . . . well, I won't start.
Lawrence - repeated attempts to fwd you the .jpg of the Air Force bullet have proved unsuccessful. If you're interested, pls. provide a viable eml addy via the direct contact icon.
Gentlemen, I did some further research and have sent you both a .jpg of an experimental WCC-Air Force 9mm AP slug circa 1984 I have in my collection. This is just one of some very nasty & effective designs which were swept under the carpet out of fear they would get out into criminal hands. According to the tests, these would tear thru most Kevlar vests like they were butter.
Wish I could get the sys set up so I could post .jpgs here . . . have some neat scans of assorted goodies.
Edited by - Iconoclast on 10/19/2002 20:50:110
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