Posted 8 years ago
Snook
(5 items)
This was found in eastern Poland near a WWII battle site of the Polish resistance. Is this bullet stamp Russian? I searched hundreds of stamps and could not find a match. I know the russians used a star, but not like this one. I believe 39 represents the year. Thanks for any help.
I am assuming the cartridge case is the top one in the last picture.
It appears you have an 8x56 Styer Mannlicher case, and I believe the mark at the top (an A over H with an accent mark) stands for the Allami Hadianyaggyar Ammunition factory in Budapest, Hungary. Although the Hungarians ended up on the German side in 1940, the rifles firing this ammo went everywhere. The 8x56 Styer was used by Austrians, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Czechs, etc, and although the Germans had quantities of them, they were not used widely by either the Germans or Russians because the German Mauser and Russian Nagant rifles were not chambered for this ammo.
Given where it was found, I think it there is a reasonable chance the cartridge was fired by a member of the Polish resistance - or not.
Chris
I just checked, and the Polish police were armed with this rifle in the 1920s. I am guessing that importing 1939 Hungarian made ammo for them probably wasn't a problem till the Nazis invaded that September, and might have continued being smuggled in.
Chris
Thanks a lot Chris for your help. It is nice having an expert help answer questions. I need to pm you a story about this summer, it was like being on the American Pickers show in Europe.
This was educational. Never thought about bullet head stamps. cool .