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The first .303 inch blank approved for service was a typical British military exercise in economy, utilising a Boxer rolled brass case with iron base disc in the manner of the Martini Henry and Snider rounds.
Rolled Case Mark I
"Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Mark I" was approved in February 1890 and shown in LoC Paragraph 6034 dated June 1890. The title was changed in March 1893 to "Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Blackpowder without Bullet Mark I (Rolled Case)" and declared obsolete at the same time.
The case was of typical boxer construction with a single base cup and iron base disc. It was about 1.6 inches long, lined with white tissue paper and closed with a rosette crimp.
The charge was 34 grains of blackpowder, either LG, Blank FG or RFG2, with a felt wad over the powder.
Left: Rolled Case Mark I
Blank Powder Mark I
The difficulty with the rolled case blank was that it could not be fed through the magazine of the new rifle and so it was replaced a year later with the first of a series of paper bulleted blanks.
"Cartridge S.A. Blank Magazine Rifle Mark I, Solid Case with Paper Bullet" was approved to design RL 7217 in June 1891. The title was later changed to "Cartridge S.A. Blank Solid Case, Blackpowder, Mark I with Paper Bullet" and again after production had ceased to "Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Blackpowder with Paper Bullet Mark I".
The case was the standard solid drawn case of the Mark I Ball round with Boxer primer. The headstamp was "R/|\L I".
The bullet was made of brown paper, covered in blue paper with a white paper tip. It was hollow.
The propellant was loose blackpowder to fill the case.
This blank did not last long and the RL drawing is endorsed that production stopped on 29/5/1892.
Blank with Paper Bullet Mark I
"Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Blackpowder with Paper Bullet Mark I" was approved to design RL 7668 in April 1892 and shown in LoC Paragraph 7004 dated March 1893. It was declared obsolete in Lists of Cahnges of March 1895 and remaining stocks were to be converted to Blackpowder Blank Mark II.
Despite a similarity in both appearance and nomenclature to the previous blank it was a completely separate item.
The cases were converted Powder Ball Mark I and Mark II and so could be headstamped as any of those.
The bullet was made of brown paper, covered in blue paper with a white paper tip. It was hollow and secured in the case by shellac..
Charge was about 71 1/2 grains of RFG2 blackpowder if converted from ball rounds or about 45 grains of blackpowder Blank FG or Service FG if newly made.
Blank Powder Mark II
In 1895 it was ordered that stocks of the above blank should have the paper bullets removed and be converted to a new blank "Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Blackpowder without Bullet Mark II". It was approved to design RL 8496 in Novemebr 1894 and shown in LoC Paragraph 7722 dated March 1895.
The case was closed with a rosette crimp and was made either from conversion of the above blank or from obsolete ball cartridges, both types having Boxer primers.
The charge was either 45 grains or 71 1/2 grains of blackpowder depending on the sourced of the original case.
Blank Powder Mark III
A final Mark of blackpowder blank was approved, presumably because supplies of blackpowder ball rounds to convert were exhausted.
"Cartridge S.A. Blank .303 inch Blackpowder without Bullet Mark II" was approved to design RL 9766 in March 1898 and shown in LoC Paragraph 9352 dated January 1899.
The case was Berdan primed with a rosette crimp. Most were made from converted Cordite ball rounds but some were newly made. If converted from cordite rounds the letter "C" was struck out in the headstamp, which included the numeral "III".
The charge was 40 to 45 grains of loose FG blackpowder with a single wad.
Experimental Maxim Blank
One other very rare blackpowder blank exists, presumed to be an experimental round developed for use in Maxim guns.
Constructed in a similar fashion to the Rolled Case Mark I it is full length and covered with a coil of brown cardboard. There is an intregral brass foil mock bullet closed with a rosette crimp.
Since the short Rolled Case Mark I blank could not be used in Maxim guns it is believed that this was an effort to make a blank that could be fed from the belt of the Maxim gun.
Only one loaded round and one unloaded case are known.
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