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Tracer
Pre-WWII
In 1933 Kynoch manufactured small quantities of .45 inch tracer and armour piercing ammunition for the Royal Air Force.
The case is a normal .45 inch ACP with a small 4mm diameter primer. The case is marked with a red stripe across the case head and the headstamp is "KYNOCH .45.A.C."
The bullet has a cupro-nickel envelope and lead core containing the tracer composition in a copper canister. Bullet weight is 205 grains and the trace was for a minimum of 300 yards.
It is secured in the case with a single neck cannelure.
The propellant charge is 7 grains of nitro-cellulose flake.
The design was considered again in May 1941 in Kynoch drawing BK 167/228 but there is no evidence that it was actually manufactured during the war.
Tracer G Mark Iz
"Cartridge S.A. Tracer .45 inch G Mark Iz" was the American "Cartridge Calibre .45 inch Tracer M1" and was both purchased on contract and supplied under Lend Lease.
The case was a normal .45 inch ACP with a Boxer primer. The headstamp was either commercial (early) or standard U.S. military.
The bullet was round nosed with a gilding metal envelope and a lead core. The tracer composition was pressed in the base of the bullet without a tracer canister. Bullet weight was 195 grains and had a red tip for identification. It traced to a minimum distance of 200 yards.
The propellant charge was about 5 grains of nitro-cellulose.
Tracer G Mark IIz
"Cartridge S.A. Tracer .45 inch G Mark IIz" was approved to design DD/L/14097 and 14098 in January 1943 for Naval service. It was not shown in Lists of Changes.
It was manufactured by Kynoch by converting Canadian and American ball bullets by drilling out the rear of the core and inserting a copper canister containing two increments of the tracer composition. The entire base of the bullet was then sealed with lead foil.
The case was a normal .45 inch ACP with a Boxer primer. The headstamp of most production was "DI 42 45AC" but U.S. military headstamps will also be found.
The bullet weighed 210 grains and had a red tip for identification, It was secured in the case by four pin stabs and a cannelure at the neck.
The propellant charge was about 8.75 grains of nitro-cellulose.
Part of Kynoch drawing showing construction of bullet.
Drill
A number of different .45 inch ACP drill rounds saw British service in WWII, none of which seem to have been formally approved.
Winchester drill
The first drill rounds were ordered from Winchester at the time of the early British purchase contracts. No formal British nomenclature is
known.
The case was the normal .45 inch ACP with a Boxer cap chamber with fire hole but without a cap. It had a wide milled cannelure around the centre of the case. The case was bronzed and was headstamped "WRA 45AC".
The bullet was a normal 230 grain ball bullet supported on a wood distance piece.
Expedient Drill
An expedient drill round was made for use by the Home Guard utilising fired American cases, similar to those made for .300 inch weapons. Again it appears not to have been formally approved or given official nomenclature.
The case was a fired American .45 inch ACP Ball case. A typical headstamp was "WRA Co 45AC".
The bullet was round nosed wood stained red.
M1921 Drill
A number of American military drill rounds were taken in to British service, probably after the introduction of Lend Lease. The U.S. title was "Cartridge Calibre .45 inch Dummy Model 1921".
The case as a normal .45 inch ACP with two holes bored in the side. the headstamp was any normal U.S. military headstamp.
The bullet was a 230 grain ball bullet.
Lines Brothers
Lines Brothers Ltd. were the manufacturer of Tri-ang Toys and had a great deal of experience in die-casting. During WWII they produced a series of drill rounds in various calibres including .45 inch ACP. There appears to be no formal approval or nomenclature for these rounds.
The case and bullet were cast in a zinc based pot metal in one piece. There was a small indentation in the base for a firing pin.
Armour-piercing
As mentioned above, in 1933 Kynoch produced small quantities of .45 inch ACP armour-piercing ammunition for the Royal Air Force.
The case is a normal .45 inch ACP with a small 4mm diameter primer. The case is marked with a green stripe across the case head and the headstamp is "KYNOCH .45.A.C."
The bullet has a cupro-nickel envelope with a hardened steel core. Bullet weight is 230 grains
There is a faint neck cannelure to secure the bullet and the nose of the bullet is dimpled to allow identification at night.
The propellant charge is 6 grains of nitro-cellulose flake.
Left: Kynoch AP round with headstamp and dimpled bullet nose.
Helmet Proof
.45 inch ACP was used to proof steel helmets as the bullet was considered suitable to simulate shell fragments.
The rounds were loaded by Kynoch and are very easy to confuse with the Kynoch loaded tracer rounds described above, as they are loaded on the same Canadian cases and have a red bullet tip.
The case is a standard .45 inch ACP case, headstamped "DI 43 .45 AC".
The bullet is a standard .45 inch ACP bullet and has a red tip, but on examples seen it is a darker shade of red than the tracer. The bullet securement is a straight fit without the securing stabs seen on the tracer round.
The charge is adjusted to give the desired velocity.
Muzzle velocity according to the packet shown is 600-610 fps.
The wrap round label states
"45 A C P
FOR PROOF OF STEEL HELMETS
VELOCITY 600-610 FPS"
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