.55 inch Boys Drill & Dummy

Drill

Although only one mark of Drill cartridge was formally approved for the Boys rifle, considerable variations exist. Some of these are the result of the relaxation of the specification to meet wartime needs, for example the omission of plating, and others are wartime expedient rounds. Some of the latter are semi-official types produced by Home Guard units.

The "Cartridge S.A. Drill .55 inch D Mark I" was approved in November 1938 and shown in LoC Paragraph B.2245 dated February 1939. It was to design DD/L/8559 (later DD/L/14009.1) and the original specification called for a brass case, chrome plated, with an empty cap chamber without cap, anvil or fire holes and with three vertical flutes in the side. The cap chamber and flutes were painted red. It was fitted with a special aluminium cored Drill bullet weighing 380 grains and supported in the case on a wood distance piece.

The headstamp included the code "D I".

When the specification of the D Mark I was relaxed to meet wartime needs standard cases without caps or plating were used together with a normal service bullet resting on a wood distance piece. Instead of flutes, three holes were to be drilled around the mid point of the case at 120 degree intervals. In practice, the size and location of these holes varies.Variations include unplated cases without anvil or fire holes and others converted from ball cases still with the original headstamp. Some Inspector's Dummy U Mark I were converted to Drill by striking out the "U" in the headstamp and adding a "D". Flutes were also added to the case walls.Illustrated are (left) a normal D Mark I, (centre) A 1941 Kynoch D Mark I with holes instead of flutes but with empty red painted blind cap chamber and (right) A converted Kynoch Ball Mark I.Headstamps are shown above in the same order.

There are also semi-official expedient drill rounds made, probably by or for Home Guard units. Once such type consists of a solid brass cartridge turned to the standard external dimensions with "DP" rather crudely stamed as a headstamp. Another type shown here consists of a fired case with a short cast lead bullet painted red..55 inch Boys Drill rounds were also made in Canada and South Africa, but not as far as is known in Australia.The South African example broadly confirms to the normal Drill Mark I specification except the case is unplated. It has red painted case flutes and a red painted cap chamber with anvil but without fire holes. Headstamp is "U D I".The Canadian example is a solid cast aluminium cartridge conforming to the normal profile with red painted flutes and blind cap chamber. Made at Dominion Arsenal the headstamp is "C ^ DA DI LP". The "LP" indicates "Local Pattern"Illustrated are lead bulleted Home Guard drill, South African Drill D Mark I and Canadian cast aluminium Local Patter Drill Mark I.

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Dummy