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Ball Mark 2z
Post war production of the Ball Mark 2z continued, the only change being made was the reduction of the high and low tolerances for the rim that occurred in December 1948. These were changed from H 0.394 inch, L 0.387 inch to H 0.390 inch, L 0.381 inch and resulted from work done by the Australian Army on feed problems.
Headstamps included the numerals "2Z" and from 1962 when NATO standardisation was achieved, the NATO symbol..
In addition to British production at ICI Kynoch, ROF Radway Green and ROF Thorpe Arch, Mark 2z ammunition was bought in from a number of sources.
In 1974 Mark 2z was purchased from India, but this ammunition was so poorly made that it was eventually sentenced as unserviceable.
The headstamp was as for British Mark 2z but with the "KF" for Kirkee Arsenal. It carried the title "Round 9mm Ball Indian Manufacture".
Other Mark 2z was purchased in 1971 via ICI Kynoch but made for them by FNM in Portugal. The headstamp bore no manufacturer code and was "71 9MM 2Z".
Left: Label for Kirkee Mark 2z Right: Label for FNM Mark 2z
Britain also purchased quantities of 9mm Ball ammunition "off the shelf" from a variety of manufacturers. Since this did not necessarily conform to Mark 2z or NATO specification it was not awarded that nomenclature.
French 9mm ammunition manufactured by Gevelot was purchased in 1974. Two procurements were made, one for use in pistols and the other for Sterling sub-machine guns. Both types were given the title "Round 9mm Ball French Manufacture" and packets were marked accordingly.
Label for 9mm Ball manufactured by Gevelot in France for use in pistols
Other purchases were:
"Round 9mm Ball German Manufacture". Two separate purchases were made from Dynamit Nobel AG in Germany. These conformed to German service specifications and had German military headstamps.
"Round 9mm Ball Swedish Manufacture". These were purchased from FFV in Sweden and bore Swedish military headstamps.
"Round 9mm Ball High Performance M39B Swedish Manufacture". These were also purchased from FFV. "M39B" is the Swedish military nomenclature for their standard sub-machine gun ammunition. Cases had Swedish military headstamps.
"Round 9mm Ball Blazer". This was practice ammunition purchased from CCI in the United States. The cases were Boxed primed and made from plain aluminium. Headstamp was "CCI 9mm NR", the "NR" meaning "Non Reloadable".
Mainstream production of 9mm Mark 2z for the Ministry of Defence by Radway Green, now part of the privatised Royal Ordnance plc, ceased in 1988 (although small lots were subsequently made in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996, mainly for sale to police forces, which see). ICI Kynoch also had finished production so all future needs were met by contracts with foreign suppliers. Unlike the earlier "off the shelf" purchases, these rounds were manufactured to British./NATO specifications and headstamped with the appropriate British "L" code.
"L" codes were awarded to a number of different manufacturers, but not all necessarily received contracts or produced ammunition.
"Round 9mm Ball L5A1" was allocated to Hirtenberger in Austria but it is uncertain if any were actually manufactured
"Round 9mm Ball L7A1" was also a Hirtenberger contract. It was Boxer primed and rounds were headstamped "HP (+) L7A1 91" with a red annulus. This ammunition is loaded to higher than normal pressures and was designated by the Ministry of Defence for use in "adverse conditions". It was intended for Arctic warfare where the extreme cold caused problems with regular ammunition in sub-machine guns.
"Round 9mm Ball L8A1" was allocated to GIAT in France, but none was manufactured.
"Round 9mm Ball L9A1" was allocated to Dynamit Nobel AG in Germany, but it is doubtful if any were manufactured.
"Round 9mm Ball L10A1" was also allocated to Maschinenfabrik Elisenhutte Nassau in Germany (MEN, now owned by CBC Brazil) and was manufactured. Headstamp was "MEN 92 L10A1 (+)" with a red annulus. It was Berdan primed.
"Round 9mm Ball L11A1" was allocated to Fabrica Nacional de Municoes, Portugal. It is doubtful if any were manufactured.
"Round 9mm Ball L12A1" was allocated to Hirtenberger in Austria and was manufactured by them. Headstamp was (+) HP L12A1 92" with a red annulus. It was Boxer primed.
"Round 9mm Ball L16A1" was allocated to Radway Green. Headstamp is "RG 00 (+) 9mm L16A1". It is presumed that a new "L" number was allocated due to use of different propellant or cap supplier.
"Round 9mm Ball L18A1" was allocated to Israeli Military Industries (IMI) and was made by them. Headstamp was !IMI 05 L18A1 (+)"
"Round 9mm Ball L31A1" is allocated to CBC Brazil. Heasdtamp is "CBC 12 L31A1 (+)". It is uncertain whether these are actually manufactured in Brazil or at the old MEN plant in Germany.
All of the above ammunition met NATO STANAG specifications and observed examples all had 124 grain bullets. Velocity was between 1,245 and 1,375 fps.
Canadian Mark I
There was one other mark of 9mm ball approved for British service circa 1955. This was "Cartridge S.A. Ball 9mm CDN Mark I" manufactured by Dominion Arsenal in Canada.
It had a brass case with Boxer primer which was fitted with a 115 grain bullet with a gilding metal jacket.
Ballistics were approximately those of the Ball Mark 2z.
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