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Proof
The first reference found to 9mm proof rounds is an order to Winchester Repeating Arms for 210 million rounds of 9mm ball ammunition and 40,000 rounds of proof dated July 1940. These were for the Smith & Wesson machine carbines that had been recently ordered.
However, since very few of these carbines actually entered service and no British proof round appeared until 1944, it seems likely that the Winchester rounds were used to proof the Lanchester carbines manufactured from 1941 to 1943. Interestingly, Sten guns for the army were not proofed.
Winchester Proof
The Winchester manufactured proof rounds had a tinned case and Boxer primer with a normal ball bullet and headstamp of "WRA 9M.M".
No reference to the pressure developed has been seen, but since military proof pressures are normally 25% over service pressure it was probably about 17 tsi.
Left: Winchester Proof round.
Right: package label.
Proof Q Mark I
Whether the supply of Winchester proof rounds was running low or there was some other reason, in February 1942 the Director of Naval Ordnance requested the Ordnance Board to develop a 9mm Proof round for proof of Lanchester carbines.
Since the pressure of the Winchester ball round was slightly higher than the Ball Mark Iz and it was still in service, this was taken as the base line for the new proof cartridge which was to be 25% over service pressure.
"Cartridge S.A. Proof 9mm Q Mark I" was approved to design DD/L/19046.Q1 in late 1943 or early 1944. The specification was L.9686. A nitrocellulose version was approved as "Cartridge S.A. Proof 9mm Q Mark Iz" in October 1951.
The brass case was similar to the service case but was copper washed for identification. It had a Berdan primer and usually a yellow annulus. Caps were initially brass but could be of white metal and the headstamp included "QI" or "QIZ". Some Radway green 1955 rounds are marked "QMk1Z".
The bullet was a normal 115 grain ball bullet.
The propellant was either 7.5 grains of cordite for the Q Mark I or 6.3 grains of ICI P.13138 nitrocellulose for the Q mark Iz.
Pressure was to be between 15 and 17 tsi, approximately 23-25% above the pressure of the Winchester ball round.
Blank
No British made 9mm blank was approved for service although a number of designs were tested. There was an obvious need for a blank cartridge, especially for training during World War 2, but the first trials did not take place until 1950/51.
These trials used Mark V Sten machine carbines and Canadian 9mm L Mark Iz blanks supplied from Canada. They were unsuccessful as the barrels became badly fouled. The headstamp of the Canadian blanks did not always have the type included, typically being "DAC 48 9MM", but later production was stamped "DA 52 9mm L1Z"
Canadian Blank L Mark 1Z
Various other experimental blanks made by Radway Green and ICI Kynoch were tested over the next few years but none were adopted.
The Kynoch blanks were similar in appearance to the Canadian type with rosette crimps of different lengths. They were manufactured over several years in the 1950s and were typically headstamped "K57 9mm".
Kynoch made blank headstamped "K57 9mm".
A requirement still existed for a blank in 1971 and so a German blank made by Dynamit Nobel was tested. British troops training in Germany with their German counterparts had been using these on a semi-official basis for some years.
The tests were successful and the German blank approved for service.
Blank L2A1
"Round 9mm Blank L2A1" was approved in 1975 for use with the Sterling L2A3 SMG and later in 1991 for the Browning L9A1 and Walther P5 L102A1 pistols.
The case is brass with a Berdan primer. Early examples had a commercial style headstamp but later production included the British type nomenclature and were marked "DAG 9mm L2A1".
The "bullet" is black plastic and is secured to the case by four heavy crimps around the top of the case. It remains attached to the case when fired. To weaken the bullet there are two cross cut grooves in the nose to ensure that it splits on firing.
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