A 9x19 ammo question

Vlim · 05-24-2008, 09:28 AM

Hi Alvin,

Yes we can.

faa is the maker's mark: Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken, the Karlsruhe division (DWM).

8 is the lot number, 44 is the production year (1944).

St+ shows it is a steel case, loaded with the improved coarser powder.

So it's original WW2 ammunition, made by DWM for the German army.

The bullet is most likely painted black? This is the 'mE' bullet, the version with an iron core. The Germans stopped painting the bullet black in 1944, when the 'mE' became the standard round and the lead filled copper FMJ was dropped. Checking whether the bullet contains iron is easily done by holding a magnet to the tip. A copper/lead round is non-magnetic.

Alternatively, if the bullet is a dull grey with a black band around the base of the bullet (where it meets the case), it's the 'SE' variation, the bullet is then made of sintered iron.

These sectioned rounds show those variations, the one on the left is the Steel cased version with the coarse powder (St+), the one on the right is the steel cased version with the normal powder (St).

The left bullet is the mE ('mit Eisenkern', iron core) version, the one on the right is the massive SE ('Sintereisen', sintered iron) version.

This is a recent touch-up I did of a design drawing from one of the German munitions manufacturers Polte of Magdeburg.

I used a copy from Lewis Curtis (http://www.gigconceptsinc.com/RefInfo9mmP.html) as a basis.

05-24-2008, 09:28 AM	#2
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,990 Times in 1,205 Posts	Hi Alvin, Yes we can. faa is the maker's mark: Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken, the Karlsruhe division (DWM). 8 is the lot number, 44 is the production year (1944). St+ shows it is a steel case, loaded with the improved coarser powder. So it's original WW2 ammunition, made by DWM for the German army. The bullet is most likely painted black? This is the 'mE' bullet, the version with an iron core. The Germans stopped painting the bullet black in 1944, when the 'mE' became the standard round and the lead filled copper FMJ was dropped. Checking whether the bullet contains iron is easily done by holding a magnet to the tip. A copper/lead round is non-magnetic. Alternatively, if the bullet is a dull grey with a black band around the base of the bullet (where it meets the case), it's the 'SE' variation, the bullet is then made of sintered iron. These sectioned rounds show those variations, the one on the left is the Steel cased version with the coarse powder (St+), the one on the right is the steel cased version with the normal powder (St). The left bullet is the mE ('mit Eisenkern', iron core) version, the one on the right is the massive SE ('Sintereisen', sintered iron) version. This is a recent touch-up I did of a design drawing from one of the German munitions manufacturers Polte of Magdeburg. I used a copy from Lewis Curtis (http://www.gigconceptsinc.com/RefInfo9mmP.html) as a basis.