Identifying cartridge cases

Headstamps turn brass litter into dated, sourced evidence.

Metallic cartridges begin in the mid-19th century, and the base tells all: the headstamp typically names maker, calibre, and often the year. Rimfire cases (firing-pin dent on the rim) are early or small-calibre; centrefire (central primer pocket) dominates after the 1870s.

Measure case length and base diameter to confirm calibre. Military headstamps follow national codes — a two-digit year is common — and a corroded case can still yield its stamp after gentle cleaning. Shotgun heads (brass with paper or plastic walls gone) keep their maker's name too.

Recent cases are legally and ethically different from antique ones — know local law, especially on battlefield sites where collecting may be prohibited. Record the headstamp verbatim; for 20th-century conflict sites, that stamp may tie a findspot to a documented unit or event, which is exactly why such sites deserve restraint.

From the guide library inside Collectors Catalogues, a free app for cataloguing antiques and finds with honest, museum-grade records.

More on weapons

Identifying arrow and spearheads — Socket or tang, and section.

Identifying axeheads — Stone, bronze, or iron.

Identifying swords and daggers — Blade, guard, and tang.

Arrowhead types by period — Flint barbs to iron bodkins — which arrowhead is in your hand?

Identifying crossbow bolts and quarrels — Short, heavy, square-headed — the crossbow's ammunition.

Identifying sling bullets — Lead almonds, some with messages for the enemy.

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