Identifying the Stamp on Ammo Casings

[glaukon]

Hello,

Does anyone know how to identify the stamp on your ammo casing? That is, if all you've got is the round, can you use the stamp to determine the manufacturer/date/anything else? I tried googling for a list and also by using the particular stamps on my ammo, but I couldn't find anything.

I ask because I bought some Fiocchi 9mm rounds online, and the stamp doesn't match the Fiocchi I buy at the local gun store. At the gun store, I get "G.F.L. 9mm LUGER," but the online ammo all says, "NPA 08." Is this really Fiocchi ammunition? I take it that "08" means it was manufactured in 2008. What about the "NPA"?

Thanks!

 

[bignz]

try here:
http://www.afte.org/ExamResources/gallery2/v/Headstamp-Gallery/

 

[schnarrgj]

Here is another link to a good site. The NPA is South African or S+B. The NPA is contract ammo for the Taiwan-NPA=National Police Administration.http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm

 

[glaukon]

Hmm, thank you for the links!

 

[Neruda]

NPA is certainly the National Police Administation of Taiwan. However, according to the web-site of Igman ammunition, another contractor for the NPA was Olympic Arms & Ammunition S. A., Acioupoli, Kulois, Greece. The cases were made by Sellier & Bellot, Prague. http://www.igman.com/ammunition/codes/N/NPA-Greece.html

 

[JohnKSa]

It doesn't sound like it's Fiocchi, but I suppose it's possible that Fiocchi filled a contract for NPA and had some overrun that got sold on the surplus market. The only way to know for sure is to contact Fiocchi and ask them.

 

[James K]

I don't know about contracts, but GFL stands for "Giulio Fiocchi, Lecco" (Italy), and is the common headstamp for Fiocchi ammunition.

Jim