Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Help with identifying a shell

I found a loaded shell while going through my old mans stuff and can't seem to identify it. I can go back and take a pic if needed, at the time there was no measuring devices or other shells to compare it with be.
Its approx 2-2.25 inches long slender with a shoulder
appears to be slightly smaller then a 22-250 shell(length and diameter)
and has markings on the bottom around the primer that
says 83-8 FNM
Any help would be great
Cheers!

Same boltface as a 22-250 (.473)?

My first guess would be 22 Savage Hi Power. A picture next to a 22=250 round WOULD help a lot. MARK

FNM = Fabrica Nacional de Municoes e Armas Ligeiras (Portugal)

If it has a cross in a circle it probably started as 7.62x51 (308 Win+-). It may be different now.

Could be several other cartridges they made, too.

http://www.afte.org/ExamResources/gallery2/v/Headstamp-Gallery/Letters_001/F/

yeah, i need a picture to compare it to. i have tons of bullets to compare it to, so more infor would realy narrow it down for me.

its not a .22 HP if it is shorter than the 22-250. the HP is longer and has a rim.

5.45x39?

From:
http://apcm.home.sapo.pt/artigo3a.htm#%E2%80%9CF%C3%A1brica_Nacional_de_Muni%C3%A7%C3%B5es_de_Armas_Ligeiras%E2%80%9D

Ao longo da sua exist�ncia, na FNMAL foram fabricados v�rios calibres e tipos de muni��es, nomeadamente 7,92x57mm Mauser; 9x19mm Parabellum; 7,7x56mmR; 7,62x51mm e 7,62x39mm. Igualmente foram aqui produzidas as chamadas muni��es sub-calibre, ou de tiro reduzido, para os lan�a foguetes Instalaza, em calibres 7,62x24mm Rega�a e 7,92x24,5mm Rega�a, de concep��o espanhola.

...

Ali foram produzidos diversos calibres e tipos de muni��es, nomeadamente para armas ligeiras, em todas as vers�es militares do 7,62x51mm; 7,62x39mm; 5,56x45mm; 9x19mm e 20mm TP M55 A2, bem como para armas civis, 8mmIS Mauser; .308 Winchester; .303 British; 6,5 Mauser e 7,63 Mauser. Continuaram a ser produzidas as muni��es sub-calibre, Rega�a, que haviam come�ado a ser produzidas nos anos 70 ainda como FNMAL, bem como cartuchos de sinaliza��o.
-----------------------------
Google translation:

Throughout its existence, FNMAL were manufactured in various sizes and types of ammunition, including 7.92 x57mm Ill; 9x19mm Parabellum; 7.7 x56mmR; 7.62 x51mm and 7.62 x39mm. Also have been produced so-called sub-caliber ammunition, and shot low to the rocket launcher Instalaza in sizes 7.92 and 7.62 x24mm Regan x24, 5mm Regan, of Spanish design.

...

There were produced various sizes and types of ammunition, particularly for small arms, in all versions of the military 7.62 x51mm, 7.62 x39mm, 5.56 x45mm, 9x19mm and 20mm TP M55 A2, as well as civil weapons, 8mmIS Ill;. 308 Winchester, .303 British, 6.5 and 7.63 Ill Ill. Continued to be produced the sub-caliber ammunition, Regan, who had begun to be produced in the 70s as a FNMAL and signal cartridges.

hey guys thanks for the input. I will take pics and post tomorrow.
Cheers

For some reason I can't post the pics if anyone can help me that would be great. I have two pictures and some measurements

shoot a pm to kamerad les

he can do that in about 3 seconds.

Looks like a .243 win

Center one looks like a 22-250. The 22-250 used to be a wildcat, so if the rifle is from that era, it may be some gunsmith's version of the 22-250 which is not the same as the one we now have.

Bruce

The one pic shows it compared to an empty 22-250 shell and a .300 savage empty.
the other pic shows how far the loaded shell (top) goes into a 22-250 empty(bottom).

The shell measurements are as follows

Total length- 2.255 inches
length to bottom of shoulder- 1.450
diameter of bullet- .245
diameter of casing neck- .246
diameter of headstamp- .373

The bullet is a full metal jacket of some sort from Portugal I believe according to the headstamp marking
The headstamp reads FNM 83-8


Thank you Kamerad Les for posting the pics

I thought it was the middle one you needed ID for.

The left one appears to be 5.56 NATO (223 Rem case equivalent)

Compare measurements here. Scroll down to the Metric section.

http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm

Bruce

sounds like a 223 to me too.

Every thing looks as if it is a 223 Rem, However the bullet diameter (if correct) could make it a wildcat. Hornady's 7th has a wildcat that looks similar, it is a 6x47mm that is a necked-up 222 Magnum. I also wonder about the head area, it looks as if it has been turned, it is much brighter than the rest of the case.

Just my two cents