A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. If it is a civilian case it often also tells the caliber: if it is military, the year of manufacture is often added.

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article duplicates the scope of other articles, specifically List of military headstamps. (December 2014) This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (December 2014)

The headstamp is punched into the base of the cartridge during manufacture. A resource for identifying where the ammunition originated can be found at Cartridge Collectors.

The government-operated arsenal K.M. Polican marks number "3" at the 6 o'clock position, and the last two digits of the year at 12 o'clock.^[1]

Military cartridges have the manufacturer's head stamp at 12 o’clock, and can include a two or four digit year. The following list of manufacturer initials is taken verbatim from:^[1]

• Fabrica Militar de Cartuchos San Francisco: FMMAP S.F. (1948); FMCSF (1954); F.M. S.F. (1972)
• Fabrica Militar de Municiones de Armas Portatiles: F.M.M.A.P. (1939–44); renamed Fabrica Militar de Municiones de Armas Portatiles—Borghi: F.M.M.A.P. B (1944– 50); again renamed Fabrica Militar San Lorenzo: FMC SL (1950–55), F.M. S.L. (1955–61); then renamed again to Fabrica Militar Luis Beltran: F.M. FLB (1961– 75), FLB (post-1958)
• Industria Metalurgica y Plastica Argentina, Buenos Aires: I.M.P.A.

• BB Bertram Bullet Co. Pty. Ltd. (1986–present) – Seymour, Melbourne, Victoria. Bruce Bertram bought Super Cartridge Co.'s machinery and moved it to Seymour, where he began manufacturing brass cases for handloaders. The "BB" is at 12 o'clock and small kangaroos are positioned counter-clockwise at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Brass is sold in lots of 20-case cartons and can be made to customer's specifications with personalized headstamps.
• ICI-ANZ Imperial Chemical Industries – Australia / New Zealand (1940s – 1980s) – Deer Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Manufactured cartridges and shotshells from the 1940s until the late 1970s. They also made brass cases for filling and loading by their parent company in the United Kingdom and produced Australian-gauge shotshells for the local market. The factory now makes commercial explosives under the ORICA brand.
• RBA or RIVERBRAND Riverbrand Ammunition Company, (1945? – early 1980s) – Hendon, South Australia, Australia.^{[2][self-published source]} Syd Churches, owner of the Taipan Bullet Company, bought out the defunct Small Arms Ammunition Factories No. 3 & 4 at Hendon after the war. Initial production just remanufactured old military-surplus brass cases with new RWS-made non-corrosive Berdan primers. They then mated them with Taipan-manufactured bullets to make cheap .303 Imperial and 7.62mm NATO ammo. "UPDATE 30/11/2020. The above information is totally incorrect. Sid Churches owner operator of Taipan Projectiles Pty Ltd (1946–1980) did not own Riverbrand Ammunition (RBA) at any time. RBA was owned and operated by Ron Holmes. It is true that SOME RBA ammunition was loaded with Taipan Projectiles, including 303 British, 303/270, 303/25 and later 308. ALL Taipan Projectiles supplied to RBA featured a knurled cannellure. No knurled cannelure, not a genuine Taipan Projectile. RBA also used other Projectiles including ICIANZ and CIL, yet claimed the use through advertising as Taipan Projectiles due to that companies high reputation at that time (1950's through to 1970). This continual advertising of RBA ammunition with Taipan Projectiles was a bone of contention with Sid Churches and eventually all supplies of Taipans to RBA ceased in about 1963. A Taipan Projectiles History website has been launched in April 2020. End Update. Early new production (marked "RBA") used Berdan primed brass cases. Full production (marked "RIVERBRAND") used newly manufactured Boxer-primed cases in a variety of service pistol and "wildcat" sporting rifle cartridges, as well as new brass for handloaders. They also made ammo for Sportco in Adelaide under the SPORTCO headstamp. Riverbrand was always a small-scale endeavor, as there was too much competition from Super Cartridge Company (their only domestic manufacturing rival) and foreign ammunition manufacturers.
• SUPER Super Cartridge Co. (? – 1985) – Marybyrnong, Melbourne, Victoria. Manufacturer of cartridges, shotshells, and bullets and brass cases for handloading. They originally sold sporting cartridges made from reloaded Australian-made .303 Imperial brass and sold "wildcat" cartridges made from the base .303 cartridge. (These usually had the original Small Arms Ammunition Factory headstamp on them). They also made proprietary "wildcat" ammunition for the MYRA Sports Store in Broken Hill, New South Wales. They were sued for copyright infringement in the early 1980s by Olin-Winchester for their similar one-piece polymer shotshell design. They were barred from making the shells, gave up manufacturing shotshells altogether, and later went out of business in the mid-1980s.
• TAIPAN Bullets (late 1980s-2017) – Gympie, Wide Bay–Burnett, Queensland. After Churches' death in the late 1970s, RIVERBRAND's bullet-making machinery was sold and moved to facilities in Queensland, where it was set up as TAIPAN Bullets.^{[3][self-published source]} Owner Malcolm Bone manufactured bullets in small lots for hand loaders. The company's major toolmaker and die-setter died a few years ago.^[2] Bone announced in 2017 he was ceasing new production and selling off the remaining stock. UPDATE 30/11/2020. Above information is partly incorrect. Sid Churches owner operator of Taipan Projectiles 1946–1980 DID NOT OWN Riverbrand Ammunition. Sid Churches died in May 1987, not late 1970's as stated above. Taipan Projectiles manufacturing plant was sold to a NSW consortium in 1981 called SAC (Small Arms Company). That company folded in about 1985 and was on sold to a Queensland Operator.

• HP, H or P – Hirtenberger Patronen-, Zündhütchen-und Metallwarenfabrik A.-G., Hirtenberg, Austria

A common head stamp is BOF (Bangladesh Ordnance Factory). Sometimes a two-digit year and/or a caliber may be included.^[1]

• Cartridges made by Fabrique Nationale may be marked FN, FNH, FNB, or H.^[1]
• Cartridges made from the 1800s to the mid-twentieth century by Anciens Establissements Pieper Hertsal may be marked AEP or A.E.P.^[1]
• Cartridges made by Van Bruaene Rik may be narked VBR-B at 6 o’clock with the caliber at 12 o’clock.^[1]

• Cartridges made by the Armed Forces National Development Corporation are marked simply with BOLIVIA.^[1]

• CBC Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos S.A. – It owns the Magtech Ammunition brand, which is its exported commercial and law-enforcement ammunition division. Currently CBC Group also controls MEN (Metallwerk Elisenhütte Nassau) (2007) and Sellier & Bellot (2009).

Cartridges made by Industrial Society Burkina Arms and Ammunition (SIBAM) may be marked SIBAM or CV (Cartoucherie Voltaique (CARVOLT)).^[1]

INDUMIL Industria Militar [Colombian Military Industry], company owned by the Government of Colombia operate the only authorised manufacturing company that produce weapons and munitions for both the military and civilian markets. Makes 9×19mm NATO, 9×19mm Luger, 9×19mm Subsonic, 9×19mm Factor 132, .223 Remington, 5.56×45mm NATO, .32S&W, .38SPL, .38SPL Factor 132 and other several shotgun shells in 12Ga, 16Ga and 20Ga. Pistol & Rifle ammunition uses "IM" as headstamp, the last 2 digits of the year of manufacture and 2 digits for the designation. Revolver and Shotgun shells are stamped as "Indumil" and the calibre.

NORINCO (North Industries Corporation) – Beijing, China. Operates several state arsenals that produce weapons and munitions for both the military and civilian markets. Makes the Big Star rimfire and China Sports centerfire ammunition brands. Currently they make 9×18mm Makarov, 9×19mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, .223 Remington [5.56×45mm], 7.62×39mm Soviet, and .308 Winchester [7.62×51mm] ammo.

NORINCO 7.62×39mm Soviet ammunition was banned from importation into the United States in February, 1994. This was due to the fact that the military surplus ammunition couldn't pass the "magnet test". Non-compliant semi-armor-piercing and armor-piercing rounds have steel penetrators or steel cores that will be attracted by a magnet. The NORINCO copper-plated steel-jacketed Full Metal Jacket bullets would be attracted by a magnet – making it hard to distinguish between compliant lead-core and non-compliant steel-cored ammunition.

• S&B, SBP, or Ŏ S&B Ŏ (Sellier & Bellot) – Vlašim, Prague, Czechoslovakia. (1825–Present) Made percussion caps from 1825 and metal cartridges from 1870. Acquired by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) in 2009.
• LIBRA (Libra a.s.) (1996–2005?) – Jevišovice, Znojmo District, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. Ammunition company founded by inventor Vlastimil Libra. Manufactured the 9×19mm and 7.65×17mm Snek ("Snail") High-Velocity Armor-Piercing round, 9×19mm +P Extra Sport-AT High-Velocity round (headstamp: LIBRA&AT) and the .17-caliber Libra round. The company went out of business after they were caught in a sting operation in 2004 trying to sell armor-piercing ammunition illegally.

What appears like "TO" is actually the Arabic letters for Haa (ح) and Mim (م), the first letters of the words for "Military Factory". It is an Egyptian Military property mark, much like the broadshead arrowhead used by the British Government. The larger versions of the symbol has the numbers ٧٢ ("27") inset in the circle split by the vertical line. The "TO" is found on the base of shotgun shells, which Military Factory 27 makes for the civilian hunting market.

• ٧٢ مح Military Factory 27 (Shubra Company for Engineering Industries) (1953–present) – Shubra, Cairo, Egypt.

• GECO Gustav Genschow & Co. (1887–1945; 1951–present) – Berlin, Germany. Produces a wide range of pistol and rifle cartridges, shotshells, and air gun pellets. Formerly part of Dynamit-Nobel since 1946, now part of the RUAG Ammotec group. It makes the GECO Aktion Safety (GAS) brand, a type of hollow-core brass alloy safety bullet. GAS was imported to America in the 1980s by entrepreneur Phil Engeldrum as the "Blitz Action Trauma" (BAT) brand.^[11]
• ME, MEN Metallwerk Elisenhütte (1957–present) – Nassau, Rhein-Lahn-Kreis, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Formed in 1957 to provide ammunition to the West German Bundeswehr. Bought out by vehicle manufacturer Metallwerk Elisenhütte Nassau GmbH (MEN) in 1990 and focused on police and military sales in 1996. Bought out by CBC in 2007 and renamed MEN DefenseTec in 2018(?).
• RWS Rheinisch-Westfälischen Sprengstofffabriken ("Rhenish-Westphalian Explosives Factory") – . Makes rimfire cartridges, centerfire hunting rifle cartridges, and air gun pellets. Owns the Rottweil shotshell brand.

• Fiocchi Fiocchi Munizioni – Lecco, Italy.
• HB Enrico Barthe & Cie (1883–1889) – Milan, Italy. A company created as a front for the Società Franco Italiana per la fabbricazione delle Munizioni di caccia, da tiro, da guerra, ed affini (SFIM, "Franco-Italian Corporation for the manufacture of hunting, target-shooting, warfare, and related munitions"). SFIM was the Italian sales division of Société Française des Munitions (SFM, "French Association for Munitions"), the munitions division of the French firm Gevelot. It was an Italian-registered firm created for tax purposes. The president of the firm, Henri Barthe, was an SFM employee that used to be owner of Tarbes Freres before merging with SFM in 1883. French by birth and nationality, they recorded his name as Enrico Barthe in the incorporation papers – although being an Italian citizen or of Italian birth were not prerequisites for the tax law loophole.
• LBC, LEON BEAUX, BEAUX Leon Beaux & Cie. (1889–1960s?) – Milan, Italy. A company created as a front for SFIM, the Italian sales division of SFM, the munitions division of the French firm Gevelot. It was an Italian-registered firm created for tax purposes. Leon Beaux, an SFIM salesman, took over from Henri Barthe as president of SFIM in 1889 and the front company was renamed after him. In 1932 the company was renamed Società Italiana Munizioni, Léon Beaux & C., Milano (SIM, "Italian Association for Munitions") but was still owned by Gevelot. It was briefly nationalized by Mussolini's government from July 26, 1940, to October 19, 1943. After the war Gevelot had SFM manufacture the cartridge components in France and had SIM assemble them in Italy.
• PERFECTA Manufactured by Fiocchi Munizioni.

• AGUILA Aguila Ammunition, a division of Industrias Tecnos S.A. de C.V. ("Technical Industries") – Cuernavaca, Mexico (1961–present). Originally set up with the technical assistance of its original partner Remington, Aguila eventually became independent. Centurion Ordnance of Helotes, Texas, USA is the North American distributor.
• CI Cascade Cartridges International S.A. de C.V. – San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Formerly the Mexican branch of American manufacturer CCI (Cascade Cartridges Incorporated). Now a partner with Industrias Tecnos.
• VF Industrias Tecnos S.A. de C.V. ("Technical Industries") – Cuernavaca, Mexico. Made for Navy Arms Co. of Ridgefield, New Jersey from 1983 to the 1990s. The VF stands for Val Forgett Jr. – the owner of Navy Arms Co.
• Z Sovereign Ammunition, a division of Industrias Tecnos S.A. de C.V. ("Technical Industries") – Cuernavaca, Mexico (1961–present). Owns the Tigercat rimfire ammo brand. The "Z" is sometimes inset in a "D" shape (for Deportivo – Spanish > "Sporting"). Southern Gun Distributors of Opa-Locka, Florida is the North American distributor.

• SADU UM Sadu (?-2014) – Bumbești-Jiu, Gorj, Romania. Usually found on contract civilian hunting and sporting ammunition like Red Army Standard. The metric caliber is at 12 o'clock, the contractor (SADU) is at 8 o'clock, and the 2-digit year of production is at 4 o'clock.
• R SD UM Sadu (2015–present) – Bumbești-Jiu, Gorj, Romania. The new headstamp for all ammunition produced by UM Sadu, replacing the plethora of headstamps in use. The contractor (R SD > "Romania, Sadu") is at 10 o'clock, the 2-digit year is at 2 o'clock, and the metric caliber is at 6 o'clock.

• ZVS ZVS IMPEX A.S. – Dubnica nad Váhom, Trenčín, Trenciansky kraj, Slovakia. ZVS IMPEX is a division of the ZVS Group that was created in 1998. It manufactures 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition and shotgun shells. Century International Arms of Delray Beach, Florida is the North American distributor. Since 2013 it also makes the ZVS P20 9mm handgun and ZVS P21 9mm target handgun. As of 2015 it was made part of MSM Group Ltd.

• AMT AmmoTech (Ammutechse) (1991?–1999?) – Wierda Park, Centurion, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa. Small ammo-manufacturing company. Packed their ammo in blue clamshell boxes. Bought out by New Generation Ammunition in the late '90s, who made their facility their new headquarters.
• M M Musgrave Manufacturers and Distributors (Pty) Ltd. (1933–1996) – Bloemfontein, Mangaung Municipality, Free State, Republic of South Africa. Musgrave Rifles was a gunsmithing firm started by Ben Musgrave that made safari rifles. It was bought out by Armscor in 1971. It went out of business in 1996; Denel/PMP bought its machinery and plans and sent them to Vektor Arms, a division of Lyttelton Engineering Works, which began manufacturing Musgrave guns. It made its own match-grade hunting ammunition, particularly a line of "wildcat" safari cartridges designed by Musgrave and based on the .303 British cartridge. The ammunition plant was used to make .303 British, 7.9mm Mauser and 9×19mm Parabellum military ammunition during World War 2 from 1940 to 1945. Pretoria Metal Pressing made cases for them without a headstamp that were sold in foreign markets under the Musgrave match ammunition brand during the embargo.
• mus Musgrave Ammunition (1976?–1978?) – Ammunition made for Musgrave by Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik. Headstamp had "mus" at 12 o'clock and the caliber at 6 o'clock. A letter (ranging from F to Z) is at 9 o'clock and a single digit number (ranging from 6 to 8) at 3 o'clock; these might be load types or a Lot / year of production code.
• NGA New Generation Ammunition (1994–2016?) – Wierda Park, Centurion, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa. Sold both newly manufactured self-defense and police pistol ammunition and captured Com-Bloc military ammunition. Comes in hard plastic clamshell ammo tray boxes; tan for new manufacture and red for Com-Bloc surplus. The company went out of business not long after the 2009 assassination of Ivan Monsieur, the company's founder and CEO. Its reloaded 'Range Ready' and repacked ComBloc surplus product lines were of poor reliability, which affected its brand loyalty.
• RDM Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd. – a division of the Rheinmetall Group (2008–present) – Boksburg, Republic of South Africa. A division of Rheinmetall composed of Denel's Somchem (1971–2007), Norschem (1896–2007), Boksburg (1996–2007), and Swartclip (1948–2007) chemical companies.
• SWARTKLIP (a division of Denel Corporation) (1948–2007) – Swartklip, Limpopo, Republic of South Africa. A chemical and pyrotechnics company (formerly Ronden Manufacturing Co. from 1948 to 1971) that was bought out by Denel in 1971. It manufactured .22 caliber rimfire and shotgun sporting ammunition as a side business. Imported into the United States by Armscorp USA Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland.

• NORMA AB Norma Projektilfabrik.

• BPS (Balıkesir Explosives Industry and Trade, Inc.) [2014-Present] - Balıkesir, Turkey. Founded in 2014 by Mehmet Akif Yavaşca and Müşteba Yavaşca. Partnered in 2015 with Sarsilmaz Ammunition Inc. of the Sarsilmaz Group. They have produced shotgun shells since 2016 and 9×19mm Parabellum ammo since 2019.
• GA Guardian Ammunition – Afton, Virginia. A brand of ZQI (Zenith Quest International), the North American distributors for MKE's civilian-market ammunition. They sell 9×19mm Parabellum, 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO ball ammo.

• ICI Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. (1926-1977) - Millbank, London, England. Ammunition production was handled by a subsidiary called Imperial Metal Industries, which was spun off as its own company in 1977.
• KYNOCH Kynoch Factories, a division of Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. – Witton, Birmingham, England.
• WWG W. W. Greener – Birmingham, England.

• NR on a headstamp stands for "Non-Reloadable". It indicates that the cartridge cases are made of aluminum and are unsafe to reload.
• NT on a headstamp stands for "Non-Toxic". It indicates that the primer compound is Diazodinitrophenol (DDNP) rather than Lead styphnate.

• PPU##, PP-YU Prvi Partizanki zavod ad Užice ("First Partisan" Ammunition Plant at Užice) – Užice, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Headstamps on Communist-era commercial ammunition had the caliber at 12 o'clock and the contractor code (PPU or PP-YU) at 6 o'clock. PPU was followed by the 2-digit production year (e.g., PPU63).