Mexico also uses 1912 as the starting date for its headstamps, this being the year of its revolution. Taiwan also has its own calendar system based on 1912, the year which signalled the end of dynastic China and the formation of the Republic of China. When deciphering these head-stamps, it should be remembered that the Japanese calendar was used for the year markings thus, the Japanese year 2600 relates to the Western year 1940. These headstamps consisted of a mixture of a Japanese ideogram and Western numerals. Only the Japanese Navy used headstamps on its ammunition. Up until 1945, all Japanese Army ammunition was bereft of markings. One anomaly with respect to military headstamps is Japan. Thus, from the position of the various numbers and characters around the rim, it is often possible to source the ammunition without actually deciphering the headstamp itself. Headstamps on military ammunition are usually applied in a strict pattern, rarely deviating from the official pattern. Other information can include case material, propellant type, bullet type, that is, tracer, armour-piercing, and so on. Military ammunition, on the other hand, will, with very few exceptions, always include the year of manufacture as well as the month or batch number.
![ortgies pistol herkey stamp ortgies pistol herkey stamp](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6lVrJSgRv1k/hqdefault.jpg)
In such cases, it can be extremely difficult to find the original manufacturer of the cartridge case. The headstamp is also sometimes used as a medium for advertising, and a gun manufacturer, such as Holland and Holland, can have ammunition supplied with its own brand name impressed on the base.
![ortgies pistol herkey stamp ortgies pistol herkey stamp](https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2011/11/pistol184-1.jpg)
This will aid the identification of the separate components, but it is not nowadays a common practice. Occasionally, the base of the bullet may be marked to indicate its origin, and in some cases, the primer itself can be marked to show its origin as well. Many cartridge case manufacturers sell their cases to small companies who load them to their own specifications, and it is not unusual to find that the bullet, cartridge case, propellant and primer all have different sources. This information only relates, however, to the cartridge case and does not necessarily indicate that the other components, that is, primer, bullet and propel-lant, were of the same origin as the case. From these impressions, one can, depending on the type of ammunition and its origin, determine the manufacturer, calibre, type, date of manufacture, batch number, case material, and so on. They can be in any language, numbering system or can relate to any calendar. Systems of headstamp markings are used worldwide The mark can consist of numbers, letters, trademarks, figures or any combination of these.
#ORTGIES PISTOL HERKEY STAMP SERIES#
A cartridge headstamp is a mark, or series of marks impressed, or sometimes embossed, on the head of the cartridge case during its manufacture.