CONTENTS I FOREWORD . .9 II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 10 III INTRODUCTION . .11 IV DISCLAIMER . 13 V THE CYRILLIC ALPHABET . .14 1 SOVIET AMMUNITION DESIGNATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE . .15 1 .1 Designation System for Small Arms Ammunition . .15 1 .2 Designation System for Medium Calibre Ammunition . .16 1 .3 Designation System for Large Calibre Artillery Ammunition . 17 1 .4 Abbreviated Ammunition Designations of the Warsaw Pact States . 24 2 SOVIET AMMUNITION MARKINGS . 31 2 .1 Stamped-In Markings . .31 2 .2 Colour Markings . .35 2 .3 Stencilled Markings . 39 3 AMMUNITION CHEMISTRY . .43 3 .1 Powders and Propellants . .43 3 .2 High Explosives . .46 3 .3 Incendiaries . .49 3 .4 Pyrotechnics . 50 4 CALIBRE 12 .7x108 . 53 4 .1 12 .7mm Degtyarev Machine Gun . .53 4 .2 12 .7mm Berezin Aircraft Machine Gun . .58 4 .3 12 .7mm Afanasev Aircraft Machine Gun . 61 4 .4 12 .7mm YakB Helicopter Machine Gun . 64 4 .5 12 .7mm NSV Machine Gun . 67 4 .6 12 .7mm KORD Machine Gun . 70 4 .7 Miscellaneous 12 .7mm Weapons . 71 4 .8 Ammunition Used in the 12 .7mm Machine Guns Prior to and During WWII . 72 4 .9 Ammunition Used in the 12 .7mm Machine Guns Post WWII . 76 1 5 CALIBRE 12 .7x108R . .87 5 .1 12 .7mm ShVAK Aircraft Machine Gun . .87 5 .2 Ammunition used in the 12 .7mm ShVAK Aircraft Machine Gun . .88 6 CALIBRE 14 .5x114 . 91 6 .1 14 .5mm PTRD and PTRS Anti-Tank Rifles . 91 6 .2 Ammunition Used in the PTRD and PTRS Anti-Tank Rifles . 95 6 .3 14 .5mm KPV Machine Gun . 98 6 .4 14 .5mm Subcalibre Devices . 102 6 .5 Miscellaneous 14 .5mm Weapons . 104 6 .6 Ammunition Used in the KPV Machine Gun . .104 7 CALIBRE 20x99R . .117 7 .1 20mm ShVAK Aircraft Cannon . .117 7 .2 20mm B-20 Aircraft Cannon . .121 7 .3 Subcalibre Device . 123 7 .4 Ammunition Used in the 20mm ShVAK and B-20 Aircraft Cannon . 124 8 CALIBRE 23x115 (NS-23) . .131 8 .1 23mm NS-23 Aircraft Cannon . 131 8 .2 23mm NR-23 Aircraft Cannon . 136 8 .3 Ammunition Used in the NS-23 and NR-23 Aircraft Cannon . 142 9 CALIBRE 23x115 (AM-23) . 153 9 .1 23mm AM-23 Aircraft Cannon . 153 9 .2 23mm GSh-23 Twin Barrel Aircraft Cannon . .155 9 .3 23mm GSh-6-23 Gatling Aircraft Cannon . .162 9 .4 Ammunition Used in the AM-23, GSh-23 and GSh-6-23 Aircraft Cannon . 166 10 CALIBRE 23x152B (VYa) . .181 10 .1 23mm VYa Aircraft Cannon . .181 10 .2 Post-War Developments Using the VYa Cartridge . 185 10 .3 Ammunition Used in the VYa Aircraft Cannon . 186 10 .4 23mm Subcalibre Devices . 191 10 .5 Ammunition Used in the 23mm Subcalibre Devices . 193 11 CALIBRE 23x152B (ZSU) . .195 11 .1 23mm ZU-23 Anti-Aircraft Gun . 195 11 .2 23mm ZSU-23-4 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun . .196 11 .3 Ammunition Used in the 2A14 (ZU-23) and 2A7 (ZSU-23-4) Anti-Aircraft Guns . .201 2 12 CALIBRE 23x260 . 211 12 .1 23mm R-23 Aircraft Cannon . 211 12 .2 Ammunition Used in the R-23 Aircraft Cannon . 218 13 CALIBRE 25x218SR . .221 13 .1 25mm Anti-Aircraft Gun M1940 . .221 13 .2 Twin Barrel 25mm Anti-Aircraft Gun 94-KM . .222 13 .3 Naval 25mm Anti-Aircraft Gun 84-KM . 222 13 .4 Ammunition Used in the 25mm Anti-Aircraft Guns 72-K, 94-KM and 84-KM . .222 14 CALIBRE 25x218 . 227 14 .1 25mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Gun 2M-3 . .227 14 .2 25mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Gun 2M-3M . .231 14 .3 25mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Gun 2M-8 . .232 14 .4 Ammunition Used in the 25mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Guns 2M-3, 2M-3M and 2M-8 . .232 15 CALIBRE 30x28B . .239 15 .1 30mm Automatic Grenade Launcher AGS-17 . .239 15 .2 30mm Automatic Grenade Launcher AGS-30 . .241 15 .3 Other Grenade Launchers . .242 15 .4 Ammunition Used in the 30mm Grenade Launchers . 244 16 CALIBRE 30x155B . 251 16 .1 30mm NR-30 Aircraft Cannon . .251 16 .2 Ammunition Used in the NR-30 Aircraft Cannon . 256 17 CALIBRE 30x165 (GROUND BASED GUNS) . 271 17 .1 30mm 2A42 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Cannon . 271 17 .2 30mm 2A72 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Cannon . 274 17 .3 30mm 2A38 Anti-Aircraft Cannon . 276 17 .4 Ammunition Used in the 2A42, 2A72 and 2A38 Cannon . 278 18 CALIBRE 30x165 (NAVAL GUNS) . .289 18 .1 30mm Anti-Aircraft Guns AK-630 and AK-630M . 289 18 .2 30mm Anti-Aircraft Gun “Kashtan” . .295 18 .3 30mm Anti-Aircraft Gun AK-306 . 296 18 .4 Ammunition Used in the Naval Anti-Aircraft Guns . .296 19 CALIBRE 30x165 (AIRCRAFT GUNS) . .303 19 .1 30mm GSh-30 Twin Barrel Aircraft Cannon . 303 19 .2 30mm GSh-6-30 Gatling Aircraft Cannon . 305 19 .3 30mm GSh-301 Single Barrel Aircraft Cannon . 308 3 19 .4 Ammunition Used in the GSh-30, GSh-6-30 and GSh-301 Aircraft Cannon . .314 20 CALIBRE 30x210B . 323 20 .1 30mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Gun AK-230 . .323 20 .2 Ammunition Used in the 30mm Naval Anti-Aircraft Gun AK-230 . .328 21 CALIBRE 37x94R . .335 21 .1 37mm Hotchkiss Guns . 335 21 .2 Miscellaneous 37mm Trench Guns . .336 21 .3 Ammunition Used in the 37mm Hotchkiss and Trench Guns . .337 22 CALIBRE 37x155 . 341 22 .1 37mm N-37 Aircraft Cannon . 341 22 .2 37mm NN-37 Aircraft Cannon . .345 22 .3 Ammunition Used in the N-37 and NN-37 Aircraft Cannon . 346 23 CALIBRE 37x198 . 355 23 .1 37mm Sh-37 Aircraft Cannon . ..