Attempt at a list of color variations of plastic cartridges

[tennsats]

For my own sake I am trying to record different color variations of plastic bodied cartridges (be it dummy/drill, blank, grenade blank, short range, short range tracers, and so on).

Please note I exclude commercial snap caps or dummies.

I’ll input my own observations from my collection and will take some photos this weekend - one photo sample for each color.
Please do comment with any colors you yourself have seen and photos if available.
Also do please come with input/comments on color names or other things.

o = opaque, t = translucent, st = semitranslucent

• Black (o) - various mfgs. amongst them Bakelittfabrikken and DAG, DDR dummy rds etc
• Gray (o/st/t) - unknown but I have observed them
• Clear/bright red (o) - Bakelittfabrikken
• Dark red (o) - Bakelittfabrikken early rifle blanks
• Salmon/dark pink (st) - Bakelittfabrikken very early 9x19 blanks
• Bright yellow (o) - Bakelittfabrikken various rifle launching blanks
• Bright yellow (t) - Finnish blank
• Dark yellow/orange tint yellow (o) - Bakelittfabriken .30 Carbine blanks
• Brass (o) - Gevelot blanks
• Green (st) - French blanks
• Olive green (o) - DAG blanks
• Dark green (o) - Finnish blanks
• Light blue/cyan (t) - Bakelittfabrikken and DAG short range rounds
• Lght blue/cyan (o) - same as above
• Dark blue (t)&(st) - same as above
• Dark blue (o) - DAG short range
• Indigo (o) - Austrian blanks
• White (o) - French blanks
• White (st)&(t) - DAG short range, some blanks
• Milky white (st)&(t)- Finnish blanks, US PLAMIL pattern blanks, Austrian blanks

Out of curiosity I have to ask if there are any examples of purple, violet, or orange plastic rounds.
I know of the short range rounds with orange projectiles but have not seen any rounds with a semi or full body of orange plastic.

Ole

[Mel]

Ole,

Yes, there are plastic cartridges in those colors. Here is a picture of some of my Dardick Trounds that include those colors and more. It was the cover for the IAA Journal number 531, Jan/Feb 2020.

[EOD]

Ole, not trying to ruin it but it may be easier to make a list of colors which were not observed on plastic cartridges/cases.

[JAN]

Orange used for .50 norway blanks for the Netherlands. White,green, black, red, for Spanish blanks, propulsive ctg.

[TonyL]

I also have a DAG light blue 7.62 NATO blank, which I thought was odd as blue is usually short range practice.
Also the Swiss use green blanks.

[vidar]

Here is my collection of blanks and short range from the short-lived Norwegian company PLAMIL. All of these were presented to me by one of the inventors and all the cartridges are plastic, with brass or aluminium bases.

[tennsats]

Mel; thank you indeed, but this is my mistake. I should have clarified that I did mean “traditional” plastic cartridges like the typical rifle blanks and short range trainers. Not more exotic items such as your (beautiful!!!) Dardick trounds or Lockless types.

Alex; of course, you are right but the main idea was this more specific area and common colors.

Jan; thank you, I did recall the orange .50 now that you do mention it!

Tony; indeed, the DAG ones have several color variations, new to me was a clear short range round now recently.

Vidar; thank you for the image. I recall being shown some of these (or very similar variations) by Jon Steinsnes. He did have several unusual 7.62x39 and x51 types that I sadly do not know where have ended up now.

Your row of colorful 7.62x39 is especially interesting!!

Ole

[EOD]

I see some interesting 7.62x39 there!
Would it be possible to get colose-up images of these?

[vidar]

EOD; here are close-ups of the 7.62x39 short range and blanks from the Norwegian PLAMIL company.

[EOD]

Vidar, thanks a lot!
I saw huge amounts of these variations but you were able to add some whcih I had never seen before!
Really much appreciated!

[vidar]

Oh, I’m sure you’ve seen other color combinations, but as far as I know my collection contains only genuine PLAMIL cartridges. Most of the short range consist of bullets and cases which are easily put together, so collectors have been creating their own versions. Mine were all given to me by one of the inventors while experimentation was going on. The short range cartridges were not a success, but Finland developed their own variants of the blank cartridge.

[josemaria]

Hello
In Spain at the end of the 80’s, the Plasticas Oramil Company tested many colors in 5.56x45, 7.62x51 and Parabellum. On the page of our association there are many, as shown by an orange 7.62x51
José María

[PetedeCoux]

Couple of orange Cal…50 MG blanks & some AK short range.