NATO Cross Headstamp Question

[leeshall]

Does the NATO Cross on small arms ammunition automatically mean the priming is non-corrosive be it boxer or berdan primed?

[raymeketa]

No. The NATO cross (+) has no official meaning. On ammunition manufactured by a NATO country it usually indicates the cartridges conform to the STANAG for dimensions and pressure. From non-NATO countries it could be nothing more than a marketing ploy.

Ray

[Lee T.]

leeshall, If you do an advanced search of "NATO headstamp" there's a short discussion from a couple years ago (april 2012) that I started specific to DAC 30-06's. There are comments regarding what the circled-cross means and doesn't mean, plus a link to an article about NATO ctg development. At the time my eyes were opened about the misconceptions of the HS. If you have the time it will help answer your question, piggy-backed on what Ray said, which of course is absolutely correct..