RG
Definition
Radway Green headstamp code (UK); BAE Systems' Royal Ordnance Factories facility and primary UK military small-arms ammunition producer.
- Meaning
- Radway Green headstamp code
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Operator
- BAE Systems, Royal Ordnance Factories facility
- Role
- Primary UK military small-arms ammunition producer
Common questions
How does the RG headstamp help in a firearms investigation?+
Combined with a year or lot code stamped alongside RG, it can narrow the manufacturing period and intended calibre of the cartridge, which supports tracing analysis alongside other case evidence rather than identifying a specific firearm.
Does an RG headstamp mean the ammunition is exclusively for UK military use?+
No, Radway Green produces ammunition for UK military contracts as well as commercial and export sales, so RG-stamped cases can be encountered outside strictly military contexts.
Can headstamp codes like RG be forged or altered?+
Headstamps can theoretically be altered, but doing so convincingly on a manufactured case is difficult and uncommon, so examiners still treat a legible, undamaged headstamp as reliable manufacturer identification absent specific evidence of tampering.
Related terms
- CIP
- Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes a Feu Portatives; the European proof body that standardises chamber and cartridge specifications for European...
- GRC Database
- General Rifling Characteristics database maintained by the FBI Laboratory's Firearms and Toolmarks Unit; includes an ammunition component section that references headstamp codes...
- Imperial Calibre Notation
- Calibre designation using decimal fractions of an inch, often with a name suffix indicating the designer or intended firearm (e.g. .45 ACP,...
- IOF
- Indian Ordnance Factory headstamp code (produced at Khadki / Kirkee, Pune); the primary Indian government producer of 9x19mm, .38 Special, and 7.62x51mm...
- LC
- Lake City Army Ammunition Plant headstamp code; the primary US military ammunition producer for small-arms calibres including 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm, and .50 BMG.
- Metric Calibre Notation
- Calibre designation using bullet diameter in millimetres multiplied by case length in millimetres (e.g. 9x19mm, 7.62x39mm, 5.56x45mm); standard in NATO and European...
- NABIS
- National Ballistics Intelligence Service; the UK police intelligence service that maintains a national headstamp and firearm reference collection and coordinates ballistic intelligence...
- NATO Cross
- A circle with cross symbol stamped on military cartridge headstamps confirming the round meets the relevant NATO STANAG specification; found on production...
- Primer Sealant
- Coloured lacquer applied at the primer-to-case-head junction on military cartridges to prevent moisture ingress; colour varies by manufacturer and is not a...
- S+B
- Sellier and Bellot headstamp code (Czech Republic, now part of CBC Group); a major European commercial and military-contract producer exported globally including...
- SAAMI
- Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute; the US voluntary standards body that publishes chamber and cartridge drawings and maximum average pressure (MAP)...