Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual Change 7 TM 9-1300-203 for Artillery Ammunition, September 1968
Item Overview
This official U.S. Army Change 7 publication updates TM 9-1300-203, Artillery Ammunition. Change 7 was issued in September 1968 for the original manual dated April 6, 1967. It supplied revised technical, identification, and safety information for several types of artillery and mortar ammunition. This listing is for the Change 7 update only. It is not the complete base manual and does not include ammunition, weapons, fuzes, tools, or other equipment.
Publication Details
This change packet was prepared for military personnel who handled, inspected, stored, transported, or worked with conventional artillery ammunition.
- Manual number: TM 9-1300-203
- Change number: Change 7
- Change date: September 1968
- Original manual date: April 6, 1967
- Subject: Artillery Ammunition
- Publication type: Technical manual change packet
- Issuing authority: Headquarters, Department of the Army
- Country of origin: United States
- Period: Vietnam War and Cold War
- Item included: Change 7 pages only
Purpose of Change 7
Army change publications kept technical manuals current without requiring a completely new edition. Change 7 provided replacement pages for selected parts of TM 9-1300-203. These pages were meant to be inserted into the April 1967 manual according to the instructions supplied with the change. This packet should be used with the base manual and any other applicable change pages.
Material Updated by Change 7
The surviving pages marked Change 7 show revisions involving ammunition markings, cartridge descriptions, component information, functioning, packing data, and important safety notices. The update covers several ammunition families used with field artillery, armored guns, recoilless rifles, and mortars.
- Revised ammunition painting and marking information
- 90mm XM580E1 antipersonnel-tracer cartridge information
- 105mm M67 HEAT-T and TP or TP-T cartridge information
- 105mm M60 white-phosphorus smoke cartridge information
- 105mm XM629 tactical CS cartridge information
- 105mm M84 smoke and leaflet cartridge information
- 105mm M341 HEAT and M326 HEP-T recoilless-rifle ammunition
- 81mm M374 high-explosive mortar ammunition
- 4.2-inch M328 and M328A1 smoke mortar ammunition
- Selected fuze-functioning and ammunition-safety revisions
About TM 9-1300-203
TM 9-1300-203 was a broad Army reference for conventional artillery ammunition. The 1967 edition brought information from several earlier ammunition manuals and bulletins into one publication. Its coverage included cartridges and projectiles for guns and howitzers from 37mm through 280mm, along with ammunition for recoilless rifles and 60mm, 81mm, and 4.2-inch mortars. It explained identification, construction, authorized use, handling precautions, storage, packing, and emergency destruction.
Weapons-System History
The ammunition in this manual supported many important U.S. weapon systems. Its 105mm howitzer section included ammunition for cannons used on towed and self-propelled artillery. One well-known example was the M101A1 105mm howitzer, which used the M2A1 cannon and served from World War II through Korea and Vietnam. Other sections supported 90mm armored-vehicle guns, portable recoilless rifles, heavy field artillery, and infantry mortars. These weapons gave Army units direct and indirect fire support at distances ranging from close defense to long-range bombardment.
Historical Background
Change 7 appeared during the Vietnam War, when U.S. forces were using large amounts of artillery and mortar ammunition in difficult field conditions. Ammunition types covered by the update could support training, anti-armor fire, antipersonnel missions, smoke screening, marking, illumination, and other military tasks. Accurate identification and current safety instructions were important because ammunition components, fuzes, and approved uses could change while older supplies remained in storage.
History of Use
Manuals such as TM 9-1300-203 were used by ammunition specialists, artillery crews, armor units, mortar crews, ordnance personnel, and supply activities. Change pages allowed these users to update manuals already held by their units. The revised information helped personnel identify rounds, check authorized weapon applications, follow safety warnings, and understand packing and storage requirements. Change 7 therefore records both the ammunition technology and the maintenance system used by the Army in 1968.
Collector and Research Value
This Change 7 packet is a specialized reference for studying Vietnam-era ammunition, artillery equipment, mortar systems, and Army publication practices. It may also help researchers compare the April 1967 manual with later revisions. Because loose change pages were often inserted into working manuals or discarded after newer editions appeared, separate change packets can be harder to locate than complete manuals.
Condition
This vintage military publication may show cover wear, edge wear, folds, yellowing, stains, writing, stamps, punched holes, loose pages, or other signs of age and military storage. Printing details and condition may vary between available copies. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
This publication is well suited for collections, research projects, restoration references, and historical displays related to U.S. artillery and ammunition.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- Vietnam War artillery research
- Military-ammunition reference collections
- 105mm howitzer and M101A1 research
- Mortar and recoilless-rifle displays
- Ordnance, museum, and archival collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .2", Approx weight .3lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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