I have owned my Australian Self Loading Rifle for several years now and I am always on the look out for accessories to accompany it, especially if they are also Australian in origin. The SLR used the standard Nato 7.62mm round and like the rest of the world, the Australian Army issued this ammunition in metal ammunition boxes. As might be expected, Australian ammo boxes are hardly common in the UK, so it has been fantastic to find an example to accompany my rifle. The box itself is identical in form to the boxes used by the British, however it is painted in a dull green shade of paint, quite different to that used by the British, and the markings are white rather than yellow:

The markings on the front indicate that the box originally held 300 rounds of ammunition packaged in cartons (as opposed to bandoleers or belts) and the box was filled on the 19th February 1971. Note also the explosives warning is marked up as ‘Australian Government’:

The stenciling is also to be found on the top of the ammunition box:

The rest of the box is unmarked, although the box’s designation is to be found stamped into metal on one end:

The opposite end of the box has the latch which secures the hinged lid, and a wire handle to allow it to be attached to a mounting if the box were to be carrying belted ammunition rather than cartons:

This box is a rare survivor as many had their details painted out, or were reused multiple times. It is also unusual to find such an item in the Northern Hemisphere as obviously few leave Australia. It makes the perfect accompaniment to my SLR: