Hi there,
I am pretty much sure that some of the modern NATO armies use the red "EXPLOSIVES" signs on their ammo boxes.
However to get as close as possible to reality with my 1:35 USMC LAV I wonder if these are used with US forces also...??? (Because here I am not that sure)

I am interested in all ... 30.cal, 50.cal and 20mm Ammo boxes.

Thanks for any reply

Sincerely

Jiri

In my experience the Explosives sign isn't attached to the ammo cans themselves, but to the wooden crates they come packed in. This applies to small arms ammo such as .50 cal., 7.62, 5.56 etc. Larger munitions such as 81mm mortar rds.,120mm tank rds., etc. that come packed in wooden crates without a can have the signs stapled to the outside of the crate.

Actually the signs are orange. Red signs are for flammable gas or liquids. While I have on occasion seen explosive labels on cans, it is not that common. By regelation, they must be on the wood crates that the ammo cans are in, and also on the outside of the truck, or container that is being used to transport them. For the most part this is a DOT and NATO peacetime requirement. You wouldn't see a truck in a warzone marked this way for obvious reasons .

Jerry

It is not common for the explosives sign on crates or cans. Normally on the truck carrying the ammo but not on all the crates.

Rounds Complete!!

Some yes, most no.

I have a wooden box that once held the blanks used in 75mm pack howitzers for ceremonies and it once had a black on white diamond label marked "EXPLOSIVES." I sometimes use the box to transport models to contests and for a long time it was a source of amusement, but after 9/11 I removed the label to avoid trouble because a few people got excited about it.

I have some other wooden ammo boxes from mortar rounds and used one to hold sand in the back of my pickup last winter. I used it for months, then some do-gooder noticed it was marked "EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES" and I had a little incident with the military police where I work. Luckily, I knew the Provost Marshal, or it might have been a long night. He told me to lose it or paint it over to cover up the markings.