In 1943 the lead content of the S.m.E. bullet was further reduced. To compensate for the lead reduction the mild steel core was redesigned resulting in a projectile lengthened to to retain the original S.m.E. bullet weight of . This ammunition was designated ("spitzer with iron core long") and lacked recognition marks. The S.m.E. lg external ballistic characteristics were practically identical to s.S. ammunition up to and the lengthened S.m.E. lg projectile was more accurate compared to the shorter S.m.E. projectile.