what in the world did I stumble across? Light artillery?

[WestKentucky]

I was out at my dad's today and he came across a bullet and case that at first glance appear to belong together. I took some pics, didn't have anything to measure with. This appears to be a shell intended for busting tanks or something similar. Any insight from the guys who may have gotten paid to use these will be greatly appreciated.

Pics too big and error in out so I will post one at a time

 

[WestKentucky]

2nd pic

 

[WestKentucky]

3rd pic is being a pain, won't load so I had to screenshot it.

 

[rcmodel]

What exactly does it say it is on the case head??

Can't make it out clearly in the photo.

My guess so far is a 40mm navy cannon shell from WWI or WWII.
Or a 37mm anti-tank round??

But what is marked on the case head?

(I would not trust the projectile isn't loaded with high explosive.)

If you can detect a seam on the nose plug, it was hollow and filled with HE before the nose was screwed on it.

Anyway, I wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it.

I would find a deep lake or river, and you know the rest.

rc

 

[Prijador]

I *think* it is a 37mm, from both the shell and case shape.
A metric tape measure would be useful.

40mm Bofors didn't have such a pronounced case neck.

Once upon a time, Anthony Williams was on these boards - he's an expert.
Heck, I should probably go check my bookshelf - I have at least one of his books.

 

[Prijador]

I'm pretty sure it's a 37mm Armor piercing shell.

Upon closer inspection, the case even has 37 MM on the base.

The 37mm was used in all sorts of mounts - light tanks, the M3 medium (Lee/Grant), armored cars, as towed AT guns, probably even aircraft and ships (not sure which models exactly)

 

[WestKentucky]

I could clearly make out the 3 then something else, then mm, so I do believe 37mm to be accurate. The bullet appears to be cast iron and has a hollow spot on the back end which is about 1/2" wide and maybe slightly deeper than the width. I see nothing which could possibly be seams for it to contain any explosive charge. It seems like a solid cast iron piece with the brass ring which took the rifling.

 

[WestKentucky]

Bad link...but I found its twin.

M16 case with an armor piercing projectile with tracer (the hole in the bottom of the bullet would contain the tracer material) pretty neat. Now I want to shoot one.

 

[rcmodel]

Probably inert.
But I never trust them!!!
(Especially one that rusty and corroded that could hide a two-part seam.)

I bought a 1 pounder naval shell at a flea market years ago that had been bouncing around 50 years since WWI.

The more I looked at the seam in the nose, the more suspect I became.

I finally shot it with a 30-06 at 100 yards from behind cover.
And it took off like a fireworks pinwheel spinning at least 200 feet in the air before the charge burned out through the bullet hole.

Had it went off intact, in a house fire for instance??
It would blow your shorts off!!

God help you if it had of went off in your house!!



rc

 

[mnrivrat]

I'm going to give the same warning as RC on that projectile. If it is like the anti tank AP round for the M3 gun it would have a base detonator (not the nose plug filler) Proceed with care as they were in fact loaded with HE.

Your life ,your call ,but I would at least handle carefully and put it somewhere safe until you have further information . (picture of rear, weight, length. etc)

 

[rcmodel]

That shell I shot didn't even have a point fuse, or base fuse.

Apparently it depended entirely on heat, friction, and impact setting it off when it penetrated a steel ship hull.

rc

 

[2zulu1]

I wouldn't mess with it, that's what EOD is for, it's easy enough to take a caliper measurement at the mouth of the casing to learn the caliber.

Smooth bore?

 

[rcmodel]

It's not a smooth bore or the shell wouldn't have a copper rotating band engraved from rifling.

I believe it has been fired and picked up on an impact area on a range.
Thus the rifling marks, and base damage.

Then combined again with a fired case, but certainly not the exact one it was fired from.

rc

 

[lemaymiami]

Whenever EOD has someone show up with a piece of ancient ordnance that might possibly be explosive.... their usual routine is to suggest quietly that you take it and place it in the nearest field -very carefully. The last thing they want is to have you bring it into their office.... My Dad was career Corps of Engineers (28 years) and I grew up reading his mine and booby trap manuals.

Seriously -as RC noted have someone in the business (EOD if there's a unit nearby....) come by and check it out for safety. Old, rusty shells can still be deadly if they have a charge....

 

[230RN]

I was figuring you could weigh it carefully, measure its volume as accurately as possible (dunk in water, measure the overflow), and calculate its density. If it's near solid steel's density, it's probably AP.

But then I figured, with the comparatively small weight of explosive it might have, if it's HE it might not show up as much of a difference in total density. (I think with the 16" naval rifles, the HE shell of around a ton only had something like 200-250 lb of explosive in it.)

So I figured I'd write this out in case somebody else got this bright idea which ain't so bright.

Have them try to detonate it. If it goes, you wouldn't have wanted it around. If it doesn't, it will probably stay in one piece (if you can find it again) and you can probably keep it as a deactivated souvenir unless you live in "certain States" and probably some municipalities.

Good advice to not bring it in, but park it somewhere "safe" and call them and their equipment to it.

If I recall correctly, small arms HE ammunition was stoked with tetryl, which needed no detonation or fusing mechanism. The tetryl just went off by itself on impact.

Terry