French 37mm / 1 Pdr Model 1918 HE with Guidance Needed

[pzjgr]

It was another good weekend for ordnance at the Syracuse gunshow...My first find was a French 37mm round...a Model 1918 HE projectile in a 37-85 case.

A few questions on this one...the projectile...markings include a very large "MDA" and "153" over "SC-SC" over "140 28" on the main body, and it looks like "PBA 50" or "PBR 50" on the fuze portion. I am guessing this was made in 1928? I identified thanks to Gspragge's sticky, and another thread....it appears that these were painted yellow...can anyone give me a clear shot, or spell out the stencilling on these? I plan on re-painting this one...it was sans paint and had a heavy layer of yellowed varnish when I got it. I have already stripped the varnish.

The case it came in is pictured too...anything special or unique about this? Seems to have some extra markings and such...this too had varnish, I cleaned off the head, but not the rest.

Finally I plan on using this projectile in my Mle 1938 case, at least temporarily....but I don't think the Mle 1938 used this projectile? They seem to use a flat faced HE projo...or would this projo also be correct?

 

[Gspragge]

The case it came in is correct as it is a ww1 case with post ww1 primer upgrade. What is inside the projectile.

 

[pzjgr]

There is nothing inside the projectile....I made sure it was empty, although I was cranking on it the normal way thinking it was stuck, then I re-read your photo, and noticed it unscrews to the right...came off no problem! I will get a pic of the inside tonight...but no explosive tin, no detonator....

 

[kevingbergin]

Any photgraph of the inside of the projectile yet. When you said that you were 'cranking on it the normal way', did you mean that you were trying to unscrew the nose of the projectile (not the brass fuse part) in the same manner that bottle tops and glass jar lids are unscrewed to open them, i.e. in an anti-clockwise or counter-clockwise movement.
So you found, that to open, or unscrew the nose of this type of projectile, it must be unscrewed in a clockwise movement assuming you are looking down onto the tip of the fuse.
Out of interest, did you manage to unscrew the brass tip of the projectile, and if you did, what way did that unscrew, clockwise or anti-clockwise.

 

[ozziammo]

Guys,

Normal unscrewing direction to remove item (nuts & bolts, screw caps for bottles etc) is Right Hand thread or right hand, other direction is commonly known as Left Hand (a lot of Jap fuses, top part of this French projectile, some base fuses & tracer elements). If it is not finger tight & you can't verify its status by other means- DON'T MESS WITH IT!

Stay safe!

Regards Ozzi.

 

[pzjgr]

I finally did get some pics inside....I should clarify when I said cranking on it I meant by hand, as soon as I re-checked and saw it was reverse, when I turned itclockwise, it came out pretty easy. The brass plug is in there good, so I am not attempting to get it out, I don't want to wreck it...

So I do want to re-paint it properly, anyone know what the stencilling would be on these?

 

[Gspragge]

You are missing the piece the det goes in and the container for the picric acid, but everything else is likely there above the brass plate. Sometimes these are staked in and difficult to undo, sometimes not.