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Hotchkiss?

S

Shell Shifter

Well-Known Member
The 1.65" Hotchkiss appears to have had only one user nation, the US (examples were shipped to SA later but that was more of a "surplus" situation). The original guns and ammunition came from France though manufacture moved to the US in fairly short order.

The projectile, below, was associated with an early, Hotchkiss marked case. It wasn't live so I use the word "associated". The question is is this projectile an original French 1.65" Hotchkiss projectile?

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For chuckles, the bottom of a 53mm Hotchkiss projectile is shown below.
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Looks similar, don't it?

Also, the thread pitch is 1.5/mm. All US made projectiles were in inch units.

Thoughts?
 
Hotchkiss made so many rounds and guns, so it is quite possible this is from some short run production. I will check my references and see if anything comes up.
 
Thanks.

It could be something like that. But I wonder if there was any other weapon that used the 1.65" round, or even the projectile.
 
I could only find references to the 42mm mountain gun. The projectile certainly looks like the earlier models, and could very well have been made as a selling tool before the US made their purchase.This style rotating band survied longest, it seems, in the 47mm type.
 
What kind of case was with this projectile? Spiral, 2 piece or solid drawn? Primer base or flash hole? The earlier the case, if the original one, would indicate possible manufacture before US adoption.
 
It was associated with a drawn 2 piece friction primed case marked "Hotchkiss Paris".

These things tend to get mixed and matched and I have not made any firm connections between cases and projectiles unless I personally unloaded live rounds. This was a weird one since there was a gouge, presumably by a saw, from the case to the projectile. In fact, that was why I sectioned the projectile. I had not seen a drawn case with a flashhole before this but according to the literature, Hotchkiss made such cases for reloading. Pity it is damaged. Also, the head is brass, not steel as you find with other cases of that period.
 
It would be French, all the U.S. made ones are well marked on the band and if I recall this had a damaged band. Could be marked Hotckiss patent on the body, but not consistent or always clear. I have had one that was French, so not at all unlikely. Coiled French cases were imported and loaded with FA canisters also. Brass headed coiled cases in 37x95 exist and seem to be later (1888), perhaps a navel improvement due to rusty iron bases ?
 
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Thing is that the FA shells don't appear to have been marked. And I just read that Am Ord produced shells ca. 1900 AND that Am Ord was producing friction primed cases at the same time. Never seen an Am Ord anything,

<sigh>
 
Oh,Yes!!! There is always a mystery shell or case that pops up. And it seems no one has left any written material about it or if there was, it has been lost. No one cared about the smaller rounds, they all were in awe of the large naval and coast defense guns.
 
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Yes, no one cares about the small rounds.

I think that the reason why the Hotchkiss material interested me in the first place was the fact that it's use was pretty much limited to the US, all of the literature (well, a lot of it) was in English and that it was only around for 25-30 years. Should be a snap to figure it out, right?
 
The American Ord. Co 47mm is exactly like the French base fuzed penetrating for RC, (the case is drawn and UMC if I recall) except the American style band is on it. There was one in a SA auction awhile ago. I don't seem to have an image.
 
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