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Identify 75mm shell German and French

C

chispa

Active Member
Hello again! It's been a while since I got anything... well I only go to one fair a year and it's not very big... I found this in an antique shop, any ideas?
The brass piece did not have a "little bird" like the one in the image... the measurements are 75x385, but on the website where I usually see I can't find anything, the only one is 76.2x385 R but inca that it is Russian and in another it tells me By measurements it could be French, could it be reused material?
20240218_203803.jpg 20240218_202643.jpg
And the other one is made of French aluminum, but I have never seen it in aluminum, always in brass... could it be a greeting? Could it simply be to save money? 75x350
20240219_005936.jpg 20240219_005955.jpg
Forgive my ignorance!

Thanks for everything!
 
The brass case is a nice German 7,5 cm Flak14 typically found in Spain. I would weigh the "aluminum" case and compare with the weight of a brass case. I am pretty sure you will find it is coated and not made of aluminum.
 
Zoom into the picture, it's for sure Aluminium as he wrote.
 
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Hello Hoeksel, thanks for the information! I did not know the Flak 14 (I have a lot to learn) regarding the aluminum piece, I can confirm that if it is aluminum, as soon as you pick it up you can see that it is very light, out of curiosity I will tell you, it weighs 391g

Hello Alpini, exactly when you zoom it you can see it.
 
I am truly surprised if the case is really aluminum. Aluminum cases are already pretty uncommon, but a 1918 dated case is in my view a huge surprise. If indeed solid aluminium I think you have an extremely rare case.
 
Hi guys!

Hoeksel: I found it curious, I don't have any aluminum ones, except for a modern 30mm or 37mm I don't remember now (just the case) and an empty German lighting cartridge from WWII. Regarding the flak 14, from what I looked at a while ago, it is a descendant of the FK 16na, but the ammunition is not the same or so I think, in caliber but not in length. Is there a photo of complete ammunition?

kz11gr: the Tombac according to the internet is similar to brass, copper (84 - 90%) and zinc (10 - 16%) so in color it doesn't match... and in color it would be more towards aluminum or zamak but I don't think they use this last to do something that has to withstand certain pressure....

Thank you all!
 
Have you weighed it ? The markings translate as; Manufacture Generale de Munitions in Marseilles in 1918 with brass coming from BordeauX
So perhaps some kind of decorative coating ?
 
Hello Gspragge, now I don't have any like this, I seem to remember that I have a brass one in town, tomorrow I have to go and leave the Christmas decorations and something else I have at home, so I'll look at it. But for information... the two that I put in this message, the brass one weighs 1.7kg and the aluminum one weighs 390g, (yes the brass one is taller but not so heavy...) I bought it because it seemed curious, as I have mentioned I have always seen them in brass....

Sorry! I misclassified the message ("cartridges" I thought it was for a shotgun.... not that it referred to casings or shells).:)
 
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I could immagine that they pressed such cases from aluminium blanks to test and setup the presses. But strange why it has an headstamp because this was a separate step in production.
 
For the first case (brass) , Flak 14 : it's a 76,2 x 385 or a 75 x 385 ? who has some pictures of the shell ?

.
 
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