What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Need help identifing this projectile. Please

It would help if you posted the diameter (distance across the projo body at the widest place), and a photo looking straight on at the body and a close up of the rotating band. It looks like an 18 Pdr proj by the rotating band, but need a better photo to confirm.
 
As Hazord says, its an 18pr shrapnel projectile with the wrong fuze. Fuze is a no 101 and should be no 80.

D
 
Thank you for the information, I will post some pictures of the rotating band along with projectile dimensions. This projectile was discovered in a lake located in Ontario, Canada by some divers. I have tried researching to find an age and where it would have originated, with no luck, so I greatly appreciate this info. I will post information later.
 
It does look like an 18pr shell. There should be markings indicating this and its date of manufacture around the body above the driving band. Might I suggest either removing the paint chemicaly or looking with a magnifying glass under good light.
 
More Information provided

Here is some more info.... rotating band width is .625"....Projectile Diameter is 3.285".....Projectile is 9 5/8" high to the bottom of fuse. Attached is a side picture of it.
Thanks for everyones help thus far.
Cheers



projectile 2.jpg
 
Definitely 18Pdr by rotating band profile and projo diameter. It looks like you have some markings above the rotating band, stamped into the metal. I can see an X in your photo. What is stamped around the body above the band?
 
I finally got around to removing the paint above the band.Information as follows..6 Rows starting with.....
Q.F 18 P_R.
3 (ROMAN SYMBOL)..
F.S.
C.F.M C.o.
31.5.15.
TX.
I believe the Q.F is for quick firing and the date as year 31 month 5 day 15, could have them reversed any more info would be helpful. THANKS AGAIN. C
 
Q.F 18 P_R would be Quick Firing 18 pounder (QF typically meant that the projo had a powder charge in a cartridge case, so that it could have a high rate of fire.

F.S. is forged steel versus the other options of C.S. for cast steel or Bored from the bar (where a cylinder is cut from a stick of steel, and the explosive cavity is bored out of the middle and the outside is turned to the proper diameters and curves.

C.F.M. C.o. would be the manufacturer
 
Clydesmag said:
I finally got around to removing the paint above the band.Information as follows..6 Rows starting with.....
Q.F 18 P_R.
3 (ROMAN SYMBOL)..
F.S.
C.F.M C.o.
31.5.15.
TX.
I believe the Q.F is for quick firing and the date as year 31 month 5 day 15, could have them reversed any more info would be helpful. THANKS AGAIN. C
Click to expand...


Hi C,

Yes you have them reversed, The shell was manufactured on 31st May 1915. Its a WW1 shell.

Ben.
 
Yes,

Q.F. 18 PR = Quick Firing 18 Pounder (* see below re Q.F.)
III = Mark 3 projectile (shrapnel)
F.S. = Forged Steel
C.F.M. Co = Manufacturer (I don't know who this is. Possibly Canadian, given where found and the fact that it is unfired)
31.5.15 = manufacture date, 31 May 1915
TX = unknown?

As a shrapnel shell it would most commonly be fitted with a No. 80 or 85 fuze. The incomplete fuze fitted (No. 101) is for a High Explosive (HE) shell.

Note that although there were Mark III shrapnel and HE shells, this is a shrapnel because it has the brass fuze socket (size adapter). If you can get the fuze out you will see that the wall thickness of the shell is quite thin so the socket is required to fit the 2" thread diameter fuze.

The shell is almost cetainly safe and inert as it has had a hole drilled in it at the approximate location of the bursting charge tin cup. The tin cup contained a small gunpowder charge to expell the shrapnel balls via a pusher plate.

* Quick Firing meant that the gun barrel would recoil and then return to its' original firing position via a spring damped hydraulic recuperator mechanism. Thus another round could be loaded and the gun fired quickly again without resetting the position etc. (The gun could be fixed in position as the recuperator absorbed the recoil energy.) Earlier fixed barrel guns had to be allowed to recoil on their wheels and then wheeled back into position and be resighted etc. before firing again.

Cheers,

Graeme
 
Last edited:
Think you'll find QF means quick firing but does not refer to the gun but to the fact the propelling charge and primer were in a case which could be attached to the projectile giving QF fixed, or seperately loaded after the shell giving QF seperate loading.
 
Interesting different answers on the Quick firing meaning. I tend to think in this case it would describe the projectile and not the gun ? . I do know it can describe a gun's action. Appreciate all the input never the less. Just making an observation. C
 
Hmmm.... Yes, apparently "Quick Firing" is all these things, including a breech that allows for rapid shell reloading.

From Wikipedia:

"The characteristics of a quick-firing artillery piece are:
  • Buffers to limit recoil, so the barrel can quickly return to position after being fired.
  • A breech mechanism which allows rapid reloading
  • Single-piece ammunition, e.g. a cartridge containing both shell and propellant. (This criterion was sometimes taken as the definition of quick-firing, but many quick-firing guns dispensed with it).
These innovations, taken together, meant that the quick-firer could fire aimed shells much more rapidly than an older weapon. In 1887, an Elswick 4.7-in gun fired 10 rounds in 47.5 seconds, almost eight times faster than the equivalent 5-inch breech loading gun. Another important factor was the introduction of 'smokeless powder' - nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine or cordite - which created far less smoke than gunpowder, meaning that gun crews could still see their target."
 
Intersting points, especially on the "Powder" Darkman, the transition, from Black Powder to Smokeless Powder was a huge step in the development of ammunition.Not only could the gun crews see better after firing, I suppose it made there position a little less visable to the ones being fired upon. Still, there's nothing like seeing the large plume of smoke from a barrel is there! I guess that opinion changes in relation to where you are to the smoke :).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top