This Past Weekends Haul, 3 Pdr Hotchkiss, 1 Pdr USN Heavy, French 37mm Mle 1938....

[pzjgr]

So it was another good gunshow weekend, picked up 5 nice pieces early Saturday morning before the show opened...

A 3 Pdr Hotchkiss projectile, I am guessing common considering the threaded but empty base...someone painted it grey all over including the driving band. I stripped it off the lower part so I could see better...when I have some more time I will finish the job. I gathered it was a 3 Pdr Hotchkiss from my research here, it is 47mm in diameter. The driving band says "Manufactured By The Winchester Rep. Arms Co. New Haven Conn. U.S.A." and "Hotchkiss Patents November ?-76, October 31-82, February 13-83"...the second line is tough to read in places.

What would be the correct cartridge case for this? Since I do not have the correct one, I may just drop it in my German marked Czech 47mm tank case, at least it would look ok in there...at least until I either get a correct case, or a correct projectile! How scarce is this porjectile?

The 1 Pdr USN (Heavy) if my research is correct is pretty nice. The projectile is marked "G.R.S." with an anchor, and an "S" in a six pointed star on the driving band and below...with "M.C. Co., 1898" on the base....and the case is "U.M.C. Co., Bridgeport, Conn., U.S.A., 1-99"

The French 37mm Mle 1938 is just the case...so the hunt for a projectile begins...the headstamp says "37Mle 193 ", no 8, looks like a light stamp which missed the 8..., and "ARS.33.40.D" which I assume it was manufactured in 1940...pretty late case! Also there is some ink stamps, but are difficult to make out. I thought this was cool, never saw one before, never really see any French ordnance arouns here.

Also picked up another Japanese 37mm HE missing the nose fuze, but I sold that one the next morning to a buddy for as much as I paid for everything...since I already have a nice Japanese 37mm, I figured why not, now everything else is free!

Finally, but not pictured, a nice German 20mm FlaK AP-T with yellow trace...

All in all itwas a great weekend....will be in Syracuse this weekend, hoping to score a few more things.

 

[pzjgr]

Can anyone help me out with the Hotchkiss 3 pdr / 47mm? Its Winchester made, but is it US, or contract? From the patent dates it seems to be mid 1880's? And what would the proper case for it be?

Also, the 1 Pdr, is it an actual gun round, or one of the sub caliber rounds? And the maker, I looked at most of the threads concerning these...but didn't see "M.C. Co." listed, anyone know who that is?

 

[highlandotter]

One pdr probably should be UMC, Remington made. The case has UMC .Often, UMC cases are lightly stamped. The 3 pdr probably is legit US Navy, but could be expor. tWould take a Winchester case, they come around every once in a while..the 1 pdr is actual common round for the 1 pdr.It is not a special sub cal round .Gspragge can help you with info on the later French 37mm.

 

[Gspragge]

You might fins a date on the base of the Winchester Hotchkiss, they would have also made the case for this. Your 1 Pr has a flat tip, this indicates it is a long bodied type. The projectile body below the band is 1/8" longer than the more common kind and if it had a pointed tip it would be 1/8" taller. These seem to exist only in 1897 and 1898. This was a"commercial" pattern taken into service, but either shortened or made shorter to suite the regulation size. The length below the band is not an issue, but the 1/8" longer tip would have been a problem for either storage or in the Heavy Maxim 1 Pr guns. A longer tip would have made no difference in the single shot deck guns. But regulation size is regulation size. I have one dated 1897 which was clearly not made as a Navel issue but taken into service and shortened and another for 1898 like yours. These are around but are not that common and are not recognized generally as a different pattern projectile which they are.

I'm not so good on these later French rounds, but there are some threads on these on the site. Others can tell you more.

 

[pzjgr]

Thanks for the info! I will post a new thread soon, but this weekend I did find a nice French 37mm Model 1918 HE projectile, which I will need some guidance on...I figured out what it was by looking at your very helpful threads on 37mm French stuff. It was sans paint with a heavy varnish coating, so I have stripped it bare, and wish to paint it up correctly. I think I will use that in the 37mm Model 1938 tank case, at least temporarily...I am not sure if it is entirely proper for that particular case...in any case I will get a new thread up on it in the next few days at most...