To restore or not to restore #3

[Lou]

Ok guys,last one.Or two should I say.Again,the rust on these is still in the "neglected & rescued" catagory.One is quite a bit more rusted "more like aged or toned"than the other but still could be cleaned without doing any filling.The driving bands are un stamped and in great shape.There are few markings or stamps on the body"A4,A2" and some light ones I cant quite read.Threads for the practice base plug/tracer/tail fuze on both are perfect.

57mm APC missing the ballistic caps.Unknown maker,year.

Repaint to restore or not?

Thanks in advance for your imput guys and gals,,,

 

[Tmine35]

The upper one same treatment as in #1, the lower one may be cleaned and repainted.

 

[spotter]

i agree with Tmine on this pair,,leave the painted one,,do whatever with the other one

 

[18pounder]

i agree with previous posts

 

[ozziammo]

57mm APC

Guys,

Did the US make 57mm APC ammo? The paint on the better looking one seems to cover where the Balistic cap would normally go????? I am thinking that it may be a straight APC not APCBC.

I personally would not touch the one with most original paint & would try to match the colour to paint the other one.

Any thoughts or info???

Regards Ozzi.

 

[dano1917]

restore X

Not even Lou, those shells have patina and a whole lot of character. That's my two cents worth. Dano

 

[Lou]

Guys,

Did the US make 57mm APC ammo? The paint on the better looking one seems to cover where the Balistic cap would normally go????? I am thinking that it may be a straight APC not APCBC.

I personally would not touch the one with most original paint & would try to match the colour to paint the other one.

Any thoughts or info???

Regards Ozzi.

You know,I really couldnt tell you for sure.My other 57mm stuff is well marked on the driving bands.57mm APC These two ducks are only marked in a couple of spots,and that only being like an "A4" stamped into the steel.I thought they were Ord rejection marks.And in my short time collecting,Ive never seen listed anywhere a 57mm without a ballistic cap,except of course the plain 57mm AP shot ,and I know these arent them.

 

[SG500]

Hi Lou, the 6pr7cwt has an APC version as well as the more common APCBC so perhaps the American 57mm does also. I'll take a photo of mine and post the photo if that's any use.

Dave.

 

[HAZORD]

Well, for my 2 cents worth, there is nothing written in any U.S. documentation about a projo of this style without a ballistic cap. The painted one suggests that it never had a ballistic cap. They could have been rejected for physical defects, such as out of tolerance for measurements, or bad heat treating on the penetrating cap, and issued as training or practice projos. I know that during Vietnam, the Army bought all of the scrap defect projectiles for uses unspecified.

If intended for HE filling the body would be OD. The yellow lettering would be added when it was filled. For AP applications with no HE, the body would be black with white lettering.

John

 

[Lou]

Correct on all accounts sir.The first two 57mm projectiles I bought were as the two unrestored examples in this thread.They were in a shop on a shelf, and had the ballistic caps "stuck" on top of the shells,were rusty with minimal paint.When I got them home and knocked the caps off,both had green paint underneath,green paint inside the caps.The person who I bought them from said that a relative worked at an ammo plant in Milwaukee WI and had on occasion brought rounds home and displayed them.The two shells that I had bought so long ago,and restored,have unusual marks on the driving band.And there are stamps in the metal indicating that there were defects in the machining process.One of the shells actually has a crack,as mentioned above.Here is a pic of them,after removing the rust and giving them a coat of paint.I left one ballistic cap in original condition.Rememer please,these are two different 57s.Not the shells I started this thread with.

 

[HAZORD]

Nice looking brass cases by the way!

 

[Lou]

Nice looking brass cases by the way!

Your mighty welcome.I fought tooth and nail for both of the.I have one more but Im not sure what it is exactly.Im going to post it in cartridges.