What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

Join over 14,000 collectors of inert military ordnance. Get expert identification help for shells, fuzes, grenades, and more — plus access our classifieds marketplace and decades of archived knowledge. Free to register, takes seconds.

37x322R62

R

rcaf53

Well-Known Member
I was given a new "to me" case type,reworked from a 40mm L60 steel case dated 1945.
Length rim 6
start of shoulder 155
start of shoulder 175
total 322
Dia. rim 62
base 55.7
shoulder 51
mouth ext. 37.1
mouth int. 35
Could this be an early step in the Davy Crockett heavy sub. cal.?
Would love to send photo however my computer skills are lacking.
Frank
 
The 37 x 303 Davy Crockett has a rim of 50.5mm. I can't see how that would be made from a Bofors case as the thickness on the inside is much thicker to facilitate the method of firing. The start of the neck on the DC starts at 80mm and ends at 93mm (measured with a ruler so a bit rough).
The nearest I can find is the 37 x 202 Vigilante that has a rim of 55.6mm and cartridge length of 219mm (much shorter than yours). The shoulder starts at 150mm and ends at 185m (roughly). The Vigilante was based on the bofors, see:
http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/RED QUEEN.htm
Bofors did do a 37 x 320 round, the M/39 with a rim of 56.1mm, could it be one of these? It would match the length of your case but the shoulder height you quote is much lower than on the M/39
I've attached a few photos of verious Bofors rounds, the 3 on the left are Bofors L70 plus various necked down version, the 4th from left is Vigilante 37 x 219, next is a Bofors L60 and the 20mm version next to it with the Davy Crockett on the right. Perhaps its like one of these?
The second photo shows the bases of the Vigilante, Bofors L70, bofors L60 and Davy Crockett for comparison.
A photo of your mystery round would be good, if you pm me your e mail address I can post the photo for you.
All rounds shown are INERT.
Dave.
IMG_4012.jpgIMG_4014.jpg
 
Thanks to rcaf53 e mailing me the photographs of the mystery case.
I've no idea. Perhaps one of the more knowledgeable members of the forum could help out on this one?
NICE case by the way.
Dave.

!cid_0D64FCAEC340495C91830B4F6AF47DD2@elsiePC.jpg!cid_30AC8D0501614E9787ADD129EC05FE18@elsiePC.jpg
 
It's definitely an odd looking case, and it does bear a strong resemblance to both the 20mm and 37mm Davey Crockett cases, and it is steel like the Davey Crockett cases. It will be interesting to see the projectile for the case. The Davey Crocket projectiles are very long with fins, requiring the long straight necks to keep the fins aligned with the bore. If the projectile is the proper one for the case, I'm expecting it to have a long body with fins.
 
Last edited:
What is the inside of the case like.
If its like the Davy Crockett you will see loads of perforations inside the case (the top of the hi/lo pressure chamber inside the base of the case), like looking down on top of a pepper pot.
Dave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top