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4 inch Shell Case ID Please

jaypee

Member
This is a 4 inch dia. casing that has been cut down to make an ashtray. There are no markings on it. Can anyone tell me anything about it please?

4 Inch Shell Case 2.jpg4 Inch Shell Case 6.jpg4 Inch Shell Case 3.jpg4 Inch Shell Case 7.jpg
 
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I have described this casing as being 4 inch dia. but perhaps I should have been more accurate. It has an internal dia. of 98mm, an external dia. of 101mm and a rim dia. of 105mm. As it has been so severely truncated there is no way of knowing whether it had a taper or was necked. Although it has no head stamp, I had hoped that the machining might be distinctive to you knowledgeable guys.
 
My own thoughts have been that it is naval. Cartridges for naval guns appear to tapered and necked. I wondered if mine might be for a 3 inch naval gun.



To my mind there are three distinctive features to my casing, which I hoped might ring the odd bell -



1) The absence of head stamps - what might that signify?

2) The (unusual?) machining.

3) The passage between the primer recess and the casing.
 
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