40mm Bofors HEI-P, interesting find.

[917601]

I have this 1942 Bofors, from an estate sale. It is heavily lacquered, peeling off. I was bored and getting ready to strip off the laquer and decided to get the fuze off, ( notice it is a dummy fuze, no threads on the ID), and Kroil with a Ford wrench got it removed in ten minutes. Notice also it is crimped, here is what I found inside the cavity....

 

[Slick]

Sand? Burn?

 

[917601]

Sand? Burn?

Here is my story when I sell it some day, "A duffel bag bring back from a USN LST crewman, filled with beach head sand from Iwo Jima, or Normandy, the 92 year old vet says he can't remember which one". In any case, I plan to strip off the laquer, maybe repaint the Projectile, refill with the sand and paper plug.By the way, the case is marked MK 1, all others I have are MK 2's ( dated 44 and 45) what's the difference?

 

[Slick]

Very cool. I got a handful of sand from each Normandy beach a few years ago. I'm guessing yours is a Normandy beach. Iwo has black sand.

 

[gravelbelly]

It looks like Silica Gel crystals to me!

gravelbelly

 

[US-Subs]

In your fifth picture (84) it is hard to tell from your photo, but the standard 40mm HE/HEI used a tracer with a burn through self-destruct. An explosive charge was included in the self destruct assembly where it protrudes into the fill material within the body. I've seen some of the rounds from the Duster where the internal piece intrudes into the body by about .75 inch, on the
Navy training board it shows the detonator being flush with the base of the internal cavity. These rounds are found fairly often with the main explosive charge removed but the self destruct left behind through ignorance and the difficulty of pulling the projectile from the case. Identifying this from a photo can be difficult, you may want to check your round closely.