47 x 131R Hotchkiss Japanese Drill

[Andy Naude]

A recent acquisition.

47 x 131R Hotchkiss Japanese Drill round. Three knurled bands on the case.

So far, I have learned about this item:

The case was manufactured by Elswick Ordnance Company in England around 1900 for the Japanese Navy. The projectile is Hotchkiss style made in France.

A member on a different group has reported that he also has a similar item. I have not seen any photos of it as yet.

I would like to know the meaning of the Japanese monogram / writing on the headstamp? Are there any other photos of similar items out there?

View attachment 182881View attachment 182882

 

[ydnum303]

Hello Andy,

Are you certain this is a drill round?
I ask because I have seen a 1917-dated 2-Pdr case with 3 knurled bands, which I thought were probably purely for decoration/trench art!

Roger.

 

[Andy Naude]

A member of another group has mentioned that he has a similar item. If I understood correctly, he has two. He mentioned that the one has a handwritten tag attached to it.

But it would be great to see photos so we can get confirmation.

I do know that the Japanese used knurling bands to identify drill rounds on other calibres.

The projectile also seems to have been double crimped into the case.