Greetings, Fellow Gunthusiasts.
This is my first post, and already I'm looking for help :tinysmile_cry_t3:
My Grandfather was an Old Contemptible, a Colonel in the Royal Artillery. But I got into collecting because I picked up a 20mm shell case in an antique shop in Weymouth in the 1970s, like shiny things, and at last I have the space to collect a few more, although the wife disagrees.
I don’t like Trench Art, cut-downs, don’t particularly value having a used projectile stuck back on, I just like the unmolested clean shiny cases, and hope to one day get an example of as many as possible. I’ll never have the money for the Big Berthas etc, but I’ve got about 60 from 20mm to the Morser 21cm.
Mostly they’re easy enough to identify like a 75 DEC or an 18 PDR EOC, but some fight back a bit like the Russian 6” 15.2/110.7, and that’s fine, keeps the interest going.
But recently I’ve had a spate of pre-war British cases that I can’t identify and I’m asking for help in this from the more experienced collectors. All have straight sides but smooth rims ie don’t bear the scars of a badly-wielded hacksaw, or crimps, so was there really that much early variation?
All have pronounced Nordenfelt grooves and the same stepped base rims. All are from Royal Labs Woolwich. None have calibre marks.
#1. 53 x 165. Seller’s Grandfather worked at Woolwich Arsenal. Marks a bit faint so made a copy on blue paper for clarity. Has been refilled x 2, annealed and reused, but is undated.
#2. 53 x 218. By the CF is a backwards hammer motif and what looks like a Philips head screwdriver stamp. Can anyone identify these?
Both have mouth diameters of 53mm but I don’t know what that corresponds to.
Both have base diameters of 65mm which is the same as my 3 pounder.
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#3. 63 x 208. Looks like a factory second, no stamps or dates and the percussion cap has not been screwed in, although it appears to have a primer tower on the inside. Scratching about the base, perhaps it failed first inspection and was never used.
#4. 63 x 230. Nice stamps.
Both have mouth diameters of 63mm but I don’t know what that corresponds to.
Both have base diameters of 76mm which is the same as my 6 pounder.
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Without calibre marks the only thing I can think of is that they are a load of old cut-downs. What do you think? I saw the recent post about torpedo launchers, but that'd be like buses all at once, surely?
This is my first post, and already I'm looking for help :tinysmile_cry_t3:
My Grandfather was an Old Contemptible, a Colonel in the Royal Artillery. But I got into collecting because I picked up a 20mm shell case in an antique shop in Weymouth in the 1970s, like shiny things, and at last I have the space to collect a few more, although the wife disagrees.
I don’t like Trench Art, cut-downs, don’t particularly value having a used projectile stuck back on, I just like the unmolested clean shiny cases, and hope to one day get an example of as many as possible. I’ll never have the money for the Big Berthas etc, but I’ve got about 60 from 20mm to the Morser 21cm.
Mostly they’re easy enough to identify like a 75 DEC or an 18 PDR EOC, but some fight back a bit like the Russian 6” 15.2/110.7, and that’s fine, keeps the interest going.
But recently I’ve had a spate of pre-war British cases that I can’t identify and I’m asking for help in this from the more experienced collectors. All have straight sides but smooth rims ie don’t bear the scars of a badly-wielded hacksaw, or crimps, so was there really that much early variation?
All have pronounced Nordenfelt grooves and the same stepped base rims. All are from Royal Labs Woolwich. None have calibre marks.
#1. 53 x 165. Seller’s Grandfather worked at Woolwich Arsenal. Marks a bit faint so made a copy on blue paper for clarity. Has been refilled x 2, annealed and reused, but is undated.
#2. 53 x 218. By the CF is a backwards hammer motif and what looks like a Philips head screwdriver stamp. Can anyone identify these?
Both have mouth diameters of 53mm but I don’t know what that corresponds to.
Both have base diameters of 65mm which is the same as my 3 pounder.
==========================================================
#3. 63 x 208. Looks like a factory second, no stamps or dates and the percussion cap has not been screwed in, although it appears to have a primer tower on the inside. Scratching about the base, perhaps it failed first inspection and was never used.
#4. 63 x 230. Nice stamps.
Both have mouth diameters of 63mm but I don’t know what that corresponds to.
Both have base diameters of 76mm which is the same as my 6 pounder.
=========================================================
Without calibre marks the only thing I can think of is that they are a load of old cut-downs. What do you think? I saw the recent post about torpedo launchers, but that'd be like buses all at once, surely?
