Common shell

[FZG76]

Good morning all


a small question in order to obtain technical precision. In English artillery, what does COMMON SHELL mean?
Is this COMMON for the metal used or for its loading?

I find several answers and for my part I support the answer of the metal which of course was the base to carry out a shell receiving at the beginning of the black powder ...
What do we British friends think?
Thank you for your participation

 

[AMMOTECHXT]

I have researched in my reprinted copy of the Treatise on ammunition that was corrected up to 1877. It seems that the word `common' when referring to shell meant similarities or standardisation in manufacture and use, particularly interchangeability of fuzes, for example the diameter of the fuze hole being the same between different calibres of shell (e.g. to accept Pettmann's Land Service Fuze). This makes great sense for supply purposes if you consider that you would need only one size of fuze for all calibres of shell. In the 20th century the UK Land Service (army) adopted the 2 inch fuze hole gauge for its heavy calibre filled shell. In the 1980s the UK went a step further with the introduction of the multi-role fuze. I believe that was the L116 if I remember correctly.
I checked online just now and according to a site named Merriam Webster: [FONT=&quot]Definition of [/FONT]common shell: a gun shell having a comparatively large cavity filled with a bursting charge of high explosive intended to explode after passing through light protective armor.