Shell Shifter
Well-Known Member
Hi. An interest of mine is earlier Hotchkiss material. The first example is a 53mm base fused steel shell.
The second was found associated with a Hotchkiss Paris case. The resemblance to the first is rather profound yet, there is no mention in any literature that I have come across of the existance of such a shell. Note the base and it's similarity to the 53mm example. The blunt nose identifies it as cast iron. It is 1.65".
This shell had a long, deep gash on it's side. The gash matched one in the casing and suggested that someone was either very destructive or had a unique way of disarming ordnance. In any event, I used the damage to justify, perhaps mistakenly, sectioning the projectile. The cutaway view shows (I think you can make it out) remnants of a shellac coating. This was, I understand, to prevent the BP bursting charge from reacting with the iron.
Later projectiles used knurling to secure the driving band.
Whoops! The base picture for the 1.65" projectile follows.
![IMG_1372.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Incitatus/Ordnance/IMG_1372.jpg)
![IMG_1374.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Incitatus/Ordnance/IMG_1374.jpg)
The second was found associated with a Hotchkiss Paris case. The resemblance to the first is rather profound yet, there is no mention in any literature that I have come across of the existance of such a shell. Note the base and it's similarity to the 53mm example. The blunt nose identifies it as cast iron. It is 1.65".
![IMG_2283.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Incitatus/Ordnance/IMG_2283.jpg)
![IMG_2287.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Incitatus/Ordnance/IMG_2287.jpg)
This shell had a long, deep gash on it's side. The gash matched one in the casing and suggested that someone was either very destructive or had a unique way of disarming ordnance. In any event, I used the damage to justify, perhaps mistakenly, sectioning the projectile. The cutaway view shows (I think you can make it out) remnants of a shellac coating. This was, I understand, to prevent the BP bursting charge from reacting with the iron.
Later projectiles used knurling to secure the driving band.
Whoops! The base picture for the 1.65" projectile follows.