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Hotchkiss Round and shell, I think...

Malx

New Member
Premium Member
Hi there,

I'm hoping someone can verify this as a Hotchkiss round and shell. It certainly looks like it, anyway. It has been a bit butchered as you can see, with large vice marks on the side.
The thread of the fuse, is it (?) has been hacksawed off. (Definitely not by me....) It looks as if it has been buried many years ago as well, as there is rust pitting on the steel part of the round and who ever found it was trying to unscrew the fuse or similar due to the vice marks, perhaps ?
The round is 90mm long, 26mm diameter on the copper ring, weighs 245 grams.
However, there is some dark red paint on the round above the copper ring. Could that mean this was APT round, perhaps?
The grey silver cone on the top is a rubber grommet thingy I painted and adapted to make it look more authentic..... lol
The shell is made of brass and is 165mm long with the base being 42mm diameter.
The brass shell weighs in at 300gms
It has the letter "S" and 11/17 stamped on the bottom. November 1917 ?
Looks like small Japanese markings either side of it too ? I do believe the Japanese bought quite a few Hotchkiss guns from the French in the late 1930's before WWII broke out...

Many thnx,
Malcolm063.jpg067.jpg068.jpg069.jpg
I will try and upload some photo's. :) 062.jpg
 
Yes you have a Japanese 25x163mm Hotchkiss Type 96 Navy case and projectile.
Headstamp shows Showa November 1942 (17 is 1942), symbol to left of S is Toyo(kawa) as is primer with a single bar on the anchor = Toyokawa Navy Arsenal.
The projectile looks altered with a steel insert threaded where it should be a brass fuze right hand thread.
90mm projectile length is correct for a HE single cavity and should be maroon paint with a solid base. The rubber thing is wrong too.
Paint is nearly always missing or just bits or showing above the drive band.
I hope this helps and also some of my 25mm projectiles in a photo.
 

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Yes you have a Japanese 25x163mm Hotchkiss Type 96 Navy case and projectile.
Headstamp shows Showa November 1942 (17 is 1942), symbol to left of S is Toyo(kawa) as is primer with a single bar on the anchor = Toyokawa Navy Arsenal.
The projectile looks altered with a steel insert threaded where it should be a brass fuze right hand thread.
90mm projectile length is correct for a HE single cavity and should be maroon paint with a solid base. The rubber thing is wrong too.
Paint is nearly always missing or just bits or showing above the drive band.
I hope this helps and also some of my 25mm projectiles in a photo.

Cool ! Thank you Ron. That is excellent info. Okay, so the brass fuse has been changed....long before I got it. That's okay...
So it is HE and the maroon paint remnants are just above the drive band as you said.
Yes, the rubber cone is wrong - just for decoration.
Your 25mm Hotchkiss are fine examples !
 
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