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Please need help for identify this shell

D

Dandebur

Well-Known Member
Hello,
Last year, I purchased a shell I can't identify. They are no fuze and no primer.
Total length (case+shell) 293 mm, length of the shell without fuze 164 mm, diameter at the mouth of the shell 48 mm, at the rim 64 mm, length of the case 159 mm.
I guess it is a 47 mm made in Germany for export. In the headstamp they are no lot number and no inspector's mark.
The case and the shell were together when I made the purchase, but I know about nothing on the shells, I am interested only by cases. So I would like to know if this assembly is correct. This shell is perhaps for an another case, it fit perfectly on a french case of 47 TR. I can't see any mark on it.
Can someone help? Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Dandebur.
1.jpg2.jpgDSCN2009.jpg
 
I'm thinking your projectile is a 3 Pdr and not appropriate for your German case. The band on the projo looks similar to a British Elswick Ordnance company design, except the grooves are a bit wider than normal. Many nations used the 3 Pdr, so it could be tough to source.
 
Hello HAZORD,
Thanks for your opinion.
It still remains to know for whom was made this case.
Regards,
Dandebur.
 
the crimping groove in the shell looks way too big for a British or French 3pr /47mm. British 3pr do not normally have a reduced diameter body section. I'd suspect a home made job but the bands look too professional so maybe an old shell cleaned up on a lathe.
 
47x159R is correctly meassured. It was most probably made for a belgian 4,7 cm Cockerill quick firing gun. Sorry, I don't have any information about the gun or the shell, only found a drawing of the case from Soc. Anonyme John Cockerill, Seraing.
 
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Could this be for the 4,7 cm Cockerill-Nordenfelt L/24 M1885 QF colonial gun? Belgium used this gun for example in Congo. In my current references the shell case shown in the forum thread is documented as a Belgium used fortress gun, but I never found any supporting information.

In the past I found shell cases for this gun mainly in Belgium and also 1 in Sweden or Norway (forgot exact country). I found this exact gun in a museum and was planning to organize a session to fit a shell case, but unfortunately the gun was loaned outside Belgium and now the museum is closing (Brasschaat in Belgium)...;-(. So this will probably never happen.....

I did find some information on the projectiles for this gun: shrapnel should be 19,5 cm and 2,0 kg, grenade 17,6 cm and 1,5 kg.
 
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