Projectile ID required, please

[Cirus]

Hi all,

With reference to the attached pictures, I hope you can help ID this projectile. It is 7 1/2" x 2 9/10" and solid shot. It appears to have a white tip and a definite white ring just below that. There is an odd covering of red paint to the nose with vertical striations under that, indicating it has penetrated something. On the side is a faint 'D' stamped and on the base, what appears to be a 'G' with an arrow stamped above it. Looking forward
to your replies!


Regards
Cirus

 

[BruceV8]

Where was it found? Its QF fixed, so I'd hazard a guess at Shot AP 75mm Tank gun (a la Sherman or late Churchill).

 

[Cirus]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the reply, where it was found originally I have no idea. I picked it up from a local militaria shop 'on spec' just because it looked WW1 'ish. How can you tell it's QF fixed? Incidently, the imperial to metric conversion makes the projectile a 190mm x 73.66mm also I have noticed a 'T' stamped on the side near the bottom.

Regards
Cirus

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

Cases or caseless or separate.

Hi Cirus in answer to your question of how to identify "fixed" and "separate loading" rounds here is a failry reliable method;-
Picture one shows a 120 mm Wombat Practice Squash Head projectile that is crimped into a case and has a groove below the driving band for that case to be crimped into.
Picture two shows a 120 mm Tank Squash Head Practice projectile that is separately loaded from the charge and this has no provision for any case to be crimped onto it as there is no case used-merely bag charges.
As always there are some exceptions such as 105 mm Tank rounds as these use the recess in between driving bands to crimp the case on.
The "T" on the side of your projectile may well indicate "Tracer" although usually it is only denoted by a painted "T" on the body and on heavier rounds (usually A.P) these "Tracer" elements tend be a drilled hole in the rear with the Tracer compound pressed into the hole.
Picture 3 shows a typical "Tracer cavity" on a smaller calibre round.

Chris :tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[Cirus]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the reply, very useful indeed! Any thoughts on the round itself?

Regards
Cirus

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

Shot /Armour Piercing/Tracer

Hi Cirus it is evidently an Armour Piercing "Shot" fitter with rear Tracer cavity but the measurements do not really add up for a certain identification !

Just to prove it is Armour Piercing try to cut the top with a file-the file should just "run" off the hardened projectile.
All we can see is that is was almost certainly a "cased" round due to the crimping groove cut into the lower body.

Have you a vernier caliper you can measure it with for a definitive diameter ?

Chris :tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[2pounder]

shot id

75mm USA M72 ap is a boat tailed proj, yours is definiteley QF and has typical ridging in to hold the band of a British proj. The crimping groove is very close to the band and practice proj usually have the same band width as service proj so there may be clues there. It also looks dumpy ie shorter than might be expected, a 12pr (nominally 3inch) naval practice shot is appx 8in tall. Can you let us have some more sizes ie bottom of band groove to middle of crimp groove, and band width.

 

[Cirus]

Revised measurements

Hi,

Here are my revised measurements of the projectile in question:
Height (as before) = 7 1/2"
Width = 3"
Base to drive band bottom = 1"
Base to groove centre = 7/10"
Drive band width = 7/10"
Weight = 12 lbs
Any thoughts ref the white band and white tip?

Regards
Cirus

 

[2pounder]

shot id

the 1915 handbook states '' all shot have a white tip''
''a 1/2inch white band around the head denotes steel....''

the nearness of the crimp groove is like 12pr12cwt FA, 13pr field gun, and 75mm TR an export round by EOC circa 1909. band width also similar to the first 2 types, dont know on the last type. However 13pr solid does not make a lot of sense but might be ATK in desperation ie just after Dunkirk.