Old cannon projectile??

[dlr1813]

My dad found this around 20 years ago laying out in the middle of the woods in Baldwin County, Alabama. Does anybody know what it actually is and from what time period/war?? We've done a little research and can't find one identical to it. Any information on it would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[BosnMate]

It's an artillery projectile, but I don't know anything more about it, except it would date later than the Civil War. Did you have a WWI or WWII training camp near where this was found? For a positive ID you need some exact measurements. I'm really guessing, but I think it looks like it's about a 55mm, just from remembering about how large a 40mm was 60 years ago when I was in the navy. The measurement needs to be the diameter in either millimeters or inches. Welcome to T Net.

 

[dlr1813]

I'm currently out of state working and I don't have it with me to get exact measurements but I would say between 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 inches in diameter and around 10 inches in length. I don't know about WW1 or WW11 camps in the area, I will have to look into it. It was found in Spanish Fort, AL and I know that was a heavily fortified area at the end of the civil war and they had the battle of Spanish Fort there between March and April of 1865 and that had me leaning towards it being from the civil war. Thanks for the help.

 

[ARC]

100 mm tank round looks like

 

[tamrock]

I'm with WWI era 75mm, French?, buy what I guesstimate in your hand, but accurate measurements will be needed as BosnMate has mentioned. No warhead may mean it's a target round to practice accuracy and save the genuine goober peas for the Kraut's over in France. Seems you ain't the first TN chap to find one of those. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/214138-ww1-artillery-bolt.html

 

[Red James Cash]

I have a 75mm shell casing.Unfortunately my calipers are packed someplace and my tape measure is at work.I think its a round from a sherman tank 75mm

 

[MuckyBottles]

I am thinking 75mm or M74 AP-T

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

AP shot identification needed
Got this site from an old TN thread from 1/5/11 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/214138-ww1-artillery-bolt.html

The picture that looks like the projectile in question in this thread is not positively identified, but the likely conclusion is that it is a 75 mm solid shot with a tracer pocket in the base. It was used in the Sherman tank as well as other tanks and artillery.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is definitely from the 20th Century. Its tapered base dates it to a bit after World War One and onward to the present day. It had no fuze in its nose, nor in its base, so it is a Solid-Shot (not hollow, explosive) projectile, used for Armor Piercing (called an "AP" projectile). The small, shallow hole in the center of base held a bright-burning "Tracer" chemical, which ignited the moment the projectile got fired, so the gunner could see the projectile's flight-path, helping him to aim the next shot more accurately.

The fact that the copperbrass band on your AP projectile shows multiple parallel ridges means it has been fired. Those ridges were made by the cannon's rifling-grooves when the projectile got fired. An unfired one would not have "rifling-marks" on it.

As other repliers have said, we need precise measurement (in hundredths-of-an-inch) of your projectile's diameter to give you more-specific ID info about it. Please try to borrow a Digital Caliper, and measure the diameter of the widest part of the projectile's steel body -- not the copperbrass band on it.

If nobody here can give you its very-specific ID, send your photos to the folks at the following website. There is a "Contact" option at the top of the webpage.
An Introduction To Collecting Artillery Shells And Shell Casings - International Ammunition Association

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I was going to comment on this one until I saw that Cannonballguy had pretty much said everything that I had to add already. I can't give you any more of an id without exact measurements in both inches and mm (length and diameter). Also an accurate weight would also be helpful.

About the only thing I can add to what CGB has already said is that I'm thinking (and I'll have to check on this) that it is a post WW1 round, based on the fact that it's boat tailed rather than having a flat base. Boat tail bullets came on the scene in the 1890's as I remember, but I think the design wasn't applied to artillery rounds until some time later.

 

[MuckyBottles]

I was trying to id by sight and shape, while fully understanding that measurements and weight is the primary factor in determining the actual round. Found these sites helpful. .Inert-Ord.net - A Varied and Detailed Display of Collectable Military Ordnance

However not knowing the weight it could be a qf 25 arty round