✅ SOLVED What is this Winchester Artillery Shell. Im thinking its WWI

[tamrock]

What is this Winchester Artillery Shell. I'm thinking it's WWI

I've been trying to ID this old shell I just picked up. I'm not finding any ID on it online.

The back says MANUFACTURED BY WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS Co NEW HAVEN CONN, U.S.A.

A No. 2-96 and a star with a V in the center are also stamped on the back.

It is 5-3/8 inch. long, The inside diameter of the neck is 1.4060 app.(1-13/32 inch)
and the outside diameter of the rim is 1.7813 app.(1-25/32 inch)

Also the intact primer looks live and un-punched and the neck looks as if it was beaten around it to remover the warhead.

Thanks!
GB

 

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[BosnMate]

2 - 96 Dates the manufacture to February of either 1996 or 1896. My thoughts are 1896, and I'll do a little more research and see what I come up with.
The primer hasn't been fired, so you're right the projectile was pulled by someone somewhere along the line. The live primer is not dangerous.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

hotchkiss cannon created in 1876..used until WWI by the americans.

 

[BosnMate]

Here's what I found.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia








The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century.
It usually refers to the 1.65-inch (42 mm) light mountain gun; there were also a navy (47 mm) and a 3-inch (76 mm)
Hotchkiss guns. The 42 mm gun was intended to be mounted on a light carriage or packed on two mules to accompany
a troop of cavalry or an army traveling in rough country.
The 1.65-inch (42 mm) gun and accessories could be packed on two mules. The gun was introduced as a modern
replacement for the aging twelve-pound mountain howitzer. The first gun purchased by the U.S. military from the
French arms firm of Hotchkiss was employed against the Nez Percés in 1877. Over the next twenty years the U.S.
would purchase 56. They were used at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, and again in Cuba for the
attack on San Juan Hill and in the Spanish–American War.

 

[BosnMate]

Here's what I found.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia








The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century.
It usually refers to the 1.65-inch (42 mm) light mountain gun; there were also a navy (47 mm) and a 3-inch (76 mm)
Hotchkiss guns. The 42 mm gun was intended to be mounted on a light carriage or packed on two mules to accompany
a troop of cavalry or an army traveling in rough country.
The 1.65-inch (42 mm) gun and accessories could be packed on two mules. The gun was introduced as a modern
replacement for the aging twelve-pound mountain howitzer. The first gun purchased by the U.S. military from the
French arms firm of Hotchkiss was employed against the Nez Percés in 1877. Over the next twenty years the U.S.
would purchase 56. They were used at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, and again in Cuba for the
attack on San Juan Hill and in the Spanish–American War.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Hotchkiss Gun

here is more...

 

[BosnMate]

Why in the world did mine post twice. I don't get it, this computer is doing some weird things an old coot don't understand.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

that happens to me sometimes..i just delete the extra post...

 

[tamrock]

WoW! I sure didn't think it was that old and it being pre WWI. I'll put the proper info on a piece of paper inside it. Thanks! Gentlemen

 

[tamrock]

Hotchkiss Gun

here is more...

That sure is a sweet little cannon. I think I may have a picture of a Hotchkiss I took at Ft. Laramie in Wyoming. I'll look for them and post a couple of pic's I took when I visited the place. I think it was the winter before last and I was the only visitor, so they let me walk around the park at no charge. Its a very nice little park and the weather was like early fall. It was a beautiful day.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Tamrock wrote:
> It [the artillery projectile casing] is 5-3/8 inch long. The inside diameter of the neck is 1.4060 app.(1-13/32 inch)

The neck's interior diameter means you've got a 37mm Hotchkiss casing, not one of the larger sizes as others have guessed. I'm quite certain about that, because I own a World War 2 era US-made 37mm SA Gun casing (marked as such), and its interior neck diameter is just slightly larger than yours. Your 37mm casing's comparaively short length indicates it is for the 37mm Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, which first saw service in 1872. Here is a US Army Ordnance diagram showing the varieties of ammunition for it, dated 1876.

 

[Red James Cash]

Then theres king of the Hotchkiss cannon.



Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon

The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon was designed by an American, Benjamin Hotchkiss, in response to the Franco-Prussian War. Hotchkiss chose to use large caliber shells in the gun instead of rifle cartridges (like the American Gatling or French Mitrailleuse) for greater anti-personnel effectiveness. The Congress of St Petersburg prohibited exploding ordnance with projectile weights under 14oz (because exploding bullets were deemed inhumane), so Hotchkiss based his design on a 16oz (37mm) cartridge

The mechanical design is fairly simple – the gun uses a single breechblock and firing mechanism, to which the barrel rotate one at a time. Each complete turn of the crank handle completes a firing cycle, with one round loaded, one fired, and one extracted. The mechanism is geared such that the crank handle us turned continuously, but the barrels are stopped and fixed during the actual firing process (this improves accuracy and can reduce the likelihood of jamming). Ammunition was fed via 10-round clips loaded by an assistant gunner.

During testing by the US Ordnance Board in 1876 and 1877, a total of 1,136 rounds were fired from a 37mm (1.5″) gun with only 5 malfunctions of any kind. One projectile failed to explode on impact, which was found be to the result of a broken firing in in the fuse. The other four malfunctions were light strikes early in the testing – the firing pin spring in the cannon was found to be faulty and replaced. After that repair, no more problems were recorded. That is an impressive performance for a repeating cannon in 1876, and the Ordnance officers were rightfully impressed. They were also impressed with the manufacturing quality and mechanical design of the gun – particularly how the barrels are set in place and not rotating while loading and firing occurs (unlike the Gattling gun and other contemporaries).

Primary use of the Hotchkiss revolving cannon was as navel armament, to defend large ships against smaller and much more agile torpedo boats. In this role, the Hotchkiss competed with other mechanical machine guns like the Nordenfelt and Gardner, but it was of a heavier caliber than the others. In addition to its original 37mm chambering, Hotchkiss cannons were also made in 47mm and 53mm in response to military demand. They were adopted by a number of nations including Brazil, France, China, the US, Holland, Greece, Chile, Argentina, Russia and Denmark.

 

[tamrock]

Thank you Cannonball! Great information
I took a picture of the Hotchkiss gun in Ft Laramie Wyo. This post now tells me what I was looking at... It was on 1-26-12 as the details from the pictures on my phone say. The day was beautiful for January. If any of you ever go through Wyoming. Ft. Laramie is a great place for anyone with interest in military,early American history, Fur Trapping times and the indian wars. The Gatling gun I was told by the park ranger is one of only two of its type to exist today. The old iron bridge is said to be the first iron bridge west of the Missouri river. Its a very quiet and peaceful place to visit. No big crowds at all. I was the only visitor at the time on that day and they didn't charge me a fee to visit the park. Well enjoy the photos and I'll get back that way this winter and take more. I also like to visit Last Stand Hill in the winter, as it's only ten bucks to walk around and get some exercise.